Mr. B’s science classes continued in full flipped classroom mode through January and February. Boys worked in research teams to create a website featuring Fessy campus birds. Mr. B structured this project in some really neat ways.
Website Target Audience Brainstorm
First, before boys knew the bird they’d focus on, the entire class participated in a 30,000 foot view project introduction. Here, the class determined the target audience(s) for this website: ornithologists (novice to professional), students researching birds, and prospective Fessy families. In delineating these groups, they also brainstormed ideas about what specific items and strategies they could use to make sure their page appealed to this audience.
Student Generated Effective Website Criteria
Students also referred back to a list they’d brainstormed in the Fall around what makes an effective website, and were charged with creating one that followed the very standards they’d written earlier in the year.
Another important element of this project structure is the research Team Check, in which each group reports its work status, accomplishments, and challenges to the larger group and receives feedback when appropriate. This helps keep students accountable within their group and to the larger class, and provides an opportunity for crowd-sourced solutions. Watch the video below to see a Team Check in action.
These web pages are now connected to QR codes, which are posted at Fessy Feeder viewing sites. The boys are continuing on with an exciting adaptations project. Stay tuned for an update!
21st Century Fessenden 