Taking curriculum standards and turning them into project ideas can be problematic when you're tired. I've decided to help out by doing a few for you! The curriculum standards posted by one of the state education departments served as the inspiration for these projects. I've put a few links under some of the project ideas to get you started.

Digging for Roots: Tracing the origin of words

Etymologically Speaking - a brief site showing the origin of a variety of words. The number of words isn't overwhelming and may serve to provide students with some basic examples.

The Internet Public Library offers an annotated list of links that will send you on your way to understanding the origin of all sorts of words.

The Word Detective is the online version of a newspaper column exploring word origins. It makes for interesting reading and teachers may find excerpts they want to share with their students as the author is humorous in his approach.

Word Origins - provides an alphabetic list of words that have their origins discussed. There are also links to additional sources of information.

Where Words Came From - What is unique about this site - and probably quite helpful for teachers and students - is that it provides categories of word origins and then examples. It's quite short but gives a different perspective. The site also has sources where you can find your name and discover what language it most likely originated from. You can also find a list of words that the English language has borrowed from others!

Etymologic - Once your students have studied up on word origins, put them in groups and have them team together to combine resources and face "the toughest word game on the web." It's a lot of fun and does get you thinking about word origins. You'd better study up ahead of time.

Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear?
Students interpret the meaning of works created by others using oral, written, and visual artifacts.
This seems like such a simple task but it actually is fraught with all sorts of issues. What's fascinating is that as we delve deeper into this we come across something called hermenutics which "is the theory and practice of interpretation, originally the interpretation of texts." The topic has moved beyond the study of religious texts and can now be applied to the broader realm. If you are unfamiliar with reading philosophy, the link I'm providing might be a bit of a strain - even for teachers - but there is a wonderful quote at the site that sums up what happens in classrooms and children. It is as follows:
"If knowledge cannot be started from nothing, what does it start with? With previous knowledge, of course. But what is to count as previous knowledge? Why, just whatever it was that we thought we knew before whatever happened that changed our minds. And if there is no certainty to knowledge, and no permanent, fixed system can be constructed, then the new knowledge will be what we think we know until something else happens to change our minds again." Check out the site by Dr. Kelley Ross.

The Writing Program at the University of Illinois takes a much simpler approach to pondering the difficulties of making meaning.

Research Report Summaries Re-Invented
Use multimedia to pull together audio, video, graphics, animation, text, URL’s, etc. to demonstrate understanding of a topic. This can be used as an initial overview of a topic or as a summary of a larger text-based report.

The following link to a discussion at the ISTE site provides teachers with a nice overview of why they should consider incorporating multimedia into their student projects.

If you want to know how to tackle multimedia projects in the classroom, how to score them, examples of student projects, etc., don't miss the site - Project-Based Learning with Multimedia.

As per usual, Annette Lamb has provided a great resource covering all the basics with the artifacts we use in multimedia projects. You'll find the site, Multimedia Seeds, very useful.

Computing Technology for Math Excellence is another site providing a huge set of links to everything you need to know about multimedia. It's not just about math!

Persuasive Writing in 3D
Students use the impact of multimedia to add punch to persuasive writing tasks.

The Writing Center at Del Mar College has a brief overview of the construction of the persuasive essay that could easily be turned into a simple planning device for creating the 3D project.

From the UK, there's a wonderful lesson on persuasive writing aimed at younger elementary children. You'll find all the resources you need. With its focus on this technique in advertising, you'll find yourself getting lots of ideas for how your students can tackle their own unique projects.

From Scholastic, there is the Writing Workshop lesson on persuasive writing.

Here's a webquest on persuasive writing to give you some ideas.

The Five Paragraph Essay site will provide you with an overview of persuasive writing and a number of links to extend your resources.

The Fundamentals of Persuasive Writing gets to the point and provides lots of examples of the elements in persuasive writing.

Figuring Out Figurative Language
Students investigate idiomatic phrases and word origins and how they are used in contemporary language and how they may have changed in terms of their modern interpretation.

The Origin of Phrases homepage will provide you with a jumping off point to understand familiar phrases and how they came about.

Newsweek helps you explore figurative language using their resources.

It’s a Small World
Humanity has far more in common than in the differences that may define us. Fundamental concerns with issues related to happiness, hopes for the future, family, etc. are demonstrated across cultures. Students pull examples from across cultures – through literature, art, and music to demonstrate how these themes are approached.

 

The Face in the Mirror
Countries and cultures develop symbols that tie together beliefs and goals that have emerged from the common heritage. Trace the history and development of those symbols and practices to better understand the power and endurance of these ideas that continue to define our culture.

From the Discovery Channel comes - North American Cultures - a complete series of lessons and resources. Objectives noted at the site are as follows:

Students will understand the following:

1.	North America includes a vast variety of cultural traditions.
2.	Cultural traditions show up in festivals, landscape design and structures, and symbols.
3.	Multiple cultures must coexist, so conflicts must be resolved.

Every Which Way You Can
When we try to persuade, inform, entertain, or inspire our listeners, we use different communication strategies – or we should! Take a single issue and either demonstrate how each approach would be used to make a point or else trace a major issue and look at how each of these tactics have been used to get the message across in different ways.

 

Marks of Distinction
Narrative genres and elements of narrative techniques are used to convey ideas and perspectives. Probably one of the most common techniques students recognize is foreshadowing. Trace the use of the different techniques in literature. Do short oral readings of phrases or sentences used in the work to accompany brief extractions from the text to show how the author incorporated the technique.

 

Of course you like chocolate chip cookies!!
Stereotyping can be both subtle and overt. We make assumptions about people or places that may have no bearing on reality. Describe and discuss common stereotypes in modern society reinforcing examples with multimedia artifacts. Compare and contrast the stereotype with reality. Use video, pictures, graphics, text, and audio to support your arguments.

 

People, Places, Periods
Periods in history can often be described in terms of particular characteristics. Pull together a multimedia presentation that incorporates a variety of artifacts to give the viewer a sense of a particular period of history. If possible, incorporate music, voice, pictures, graphics, video, and animations.

American Memory Project - don't leave home without it! The site has terrific audio, video, and photo resources. It's brought to you by the Library of Congress.

Online exhibitions with resources from the Library of Congress

Here's a complete unit of study ready to go that can act as a model for your own efforts. Check out the Historical Treasure Chests from CIESE.