Work by projects

Today I would like to explain, as I said in the previous post, an example of how we can work by projects. The topic I have chosen to talk about it is one that my classmates and I learned at university last week. So today we will learn to organize a project related to fish for first grade.

To start the project, speaking for myself, I think it can be an option if we let pupils decide on what they want to learn (the theme). However, if sometimes we want to teach something more specific we can also choose the topic. In this case, we want to acquire knowledge and new vocabulary related to fish. So what we can do is put inside a box things associated with that animal, as for instance, fish food, a drawing of the animal, but cut into pieces, a small fish tank, among others. Through this way children will have to guess what animal it is. In my own conceit, I think that whether students choose the topic or is the teacher who decides for them both will be  fine as long as the theme can motivate our pupils.

Then, as I explained in the previous post, once we have chosen the subject it is important to ask about the previous knowledge of children. If you ask me, this is the most important step, because we need to know how many things they have learnt about that topic and  the vocabulary they know. It is also important to bear in mind that depending on the age, they will know more or less related to the topic. In this case, however, as it is addressed to children from first grade the teacher will have to guide students by asking questions and helping with the answers. Some of the questions we could ask would be: Where do they live? What do they eat? or What can they do?, among others. And as you will see, it will be appearing many new vocabulary words for them.

Then, as we saw in the previous post too, we have to keep in mind what we want children to learn  and organize different activities to achieve our objectives. At this point, I want to explain them in an original way and that is why I decided to seek resources I would  use to work on fish with children of first grade. I made a collage with them.

  

As you can see, we can find many resources as a rhyme (rainbow fish), some cards to work adjectives (the fish is green, the fish is happy, etc.), a fish diagram or some pictures with the fish food. But I would like to highlight a resource which have been researching about it and I love it. This is the book: Hooray for fish and it takes us on an exciting journey under the sea. Little fish introduce us to his fishy friends under the sea: such as Spotty Fish, Striped Fish, Fish Happy, Grumpy Fish and many more. None of them are the same yet they are all friends. At the end of his journey Little Fish introduce us to the one he loves the most – his ‘Mummy’.

I believe that this resource can help us a lot if we want children of first grade learn adjectives, the habitat and parts of fish and go over the numbers, colors and shapes in English because in the book appear very different fish and we can see its features. What’s more, we can work with our pupils a sentence as a conclusion of the book: “In year 1 we are all different, but we realize that we all have one thing in common with little fish, we all love our mummies”.

Finally, the outcomes (final product) have to be related to what they have been working during all the project. It can be a song or a mural made by themselves. In case we decide to teach the fish through the book I proposed I found this mural done by a teacher with children. I liked the idea, but I have noticed it would be more significant if we include more work done by children in, because we need to remember that the final product is made by children not by the teacher!!

I hope you enjoyed and see you in the next post!!