First off, I have to say how extremely proud I am of everyone for doing
such an awesome job on these research projects. This was not a simple
activity. This project took a while (longer than expected, too, because
of our "cold days") and had multiple steps that built upon one
another. I knew these kids could do it, though, and they did amazing.
The class was split up into 5 groups of three and 1 group of 2.
Each group was then assigned a species of penguin and given an
information sheet about their bird.
On the first day the
groups read through their information sheets and highlighted important
facts. After they finished reading each section and highlighting, they
recorded their key details on a graphic organizer.
After their graphic organizers were completed, the groups could
begin on their posters. Each poster had to contain: a title (what
species of penguin they researched), the names of everyone in their
group, and all of the information that had been recorded on their
graphic organizer (appearance, enemies, food, and a cool fact). Mrs.
Gordon, our ELL teacher, had also printed off information sheets for
each of the groups once she found out about the project. Some of the
groups used that information, too. A couple of students even brought in
information they printed at home to share with their group.
For
pictures, the groups had the option of using printed photos from the
internet, or illustrating their own images. Each group was given a
picture on their information sheet and on the sheet from Mrs. Gordon.
Some students brought great pictures they printed at home. A couple of
groups drew some wonderful pictures, too.
