Studies show that students are more motivated and passionate about their school work when they are interested and have a say in what they are learning. I don't think we need research to tell us that! We see it in our children every day. Many parents have expressed a desire to see their child's motivation increase when they are doing homework and have also wondered how they can get their child to care more about their homework. One suggestion I have is what I call a Passion Project. This is a student driven project in which the student identifies an area of interest that they would like to become an expert on. The student then brainstorms what they would like to learn and creates a plan to learn it and teach their new information to the class. The teaching may be in the form of an oral report, technology presentation such as power point, posters, a play, mock news report, artistic representation, song etc. If the student can dream it up, we can mostly likely give it a go!
These projects are in addition to the regularly assigned homework and are an independent assignment. I would always be happy to consult with the student on their project, but the project should be done at home. Parents should coach their child but should refrain from doing a portion of the project for them. The goal is to increase independence and strategies for success as we get ready for middle school.
These projects are completely optional!
I will talk the project up in class and send them home with interested students. If you are interested in having your child work on one (which is great on nights when they fly through their homework!) please let me know and I would be happy to send one home.
As always, thank you for your support and let me know if you have any questions!
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