According to GEF, the school should contribute to the formation of an active, proactive personality. It is difficult to do this if in the lesson the children play the role of passive listeners, cram rules and solve problems according to the model. Therefore, teachers teach children to work on various types of projects. It is more difficult to do this in elementary school, as the children are still small. However, many educators cope with this goal.
Definition
The solution of didactic tasks through self-development of the problem by students is the essence of the project method in elementary school. Types of projects are different, but always involve the presentation of the results in the form of the final product. It can be a layout, a book, a presentation, a video, a dramatization, etc.
It is important that the topic of the project arouse interest among schoolchildren and does not imply a ready-made answer. Children should conduct their own research, collect and analyze information, draw conclusions on their own. Moreover, of particular value is not the result obtained, but the experience acquired by the child in the process of work.
Age-specific
The types of projects in the primary school on GEF should be selected taking into account children's opportunities. The younger the students, the easier the tasks will be. Whereas long-term projects are more often used in middle and high school, in junior school short studies are preferred. Otherwise, the kids get tired, motivation is lost and the work remains unfinished.
Students need help at every stage of the activity. Therefore, most of the work on the project is carried out at school, in the presence of a teacher. Otherwise, the whole burden will fall on the parents, who do not always know how to organize the process correctly. Most often, they give the child ready-made information, while schoolchildren must learn to search for it on their own. Well, if the work on the project turns into a fun game for children.
Primary School Curriculum Objectives
The use of this method in lessons and in extracurricular activities allows the teacher to teach children:
- independently formulate tasks and solve them;
- search for information, analyze it, highlight the main thing;
- put into practice the knowledge acquired in the lessons;
- be creative in solving problems;
- effectively allocate your time;
- cooperate with other students, adults;
- to master unfamiliar technologies during the manufacture of the final product;
- conduct research (put forward a hypothesis, study theory, set up experiments, organize polls, collect evidence, draw conclusions);
- analyze the progress of work, its results and success;
- demonstrate the product, succinctly, but fully talk about it;
- to speak to the public, reasonably prove their opinion.
Classification of training projects
In elementary school, children's research can be very diverse. Projects are classified according to several criteria:
- By the number of students, they are divided into individual, paired and group.
- By duration, mini-projects (1-2 lessons), short-term (1-2 weeks), medium (1 to 2 months) and long-term (annual) projects are distinguished. For younger students, the first two options are more suitable.
- According to the content, all works are divided into monoprojects (stemming from the content of 1 academic subject) and interdisciplinary projects involving the integration of knowledge from 2-3 areas.
- At the venue. You can engage in research activities in the classroom, or you can transfer it to after-hours. Then the collection of information, the preparation of the presentation, the manufacture of the final product is carried out by the children at home. During the lesson, the teacher coordinates the activities of students, helps to solve problems.
Types of projects for dominant activities
This classification is considered the main, as it reflects the specifics of the work. According to her, the following types of projects are distinguished in elementary school on GEF:
- Practice oriented. Work is carried out in accordance with a clear order for the final product. It is assumed that it will be used to solve some problems. For example, children must produce teaching aids for the entire class or bird feeders.
- Research. Performing it, the kids turn into real scientists. They put forward hypotheses, conduct experiments and sociological polls, construct existing models, exploring the chosen problem.
- Informational. Pupils collect reliable data about an object or event, draw them up in the form of articles, essays, books, and present them to a wide audience.
- Creative. The results of the study are presented unconventionally. This can be a craft, drawing, video, theatrical scene, game, poems and tales of his own composition.
- Role For younger students, this is the most difficult type of project. Children take on the role of a specific character and act in the designated situation. Thus, fairy tales can be created in a new way, historical events can be played out.
Topic selection
Projects of primary schoolchildren are usually closely related to the content of educational subjects. Children of this age are very curious, they like to engage in creative and research activities. It is desirable that the topic was relevant, in contact with the life of the child. For example, students are happy to study their own pedigree, talk about the professions of their parents, and experiment in the kitchen.
The surrounding world is also interesting to them. Schoolchildren create fantastic projects ("Car of the Future", "City on Mars"), study theoretical problems ("How did you invent the numbers?"), Conduct their own research ("Can perfumes be made at home?"), Participate in games (" Traveling around the countries "). However, it is difficult for them to come up with an interesting topic. Parents are also not always able to help in this matter. It is better if a teacher who is familiar with the basics of project technology in elementary school will take on the choice of topic.
Work stages
The organization of the project method in elementary school is built according to the “five P” rule:
- Problem. The teacher immerses the children in the form of a game using fairy tales, legends, videos or theatrical sketches. Then the problem is outlined. Students hypothesize how to solve it.
- Planning. The teacher, together with the schoolchildren, formulates the task, a plan of further actions is determined, roles are distributed.
- Search for information. Children study literature, conduct surveys among classmates, parents. The data obtained are analyzed, conclusions are drawn.
- Product. The results are issued in the form of a finished product. This can be an article, abstract, layout, illustrated album, computer presentation, map, newspaper, production, performance, tour, game.
- Presentation. Pupils present projects, talk about the work done, its results. The use of game forms is appropriate here: an expedition report, an advertising campaign for a project, a telecast, and protections of a layout on the Council of Scientists.
Sometimes there is another “P” project - portfolio. This is the folder in which all working materials are collected, including drafts and photocopies.
Using the method in class 1
Teachers, according to the instructions of the Federal State Educational Standard, organize work on different types of pedagogical projects in elementary school. Most of the problems they have with first-graders who still poorly read and write, do not know how to work with information. At this stage, mini-projects that take 1-2 lessons are recommended. It is assumed that the child will explore one simple object. It is better to collect information through a survey, observation.
For example, children are invited to draw their own daily routine, prepare a photo album "My Family", the whole class to come up with a collection of animal riddles, to pick up interesting material for each letter of the alphabet. The main work is done in the classroom. Schoolchildren can be divided into groups, each of which is entrusted with its own task. Or students work individually on the same topic. Requirements for the design of the project in grade 1 are not presented. Most often it consists of pictures and drawings with short captions.
Projects in grades 2-4
In the second grade, children need to be taught to find information, work with cognitive literature, and solve creative problems. It is important that the result of the project is tangible and that it can be used in everyday life. For example, children create an interactive encyclopedia for peers, weigh their satchels and compare these results with current standards, make postcards for veterans. The duration of the project should not exceed 1-2 weeks.
In grades 3-4, the children’s activities become more deliberate, focused. Projects can be prepared from 1 to 2 months. The topics are becoming more complicated: "How to make water flow up?", "Funny tasks about fairy-tale heroes", a game on the topic "Homogeneous members of the proposal." The teacher teaches students to formulate goals, put forward hypotheses, process information, find their own solution to the problem. Projects are carried out both in groups and individually. At the same time, an element of competition between children is unacceptable.
Reporting Results
How to write a project in elementary school? Starting from grade 2, children are taught how to draw up their work correctly. The structure is usually as follows:
- The title page, where the selected topic is indicated, as well as the name and surname of the author, the name of the educational institution, class, city and year of writing.
- Table of contents.
- Introduction It substantiates the urgency of the problem, sets a goal, indicates the tasks for its achievement. The child can state his attitude to the research topic.
- Main part. It briefly describes information taken from literary sources. The quotation is welcome. It tells about the work carried out by the student, the results obtained during the study.
- Conclusion It contains conclusions made on each of the tasks.
- List of literature used by the child.
When designing a project, it is allowed to use pictures, photographs. It is recommended to apply graphics, posters, used research methods.
Criteria for evaluation
On the basis of what are grades for different types of projects in primary school? The criteria may vary depending on the age of the students. So, in grades 1-2 they are extremely simple:
- Compliance with all planned stages of work, its completeness.
- Originality and quality of the product.
- The completeness of the disclosure of the selected topic.
In 3-4 classes of criteria, there are more:
- relevance of the topic;
- depth and independence of research;
- originality of solutions;
- finished product quality;
- the degree of disclosure of the topic during the presentation, its credibility.
Feedback from teachers and parents
Modern teachers are actively mastering design activities in elementary school. Their reviews are mixed. On the one hand, children are involved in the study with interest, put forward hypotheses, test them with excitement, and get unexpected results. Many have increased motivation. Group and collective projects are particularly successful.
But individual studies cause difficulties for most elementary school students. They require the active help of parents, but not all mothers and fathers are ready to prepare a project after a working day. It’s easier for them to download ready-made material from the Internet. Therefore, this type of work is best used selectively with interested children and parents. Big problems for younger students arise with the correct design of work, which is associated with age-related features.
Thus, work on different types of projects in elementary school is possible, but with some limitations. The guys only learn to navigate the information space, think independently, so they need the help of adults. Moreover, this type of activity is interesting to them and causes a lot of positive emotions.