by Amber Chandler
I assign Passion Projects to
my middle school students in the spring. Feel free to use the one on my website
as a guide, which is exactly what I plan to do with my own kids this summer for
their 20% time. I’m going to help them come up with what I call the “burning
question” that they are just dying to know the answer to and are willing to
spend their summer exploring. Once we’ve arrived at that question, they will
each need to read 100 pages (either one book or several totally 100 pages)
about their topic. The goal is to chase down the answer to their question and
then create a website sharing their learning. If this sounds too teacherly, I
assure you, this is one teacher who wants to place the responsibility squarely
on their shoulders since A) I just finished helping 134 students create a
website and B) my own kids are used to me. I may or may not have “made” Zoey do
a PowerPoint for her project the summer before 2nd grade.
While they’re at it,
it’s a good time for you to join in the fun and lead by example. Last summer my
daughter’s burning question was “Why do animals become extinct?” She chose this
because she’s what I’ll affectionately call a “people pleaser,” and she thought
this would be scholarly and impressive to the 5th grade teacher who she’d show
it to later. We went to the local science museum, read articles, and she was
bored pretty quickly. She switched her topic to “What makes a good play?” since
she loves acting. Additionally, my husband freelances as an arts and
entertainment reviewer, so she was able to attend several plays with him and
mimic his style, essentially using his writing as a mentor text. This was a
cool experience for him to show her the ropes and spend some quality time
together.
Oliver, my then 7 year
old, had no problem deciding what he wanted to do all summer. He wanted to know
why so many people love Lego. (Incidentally, there is no such thing as Legos,
no “s” as the plural is simply Lego--one of the many facts he taught us). His
project was perfect because it was already his passion. He spent time at the
library Lego club, “interviewing” the librarian about why they had the club,
and reading every book he could on the topic. I bet he read more than Zoey and
I combined. To his delight, “A Lego Brickumentary” came out in July and
we actually bought it on demand the night it was released. He had the unique
experience of being the most informed person in the room, which is hard to do
when you have an older sister, a teacher mom, and a writer dad. It was actually
fascinating, and I highly recommend it.
I mentioned “Passion
Projects” and the idea to add a website this summer and both of my kiddos were
excited. My favorite part though is that they weren’t so ready to commit to a
topic. They recognized the value of the 20% time, and, as Oliver said, “You’ve
got to be careful what you have to think about all summer.” Yep, you sure do.
Amber Chandler is a mama, teacher, and education writer. She believes in
student-centered, Project Based Learning, as well as integrating technology at
every turn. Her book, The Flexible ELA Classroom: Differentiation for Grades 4-8 will be available this fall. She’s launching doyoudifferentiate.com, a
website companion to the book, but also a space for teachers of all kinds to
share their resources. Please submit your best ideas to her to appear on the
website, as she’d like to highlight the work of the homeschool crowd. Follow
her on Twitter at @MsAmberChandler and visit her website AmberRainChandler.com for lots of resources that you are welcome to use.
