Purpose of Culminating Project
The purpose of the culminating project is to evaluate the level of understanding of the information provided during the last year for the students. The aim of this idea is not to blame someone because of the difficulties with any discipline but to improve the system of education in order to make it comprehensible for everyone.
Learning Objectives
Students would have to demonstrate three learning objectives in diverse spheres that they got acquainted with during this year. Mathematic skills would be evaluated by solving the problems. On the one hand, numeracy would be assessed as it is the basic competency for a grade level K-3 (Primary programs framework for teaching and learning, 2007). On the other hand, knowledge in the areas of logic and comparison would be investigated. Literacy requires the skill of reading and a simultaneous understanding of the material. It is possible to suggest giving a student an unknown text that they would read, making notes if necessary, and then retelling without using the primary document. A child has to show his ability to make the analysis and compare diverse facts and knowledge of universal information.
Variants of Culminating Projects
Attraction Description
Students can choose any attraction they are interested in; they have to talk about its national and historical value. What is more, they have to find direct quotes from famous people about this place and read them to the class. The formal information about the landmark has to be presented. For example, classmates can learn more about the height of the building, the founding date, and its significance in modern society. It is crucial to mention that a student needs to use numbers in his or her speech in order to demonstrate competence in numeracy. The use of the Internet is not forbidden, but the material must be verified carefully both by the child and parents.
The usage of the apps on the phone or making a PowerPoint presentation to provide illustrations are encouraged. It would be beneficial both for the students in the class as the information would be accompanied by pictures or interactive format and for the speaker as he would improve their skills in the technological sphere (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). The presentation would be verbal, but a small written essay with a summary of the speech has to be given to the teacher.
Presentation deliverable: formal check would include evaluating the grammatical correctness of the essay and logical presentation of the material.
Favorite book
A presentation of a favorite book is the other example of the culminating project. The student has to show the ability to examine and compare information in the book with the facts from real life. It is possible to assume that the student can share his perception of moral and ethical questions raised by the author. In order to evaluate numeracy skills, it would be necessary to make a short presentation about the writer, his or her date of birth, and death. The student has to summarize all the information and express their own opinion about the book.
A child would tell the class what they have learned while reading this book. The presentation is supposed to be a 5-minute speech in the classroom with a little discussion afterward.
Presentation deliverable: correctness of the speech and personal opinion on the book would be evaluated.
Mathematical Problem
Creating a math problem based on one or several natural processes is another option of the culminating project. The student needs to imagine the plot of the problem, make all necessary calculations, and verify the answer. It would be beneficial if this problem could be implemented in real life. For example, it is possible to suggest counting the number of gathered apples or the speed of the water in the river. The presentation of this project would be in the interactive format: students’ classmates would try to solve the problem.
The presentation requires a slide with a text of a math problem on it, a verbal explanation of the story of its creation, and the solving strategy.
Presentation deliverable: Grammatically correct speech and information on the slides as well as the competencies in numeracy would be taken into account.
Natural Phenomenon Description
The description of a natural phenomenon is another variant of the culminating project. The student needs to explain the appearance of the act of nature and its possible reasons and consequences. It is necessary to find the information about this phenomenon in literature and give two or three examples from the books by using direct quotes.
PowerPoint presentation with photographs and pictures of this phenomenon is an essential part of the speech. The talk has to be 5-7 minutes long and should include examples from the literature and mathematical understanding of the act.
Presentation deliverable: overall understanding of the phenomenon and basic knowledge of its nature would be taken into consideration.
Student-friendly Rubric
Interaction with classmates and organizing a light discussion is appreciated by the teacher and is beneficial for the speech. Apart from formal evaluating criteria, the performance, the engagement of the audience, additional materials, and ways of presenting the facts are very important. The culminating project has to be presented in oral form; however, it is necessary to provide additional materials according to the rubric: PowerPoint slides, an essay, or a paper with calculations. Creative approach, use of imagination, and desire to learn something new are encouraged.
References
Primary programs framework for teaching and learning: Guiding principles. (2007). Alberta, Canada: Alberta Education.
Raja, R., & Nagasubramani, P. C. (2018). Impact of modern technology in education. Journal of Applied and Advanced Research, 3(1), 33–35.