Common Elements for the Projects

Each project will have the following elements:

1. A key question that will be the focus of the student research. The question will focus on a particular subject area such as a species in the stream, a scientific principle, a human activity and its impacts on the stream, etc. and will come from the list of specific projects as amended while we do the preparations.
7. A set of background research objectives to be accomplished by the students. These will always include:
7.1. the collection or use of pictures from slides, field trip photographs, or book illustrations.
7.2. the creation of other illustrations
7.3. written materials with references indicating the answers to the key question and drawing some conclusions
7.4. Written and chart outputs as indicated below
7.5. A scenario of present, past, or future conditions relating the use of the land by people to the key question. The focus of the scenario will be to introduce a social studies sub-topic for the students to discuss and analyze.
7.6. A set of optional components that will allow some flexibility and creativity for the most motivated students
7.7. A group final project focus with individual assignments so that each student is given a set of responsibilities.
8. A set of common outputs. The outputs can be a mix of on-line, electronic documents using materials made available by the project or scanned in by the students, printed materials, photographs, charts in electronic or printed form. Each should contain a minimum of the following
8.1. A presentation in electronic form for posting on the Free-Net
8.2. The presentation will include pictures and illustrations, charts or graphs, and written text which is grammatically correct and in an appropriate format.
8.3. The written text will include research results on the key question and the scenario and draw some conclusions about the topic.
8.4. Ancillary materials may also be presented. These could include evidence of the exchange of materials with other students via electronic means, poems, art, or other creative work relating to the project, extra data collected during the field trip or from secondary sources.

Example

This is project example based on the first specific project

Project Description: Mollusks (shell fish such as clams and mussels) are important parts of the environment in the Big Darby Creek. What are the life cycles of these animals like and how might they be harmed by human activities around the creek? Pick one or more species of these animals and research this question. The final project should answer this question and include the following parts:

1. Find some data on mollusks in the Big Darby Creek. Use the Excel program to make a charts showing where in the basin these are found, how many species there are, or other important information about them.
2. Find some illustrations of the species on the computer in the library or in written materials.
3. Find some information that answers the questions above about the life cycle.
4. A builder wants to build a large number of houses along the creek near one of the places with a number of mollusks live. What will the builder need to do to avoid the type of pollution that would kill them? Who in the local government would be responsible to make sure that the builder did what he was supposed to do? What types of laws would be used to protect the Creek from builders that do not care about the mollusks? Answer these questions as a part of your assignment.
5. Use the word processor and presentation program on the computer to create a presentation showing all of the things you found about the mollusk.
6. Write a report with the word processor to be a part of your presentation.
7. Here are some optional things you could also do for extra credit:
7.1. On the field trip, find some evidence of the places where this species live.
7.2. Use photographs or drawings to help describe what that part of the river is like.
7.3. Find or design an experiment you can do at school that demonstrates how long it takes for sediment in the water to settle out. What does this mean to these species that filter water to feed?
7.4. Find some information on the Internet (Free-Net) about one of the subtopics in this project. For example, find out more about local government. Prepare a short report describing where you found the materials and what you learned from them.
7.5. Start an electronic correspondence with a student in another school studying environmental issues. Find out what kinds of projects they are doing in that school. If possible, exchange information about a stream they are studying and try to compare it. Compare ideas on how to prepare your reports. Keep an electronic diary of your correspondence.