1. A closer look

2. What is the Project Approach?
A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic worth
learning more about. In a sense, like a good story, the
project can be described as having a beginning, a middle
and an end, each memorable in its own way. Projects
develop through three phases.

3. Phase 1.1
 The teacher is particularly concerned to find out how
much individual children already know and what first
hand experiences form the basis of their current
understanding.
 The children engage in an initial discussion of the
topic and offer ideas and stories of their experiences.
The children also paint, draw, write about, dramatize
or role-play the experiences and understandings they
bring to the study.

4. Phase 1.2
 The children acquire a collective baseline
understanding of the topic through representing their
own experience and sharing this work within the class
group.
 The first phase concludes with the class recording a list
of questions that they would like to investigate.

5. Phase 2.1
 This phase involves planning fieldwork and inviting
experts to the classroom to talk with the children.
 The teacher’s concerns center around the provision of
new first hand experiences for the children and the
collection of other resources.

6. Phase 2.2
 A field trip is arranged. Real objects and processes are
investigated, questions answered, more questions
posed, explanations sought. Children read, write,
draw, compute, gather data and represent many
different kinds of findings and reactions to their
experiences.

7. Phase 2.3
 A representative selection of the work is displayed on
walls and shelves in the room for all the class to see.
 Documentation
 samples of a child’s work at several different stages of
completion
 photos showing work in progress
 comments written by the teacher or other adults working with
the children
 transcriptions of children’s discussions
 comments and explanations of intentions of the activity.
 The documents reveal how the children planned,
carried out and completed the displayed work.

8. Phase 3
 This phase features the culmination of the work in
some form of opportunity to share the project with
others, the principal, other classes, and parents.
 The work is reviewed, evaluated and particular items are
selected for presentation.
 The emphasis is on communication of learning.
 There are also opportunities for children to personalize
the new information for themselves in more imaginative
art and dramatic activity, and personal story and poetry
writing.

9. The Project Approach
A few important things
 The project approach has three stages, all of which
lead to an in depth investigation on a topic of interest
for the children.
 Documentation should be taken throughout the whole
process and put in view of the children, parents, and
staff.
 Projects can be done in as little as a few weeks or they
can last all year.

10. The following companies and
people helped make this
presentation possible
 Joyful Noise MetroKids
 Helene Farnen
 Reni Clemente