{"id":585,"date":"2015-05-03T12:44:58","date_gmt":"2015-05-03T16:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madameshepard.com\/?p=585"},"modified":"2015-05-03T12:44:58","modified_gmt":"2015-05-03T16:44:58","slug":"implementing-a-passion-project-with-intermediate-learners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madameshepard.com\/?p=585","title":{"rendered":"Implementing a Passion Project with Intermediate Learners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Untitled-1\"<\/a>For the first 90% of the school year I planned units that I thought would be relevant and interesting to most of my students. I was thrilled with the progress they made in their proficiency and for the most part they remained engaged throughout the year.\u00a0 As a result, I\u2019ve decided to try something new with my Intermediate learners. For the last two weeks of the semester (and as their final exam grade), I\u2019m going to put each of my Intermediate learners in charge of designing his or her own curriculum. Each of my French 3, 4 and 5 students will research a topic of their choice and then present what they have learned to their classmates.\u00a0 Their presentations, as well as the journal entries they will write to document their research, will determine their final exam grade.<\/p>\n

Never having implemented this type of project, I did some quick research on Genius Hour and Passion Project ideas.\u00a0 There are so many great ideas out there!\u00a0 Based on what I found out, I\u2019ve developed these guidelines:\u00a0passionprojectdirections<\/a><\/p>\n

The students will first complete a Google Doc with general questions about their topic, how it relates to a Francophone culture, their big idea question, some beginning research questions, and how they will share what they learn. ( Here\u2019s a Word version of the document that I made:googledoc<\/a> ) Afterward, they will have 5 class periods to research their topic in class.\u00a0 I have encouraged each student to considering bringing in a device for this research and I have 8 classroom computers for those without a smart phone\/tablet\/laptop etc. They will only be permitted to read\/listen about their topic in French while in class.\u00a0 During the last 10-15 minutes of each class period (or at home), they will complete a blog entry (on the same Google Doc).\u00a0 As indicated on the project guide, I will randomly select one or more blog entries to grade for each student.\u00a0 For the second week, the students will create the visual aid for their presentation, create index cards, and practice their presentations.\u00a0 Finally, they will present their projects to the class.\u00a0 While I think many of the students will choose a Powerpoint\/Google Presentation, I\u2019d also accept videos or possible other formats that they suggest.<\/p>\n

Although we won\u2019t begin researching until this week, most of my students are excited about being able to study \u201canything they want.\u201d\u00a0 While I\u2019m thrilled that they\u2019re engaged by this project, I\u2019m also more than a little nervous about putting them in the driver\u2019s seat.\u00a0 Like many teachers, I might have just a tiny bit of a control issue!\u00a0 As a result, I\u2019ve decided to assign a daily participation\/interpersonal speaking grade. Although I don\u2019t normally grade participation, I wanted to make sure to have some documentation about their work on this project. In order to justify this grade to the \u201cproficiency voice inside my head,\u201d I added a descriptor about discussing their research with Madame.\u00a0 As I circulate among the students as they work, I plan on conducting quick interviews to gauge their progress, as well as make them accountable for staying on task.\u00a0Even though I\u2019m a little nervous, I can\u2019t wait to see what these students come up with!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve implemented a Passion Project or Genius Hour, I\u2019d love to hear your words of wisdom!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the first 90% of the school year I planned units that I thought would be relevant and interesting to most of my students. I was thrilled with the progress they made in their proficiency and for the most part they remained engaged throughout the year.\u00a0 As a result, I\u2019ve decided to try something new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-french-3-units","category-french-45-ap-units"],"yoast_head":"\nImplementing a Passion Project with Intermediate Learners - Madame's Musings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/madameshepard.com\/?p=585\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Implementing a Passion Project with Intermediate Learners - Madame's Musings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the first 90% of the school year I planned units that I thought would be relevant and interesting to most of my students. 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