c
Problem Solving: The student plans and organizes an event or an activity;
that is, the student:
| • | develops a plan for the event or activity that: |
| - | includes all the factors and variables that need to be considered; |
| - | shows the order in which things need to be done; |
| - | takes into account the resources available to put the plan into action, including people and time; |
| • | implements the plan; |
| • | evaluates the success of the event or activity by identifying the parts of the plan that worked best and the parts that could have been improved by better planning and organization; |
| • | makes recommendations to others who might consider planning and organizing a similar event or activity. |
The overall plan,
extracted from the student’s log, includes her analysis of the factors
and variables that needed to be considered to accomplish the project’s
goals.
The plan for raising
money includes a sequential outline of steps to be taken to see the project
to completion.
The list of materials
demonstrates the student’s planning for assembling the resources
needed to build a model lighthouse as the culminating activity of her
project.
This statement
explains the order in which the student planned to implement the raffle
drawing.
Each of these pieces of work represents a fairly simple component of planning. Taken together, however, they offer evidence of thinking ahead and of thinking through the steps of the project in a planful way. This quality of planning illustrates expectations for the elementary level. Note that these documents form part of the student’s working materials for the project. They were not intended to be finished work and were not revised for publication.
a
Communication Tools and Techniques: The student makes an oral presentation
of project plans or findings to an appropriate audience; that is, the
student:
• organizes the presentation in a logical way appropriate to its
purpose;
• speaks clearly and presents confidently;
• responds to questions from the audience;
• evaluates the effectiveness of the presentation.
This is the student’s
final draft of her speech informing the school of the upcoming raffle,
its purpose, the cost of the tickets and the raffle prizes. It was delivered
over the public address system and at an assembly program. The oral presentation
was clearly and effectively presented as evidenced by the quantity of
raffle tickets sold over the next few days (see 
).
The circumstances of the presentation did not allow for questions from
the audience.
The student reflected on the effectiveness of her presentation.
b
Communication Tools and Techniques: The student composes and sends
correspondence, such as thank-you letters and memoranda providing information;
that is, the student:
• expresses the information or request clearly;
• writes in a style appropriate to the purpose of the correspondence.
This letter to
the school principal had two purposes: (1) To express the student’s
appreciation for being permitted to make her announcement, and (2) To
give an update on her first day’s collection. It is written in the
style appropriate to the purpose of the correspondence.
a
Tools and Techniques for Working With Others: The student works with
others to complete a task; that is, the student:
• reaches agreement with group members on what work needs to be done
to complete the task and how the work will be tackled;
• takes a share of the responsibility for the work;
• consults with group members regularly during the task to check
on progress in completing the task, to decide on any changes that are
required, and to check that all parts have been completed at the end of
the task.
These documents
provide evidence that the student worked with others to complete the project.
She organized the raffle event by dividing the task among several students
and assigned specific responsibilities to each student. Each person took
responsibility for the collection of money from a specific grade. The
group members met regularly to tally the money collected.