Six Steps for Planning a Successful Project
Use these guiding principles to pull together projects with the time and resources you have.
By Kathy Baron
Use these guiding principles to pull together projects with the time and resources you have.
Sure, King Middle School has some amazing projects, but the Portland school has been refining its expeditionary learning projects for
nearly two decades. David Grant, who guides the school's technology integration and curriculum development, has put together a six-
step rubric for designing a project. He says Fading Footprints, which became a model for King and Expeditionary Learning Schools,
doesn't take an entire school, or even a team of twelve, to plan and carry out; one or two teachers can tailor this one to fit their time and
resources.
Six Steps to Planning a Project
Step 1: Develop a compelling topic that covers state standards, has an authentic connection to the local community, and
provides opportunities for every student to do meaningful, independent research.
How they do it:
When it came time to study ecology as part of the science and technology standard, King Middle School teachers agreed that
a compelling topic seemed to flow naturally from their local environment. They decided to study indigenous animals that are
endangered and threatened, focusing on the animals' habitats and why the animals are in danger.
A number of local experts visited the school to help kick-off the project; other wildlife experts took the students on an outdoor
expedition to see firsthand how living things depend on one another and on non-living aspects of the environment.
It was a powerful subject that engaged the students in doing something with a real world value. Students selected the animal
they wanted to study, researched its life cycle and habitat, learned why it was in danger, and identified possible steps that could
reverse the animal's decline.
Step 2: Develop or design a comprehensive final product that each student will have a role in creating, and could be used
by local residents or professionals in the field.
How they do it:
The 1-to-1 laptop program was a bonus when it came to creating a comprehensive final product. Each student used a
variety of media to report his or her findings, including writing, producing scientifically accurate field guide illustrations, taking
digital photos, shooting video, and working on websites. After each individual project was completed, all students worked
together to produce a single CD-ROM representing the entire ecology curriculum. The CD-ROM and their individual work
were posted on line on the school website, along with additional resources, including a glossary of terms.
Students were motivated to produce a professional quality CD-ROM because the teachers had arranged to have the
discs placed in Portland's elementary school libraries and to be on sale at the Children's Museum of Portland. In addition, the
students' artwork went on display at the museum and at the Maine Audubon Society. In addition, students analyzed
professionally published field guides.
Teacher teams designed and built an exemplar model themselves before assigning it to the kids to make sure it was
possible to do in the time frame allotted and with the number of students involved.
Step 3: Involve professional organizations and professionals from the community to connect the academic study with the
real world, and have students assume these professional roles during the expedition so they get a sense of what it would
mean to be professionally engaged in meaningful work.
How they do it:
Recruiting professionals began early on with teachers reaching out to various organizations and researchers for
assistance and resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided information about the Endangered Species Act,
pollution, habitat management and restoration. An expert from the Maine Department of Wildlife visited the school to talk with
students. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provided information on state species populations. The
Allied Whale Program at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, hosted a class trip.
Once they heard and saw how the experts do their work, the students assumed those professional roles for the
duration of the project. They became investigators, researchers, artists, and policy advisers. One part of the project had
students caring for salmon eggs with the goal of releasing the fish into the river after they hatched.
Step 4: Identify and organize the major learning resources for the expedition, and make sure they're available. (This one is
critical and is often left out by schools).
How they do it:
Well before all the pre-planning is done, teachers have to shop around so they know that there are enough
developmentally appropriate resources to go around so every student has a chance to do meaningful research. If those
things don't exist, you can be two, three or four weeks down the road on a project and discover there aren't enough learning
resources for the students.
King Middle School avoided what could have been a frustrating experience when teachers started to map out a
project to examine the effects of ship wrecks off the coast on the local marine life. They found out that there weren't enough
sunken boats in safe locations for each student to conduct meaningful indpendent research.
Step 5: Coordinate calendars. (This may be the hardest piece of all.) Expeditions are interdisciplinary and require a lot of
planning to ensure that each piece flows smoothly from one to the next. They require enough time for each component to
be done well, for students to get time in the field, for experts to come in at the appropriate place, and for the final product
to be high quality.
How they do it:
Fading Footprints was a twelve-week unit. The final product was very complex; students couldn't be developing tech
skills at the same time they were processing content information. The project was broken down roughly into three digestible,
meaningful, month-long chunks.
The first month was dedicated to developing comprehension via direct instruction, reading and research, field trips to
the Maine Audubon Society and the College of the Atlantic, and presentations from guest lecturers. All students received
formative assessment during this time through journal checks, quizzes and tests, as well as interviews with teachers.
During the second month, students conducted independent species research and produced a prototype product.
In the third month, students worked on and refined their final projects. They also critiqued each other's work.
Tech learning was scaffolded out so students weren't learning the technology at the same time they were creating
their individual final products and the CD-ROM.
Step 6: Plan a final experience or culminating event. Showcase student work to the public or outside of school.
How they do it:
All students received a copy of the CD at the culminating event at the Children's Museum of Portland before their
parents, community members, and experts. The CD is available in Portland's elementary school libraries, and was sold at the
Maine Audubon Society and the Children's Museum in Portland. In addition, all of the original artwork in the CD was
displayed at the Children's Museum.
Adapted from an article in SEED Packet: Spreading Educator to Educator Developments, by King Middle School teacher David
Grant, based on King's six-step rubric.