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Four Year-Long Projects for Student-Growth Reflection

With a fresh, new school year ahead, now is a perfect opportunity for teachers to start year-long projects with students to highlight and showcase their strengths,  weaknesses, and build their work ethic. Year-long projects are important fpr students just as much as teachers. Students can see what they can improve on or what they are good at. Here are four year-long project ideas for student-growth reflection.

  1. Story in a Vault: On the first day of school, have each student write an opening for a story of their choice. When finished, have them break into groups and peer-read each other's stories, offering feedback, praise and other thoughts from their work. Then, collect the pieces and put them aside in a box, or "vault", for the rest of the school year. At the end of the year, have students compare their stories to their most recent. Did they improve in their writing? What else do they need to work on for next year? Have students add a few more paragraphs to their work and then go into groups again. They will be able to share with their classmates what they discovered about their own work, and their classmates' improvements as well. (From Scholastic.)
  2. "Dear New ____ Grader,": Give students the opportunity to write a letter to themselves where they can highlight their goals, strengths, weaknesses, and resolutions for the new school year. At the end of the year, have students read their letters to themselves, and note whether or not they acheived their goals, worked on their weaknesses and improved their strengths. 
  3. Journal Entries: Another writing assignment. After each section, chapter or portion of a particular subject of their choice, have students write a reflection on how they did on the specific unit. Were there parts where they excelled? Where there parts where they didn't do so well? What could they remember to do better for the next chapter? Have students read their first journal entry at the end of the year and write a wrap-up to take home and read during the summer. 
  4. Memory Box/ Student Portfolio: At the beginning of the year, give each student their own folder to use in the classroom. This folder can be used for putting in their best grades on assignments, homework, and projects. Students can also free write their favorite days in the classroom, activities they excelled in, and more. For organizational purposes, teachers can also make copies of the student's work to keep one on their own file. At the end of the year, have students share their portfolios with the classroom. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor