I have been working on a little project and searching the web high and low. I’ve used Google Advanced search, I’ve poured through catalogs, I’ve hunted on Twitter. I’ve left no stone unturned. Well, okay, I didn’t exactly check under the stones in my yard…but you get the idea.
I’m looking at our district’s math series and trying to create projects that will challenge gifted kids who test out of curriculum they’ve already mastered. Not the kind of challenge where they do more work, but the kind of challenge that is real-life math projects, where kids apply their skills, create, design, and problem solve. I have this vision of high-interest, challenging projects that students will not only love, but it will enhance their learning by integrating various subjects. I’m envisioning a set of cards, with an essential question, a task, and a little rubric on the back. Think “Webquest-to-Go” To differentiate in the gifted education or regular classroom, it is so important that these type of materials be accessible, engaging, and meaty. I don’t want a page of problems that is going to skim standards or touch lightly on a topic. I want a meaty project that is going to cause deep thinking… and yes, you guessed it, let students struggle. Remember, struggle=learning. I thought maybe this magical set was out there, waiting for me to place my order.
So, as I was searching, and leaving no stone unturned… the answer was right in front of me. That stone? How much did it weigh? Could a measurement unit be built around it where stones are collected, classified, and then tested with various forms of measurement. Could a student even invent a new unit of measurement, use it to measure their rock collection, and draw conclusions on why we even have measurement units in the first place? Or could the stone be part of a gold rush unit where students calculate money earned by miners, exploring probability, and thinking about “What is luck?” Hmmmm… when it comes to student thinking, this project is going to rock, afterall.
So, there are now two things I know that money cannot buy… happiness AND high-level-engaging-realworld-learning experiences. Which to me, are pretty much the same thing.
