Projects: ScrapStarters
Some people have a hard time getting started on an escrapbooking project. Look for ways to motivate students and stimulate thinking. Identify an essential question, shared experience, key resource, or interesting artifact and use it as the central theme for your project.
Art
Use a work of art or an artist as a starting point. For example, read Chasing Vermeer. It's a mystery about the works of Vermeer. Check out the PowerPoint Starter (PPT).
Examples
Books
Start with a book. Create a scrapbook or field guide to go with the book.
Example
Go to the Al Capone Does My Shirts (PPT) for standards connections. Also, check out the WebQuest. Go to emints for lots of links to teaching materials.
Primary Sources
Start with primary sources.
Examples
- Student Created Document Based Questions - student-produced projects for primary and middle schools.
- 11th Grade English Web Pages based on Primary Source Documents
- Louis Hancock
- Happy Hour Postcards
Audio and Video
Start with a podcast or videocast.
Examples
Listen to Snap Judgement. Do you make snap judgements? Why is it important to base your decisions on sound evidence? Explore other podcasts from Science Update from AAAS
For more examples go to AudioSharing or VideoSharing.
Anyone can create a ScrapStarter. Begin with a focal point such as a piece of artwork, novel, primary source document, or video clip. Then, collect ideas and resources related to this focal point. At this point, you might stop and let someone else take over. Or, you might create an e-scrapbook based on the starter.