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Getting a handle on projects before they handle you!
You have probably heard that project based learning (#pbl) is a great way to improve student learning. I personally love using all kinds of projects in the class especially those projects that involve hands-on learning and group work. However, if you teach more than one class, like me, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed trying to keep your projects on track. While classroom management is vital to a great project (click here to read my blog post about classroom management on projects), we need to have our projects well organized in advance so we can ensure students are learning what we want them to learn, they are working in a timely manner, and we have all the resources we need before we begin. I do a lot of projects throughout the year, ranging anywhere from 1 class period to several months, so I wanted a resource that would organize all my projects for the year. The Project Planner I created gives an overview of all the projects I have planned for the year as well as more detailed views of each month.
It also includes a project breakdown so I can plan out the "nitty gritty" details of each project. This includes a list of questions to think through, a checklist, a sample rubric, a self-assessment rubric (for students to score themselves and their team members), and a list of group members and their roles. Sometimes I like to write my plans out by hand and sometimes I prefer my digital lists....so I made sure the planner is both printable as is AND editable. Each slide (with the exception of the cover pages) can be customized for your classroom!
As the school year is fast approaching, I know one of the best things I can do this summer is to prep as much as possible to alleviate some of the work load. Project management for me, is a great place to start! Here is to our last few weeks of summer and to a great upcoming school year full of fun projects!