Create a Project Assignment

•Create a Project for 10th grade class in your curricular area (Geometry, World History,
English 10, Chem/Physics)  None of these are my teaching areas, well, officially. I teach them
all when needed.
Constraints -
• 1.  Thinking back to our talk about WIDA (WORLD-CLASS INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND

ASSESSMENT)… you have a student in your class that is considered a Level 4 ELL. 
Please utilize the Can Do Descriptors to help guide you when you think about what they can
do.  Remember this project must be capable of serving all students. 
About half of my students are Level 2 to 4 Ell students in English. Luckily, I guess (?),
most of them are in my advanced Spanish classes.
However, I still have to address misconceptions based on learning, home-
education, or other per-conceived notions.
•2. You may look at the textbooks we used in class, or others you have access to, as a guide
to choosing a topic. No duplication of topics within curricular areas. 
• The last project I used in class was to create, in groups of 2-3, an
explanation, in Spanish of a winter holiday, and compare it to the same in
other cultures.
• 3. We do not care how you write this up (informal is fine). However, when we read your write
up it must be clear enough that we can understand how I could use this project in my own
classroom (i.e. pretend you are sharing this project idea with your team members).
•5.  Clearly identify your learning target(s).
I NEED to know...
•1.  What actions/tasks students will be completing. How will you differentiate the assignment
for ELL students? 
• Well, in my classes, I can differentiate by changing the language of
presentation, I can adapt it to different cultures, I can invite them to
discuss what they do in their homes compared to other cultural practices.
• It may seem easy to assume Spanish, as it is the most common in this
area, but I can switch between many languages to further their growing
comprehension of English.
• So, I can adapt all lessons to different language learners. In a Spanish
class, I don’t see difficulties in English as a problem, but I do work hard to
reach out to make sure that they are engaged and don’t feel ostracized.
•2.  How students will or will not collaborate with each other.What is the justification of your
choice?  
• This is harder in the virtual environment. They must collaborate in order
to learn how to function in society. Luckily, some students call out their
peers if they don’t collaborate, which I allow as long as they aren’t
“mean”.
• A gentle provocation can be helpful, especially from a fellow student, and
not from an employee, and not from a perceived “boss”.
•
•3.  What a "finished" project might look like. 
• Not necessarily 100%. There’s always room for change, for
improvement.
• I’ve never met a writer who was absolutely pleased with their last work.
• Painters, poets, etc... will gladly trash some of their works.
• Apparently, even Da Vinci painted and repainted over Mona Lisa’s face.
• Finished projects, from my students, show growth. Period.
• 4.  The role of the teacher throughout the process.
• I don’t know how to fix the formatting… “4” is stuck here.
• My role is to help them find the path forward, to whatever end.
Everyone’s end is individual.
• I just want see forward movement.
• I can serve as a guide, based on my own travails, but they need to
find their own path.
• I am the Virgil to their Dante, but I’m certainly no Virgil.
• I’m wavering, but I see my job, thinking of one project, as preparing
the students the best I can, telling them what they need to
accomplish, telling them if they accomplished it, and then telling
them how to accomplish it “better’, (meaning how to satisfy the
described task….)
•5.  Your expected timeline this project could follow in a real course.
• My last project was a week in duration, as a group. We have 90’ blocks,
evrry other day. I gave them portions of two F2F days to work on it. Then
they had to send it to me online. They are asynchronous on Fridays.
•6.  Your rationale behind your project choice (in other word.)s, what will students gain from
this on a personal level and on an academic level?).
 • The last project covered winter holidays across the globe. My goal was
for them to work on the language, work together, and to get a better
understanding of how the rest of the world doesn’t think, or live, in
“America”. (Then I point out that the entire Western Hemisphere is
“America”.) So, I hope they gain a better understanding of the scope of
the world, and how to use basic language to discuss that in a basic-level
way. I can go explain how I go into -ar, -er, -ir verbs for you, and I do with
my kiddos, but that’s not really my goal. That comes in time. My goal is
basic communication.

•7. What materials will you need to do this project (access to computers, art supplies, etc)   
They have their ChromeBooks. They have their phones. They need to
know, or learn, how to manage Gdocs, Ppts, etc. to present the info.
• Some do prefer to do things manually, and I have all kinds of supplies in
my room. Scissors, paper, glue, clips, brads, tape.. keep going. I just
found a kiddo in my room today looking for stuff to use for another class.
I loved it. And it was another kid, a former student, that gave me the
heads up as a was walking back. They know that my door is always
open.
I would LOVE to see...
•1.  An example of a "finished" project.
• I don’t have time for asking for permission, but I have had Honors
students turn in projects based on migration patterns of Italian wolves into
France which required studies of French scientific publications, another
that wrote a children’s story about the coming-of-age passage of being
allowed to go and get the daily baguette, and my students in First-year
Spanish just created, in small groups, presentations, in PPT or similar,
about holidays. Filled with errors, but fun.
• 2.  Something that allows students to be creative yet accountable.
• I give them all of the room they want, but they have to make it
understandable, appreciable, and they have to explain something. I give
them a rubric. I grade it, but I also ask students to “grade” it so I can see
their appreciation. I don’t tell anyone who said what, but, if I see I big
trend, I might point it out.
•3. How would students submit this project? Turn it in to teacher? Present to class? Share
with another class/audience? 
 • In COVID, they send it to me, but a few share in class. I love to share
them with my upper classes so they can remember where they were. But
only with permission of the students.
• 3.  SOMETHING NEW!  I know you have heard the comment before "Don't reinvent the
wheel."  Well, who needs a wheel in the first place? What about hovercrafts!!! Once upon a
time it was a totally new and inventive idea.  This is your chance to create your "hovercraft". 
•-I hope this is enough structure (without narrowing your thinking).  If you need us to help you
frame this further we can certainly do so... just let us know.
• I don’t know. It seems like we’re creating hovercrafts every week.
• The only thing I can think of is to find a way for our society to give more of
a darn for education. Be it in the trades, academics, whatever. Spend a
few bucks every year to allow people to follow their dreams.
• I found that the best way, in the languages I teach, to encourage
continued learning, participation, love, was to get them on the soil. My
students that came with me to other countries never let go. They learned
the connections between culture, between math and Spanish, between
history and sociology, etc. Why do the French, still, in many ways,
operate on a base 20? And why not? Abraham Lincoln did in the
Gettysburg Address.
• Well, the wheel is still good. I prefer 2, without gas.