Project Internalization Template

This scaffolded template is designed to guide you through backwards planning a project. The plans tab
in the platform should guide your day to day planning but is most useful after you have a strong
understanding of the project arc, cognitive skills, and how the checkpoints work together to prepare
students for the final product. This big picture understanding will help you guide students through the
project and teach with the outcomes in mind, leading to higher performance on each cognitive skill.

Outcomes:
1. You understand the final product and what grade-level work for each Cognitive Skill looks like for
each part of the final product
2. You understand how each checkpoint develops competency on the Cognitive Skills
3. You have a detailed calendar that guides your day-by-day plans and have edited plans tab to
match

Use the template as it is useful to you. If the instructions are unnecessary because you understand the
platform design you can use this more simplified template instead. Feel free to delete anything that
doesn’t feel high leverage, but pay attention to hitting the above outcomes in whatever way or format
works for you.

Table of contents:
1. Project Overview
2. Cognitive Skills
3. Checkpoints Overview & Linking Checkpoints to Final Product
4. Planning
 Step 1: Review the Project Overview to Understand Its Scope
When viewing your project,
you can find a description of
the project by selecting
“Overview” at the top and then
reviewing the “Project
Overview” tab indicated by the
icon.

Name of Project How Does Your Garden Grow?

Pacing What is the suggested pacing: Fourteen 45 minute blocks

How many of your class periods will it take? Fourteen

Notes from Essential Essential Question: What materials does a plant really need to grow?
Question and Enduring Enduring Understanding: Plants primarily need sunlight, air and water to grow.
understandings

What are the Cognitive

Skills for this project?
Cognitive Skill Previous data on this Cognitive Skill
(If Available)

Ex. Modeling On the last project in this course

18% scored 2 (below grade level)
60% scored 3 (at grade level)
12% scored 4 (above grade level)

Predicting/Hypothesizing

Designing Processes and Procedures

Interpreting Data/Info

Making Connections & Inferences

Multimedia in Written Production

Describe each Final Present Your Garden - Written presentation that uses multimedia to help summarize
Product- What will data gathered during the experiment about what plants need to grow. Present your
students produce and analysis based on the results for growing plants in water using hydroponics.
what Cognitive Skills
manifest in their Options for final product:
products? -Slideshow
-Poster
-Trifold
-Brochure
-Video
-Book
-Skit
Note the Focus Areas List Relevant Focus Areas tagged to project
(content) associated ** Remember that Focus areas are not a prerequisite to completing the project.
with this Project and However, it is useful to know where students are in their content knowledge to help
review current data structure scaffolds, workshops and assess student need

Focus Area How is it related to this Student Data for this

project focus area

Ex. Earth materials and Students model earth 60% of students have
systems systems in their final passed this focus area
comic strip so they will
use this content to 15% of students have
complete the activity attempted 1-2 times
without passing

15% of students have

not attempted this
assessment

Matter

Photosynthesis

Energy Flow in
Ecosystems

Review any material Materials

lists linked within this -Empty 2 L soda bottle
project -Cotton sock
-Scissors
-Black marker
-Small mixing bowl
-Cling wrap
-Perlite
-Peat moss
-Seed of choice (potato, basil, garlic, lettuce, etc.)
-Miracle Gro

Step 2: Cognitive Skills for the Final Product

Growth in Cognitive Skills is the key outcome of Projects. Therefore, it’s essential to know not just what
the Cognitive Skills are for your project but also what you want students to show. To achieve this, we
start by identifying the key rubric language and how that manifests in student work in the final product.

**One step that is particularly useful here is to complete the final product yourself. This allows you to
deeply understand the project and how the Cognitive Skills manifest. You will also have an exemplar to
share with students.

To complete the next portion you will want to have two tabs open:
Tab 1: Cognitive Skills
To find cognitive skills
NOTE: Students may exhibit
skill levels above or below
their grade level band. The
grade-level is
 You can locate Cognitive Skills within the Project Overview tab, under Cognitive Skills. To see the
description of each Cognitive Skill, click “View Rubric”. The correct grade level band is automatically set
to appear based on whichever course your project is assigned. Use the far left rows of the rubric for each
skill as a reference for grade level performance. Example, 9th grade is assessed between Levels 3.5-5.5
. Use 3 or 4 as ON TRACK for internalizing the cognitive skills.
Tab 2: Final product
Look for the Final Product(s), the icons

Approx.
ON
TRACK

towards the bottom of the “Overview” project page. See example at right.

Focus here on how students will show the Cognitive Skills being assessed in your Final Product(s) plus
how this experience is relevant to students.

(See the example below but feel free to delete once you begin)

Skill Copy and paste the grade How does this cognitive skill What might students struggle
level expectation for this manifest in the final product? with the most for this skill?
cognitive skill

Example: Example For this project this means that I anticipate that students might
Explanation Level 4: Provides relevant students can explain how the struggle to analyze their
of Evidence analysis that explains how the evidence they selected to evidence with a clear connection
Analyzing selected evidence supports support their claim.. to their claim.
how the claims or statements; analysis
selected stays rooted in the evidence I also anticipate that some
evidence but at times may be vague, students may struggle to
support the illogical, or overly general. understand how to find evidence
writer's that supports their claim to begin
statements with.
(e.g., claims,
controlling
ideas)

Interpreting Level 2:Provides a reasonable Students apply this skill by Checkpoint #2 - Conduct the
Data/Info interpretation of data/information. observing plants growing in water Experiment
Interpret data Uses a relevant analytic strategy and gathering information about
and/or (e.g., sorting, compare/contrast) what plants need to grow. They Checkpoint 2 Activity: Data
information to characterize the determine how their research
Collection
from sources data/information in a general supports the hypothesis they
and draw way. posed, make any corrections to
justifiable their understanding, and use
conclusions Level 3:Provides a reasonable what they learned to present a
from data. interpretation of data/information. final analysis.
Uses a relevant analytic strategy
(e.g., sorting, compare/contrast)
or concept (e.g., mean, mode) to
 characterize the data/information.

Making Level 2: Makes an inference Students apply this skill by using Checkpoint #2 - Conduct the
Connections based on evidence. Refers to a a variety of methods, including a Experiment
& Inferences specific example relevant the written summary, to draw
Connecting inference conclusions from their research. Checkpoint #3: Plant Analysis
ideas and
Slideshow Draft
making Level 3: Makes relevant
inferences inferences based on evidence.
based on Makes clear connections
evidence or between two or more specific
reasoning examples relevant to the
inferences.

Designing Level 2: Identifies the first few Students apply this skill by Checkpoint #1: Experimental
Processes steps in a specific approach to discussing the procedures they Design
and investigate a question or solve a designed in their experiments.
Procedures problem. Identifies specific tools Checkpoint 1 Activity:
Following or methods. Experiments and Variables
and/or
developing Level 3: Creates a step-by-step
step-by-step plan to investigate a question or
processes to solve a problem. Identifies
use in the appropriate methods, tools,
course of and/or approaches.
answering
problems/pro
mpts or
conducting
inquiries/inves
tigations

Predicting/ Level 2: Makes a prediction Students apply this skill by Checkpoint #1: Experimental
Hypothesizin related to the inquiry question. hypothesizing about plant needs Design
g Supports reasoning for prediction based on prior knowledge and
Developing with prior observations or experience. Checkpoint 1 Activity:
hypotheses experiences. Experiments and Variables
and
predictions Level 3: Makes a reasonable
prediction related to the inquiry
question that involves changing a
variable. Begins to explain
reasoning for prediction by
relating it to prior knowledge
such as cause and effect
relationships.

Multimedia Level 2: Uses technology, Students apply this skill by Checkpoint #3: Plant Analysis
in Written including the internet, to produce creating a presentation that uses Slideshow Draft
Production and publish writing products, as multimedia to describe their data
Integrating well as interact and collaborate and findings.
technology to with others.
create high-
quality written Level 3: Uses technology,
products including the internet, to produce
 and publish writing products, as
well as interact and collaborate
with others effectively.

3. See How Checkpoints Develop Cognitive Skills

Now that you have an understanding of the final product, you
need to understand how each checkpoint helps develop
students’ cognitive skill leading up to the final product. Use this
table to record a brief description of each Checkpoint and which
Cognitive Skill(s) is assessed in the Checkpoint. You will find this
information by selecting each Checkpoint tab in your project
Overview. Checkpoints are numbered and listed in the order in
which students should access them.

See the visual indicating Checkpoint 1 of a project, at right.

(Again, feel free to delete the example once you get started.)

Name of Description of the List how each skill How does this
Checkpoint Checkpoint (What will manifests in the checkpoint relate to the
students need to do?) Checkpoint. How will final product?
students show this skill?

Example Students will need to create
Finding a a theme statement. The
Theme Checkpoint asks students to
list topics they read about in
Checkpoint the story, choose one of the
Example topics and a message that
connects to that topic, write
a sentence about what
message the author wants
the reader to take away
from the the story, and edit/
revise the statement based
on how a theme statement
should be written.
Theme/ Central Idea -
Determining
theme(s)/central idea(s)
with details that convey the
central idea(s)
Students practice
identifying the themes of
three different texts, as
well as get peer feedback
on their theme analysis, as
a way to practice
identifying and analyzing
theme before the Final
Product.
In the final product
students need to write
their own traditional story
that shows strong
development and has a
theme/central idea. This
activity gives them
practice identifying and
analyzing what those
components are so they
can be well equipped to
put them into their final
product

Development- Explaining
the connection between
events, ideas or concepts
in a text using specific
details.

Students practice
analyzing the development
of characters, plots, and
themes of three different

Experimenta The students will need to be
l Design able to define the
independent and dependent
variables. They will need to
come up with a hypothesis.
They will also need to
design the experiment to
test their hypothesis.
Conduct the Use their research question,
Experiment hypothesis and procedure
from Checkpoint 1 to
actually conduct the
experiment. They will need
to use the Checkpoint 2
Activity to fill out a data table
to be shown in Checkpoint
2.
texts, as well as get peer
feedback on their
development analysis, as
a way to practice
identifying and analyzing
development before the
Final Product.
Predicting/ Hypothesizing
Students apply this skill by
creating a hypothesis for
what they believe plants need
in order to grow and design a
controlled experiment to test
the hypothesis.
Designing Processes and
Procedures
Students apply this skill by
designing an experiment to
test their hypothesis.
Interpreting Data/Info
Students apply this skill by
choosing what plant they
would like to grow using
hydroponics. Students use
hydroponics to complete their
experiment. They collect
data, take photographs, and
use graphs or other analytic
strategies to chart and
compare plant growth.
Making Connections &
Inferences
Students apply this skill by
summarize relevant evidence
from their experimental
analysis and draw
conclusions based on their
evidence as to what plants
need most to grow (sunlight,
air, and water). Students
justify their conclusions with
reasoning. This is also an
opportunity for students to
informally share their findings
 with each other.

Plant Students will need to draw Making Connections &

Analysis their conclusions and write a Inferences
Slideshow summary based off their
Draft data. Students apply this skill by
creating conclusions about
their original hypotheses and
the findings based on the
experiment.

Multimedia in Written
Production

Students apply this skill by

incorporating the
photographs they took of their
plants into the plans for their
final presentation.

What revisions might you make to the checkpoints? What might you add or delete so it better serves
your students?

Name of Revisions Based on My Students’ Needs

Checkpoint

4. Calendar Planning
Now that you have a working understanding of what the Final Product is asking students to do plus how
the Checkpoints spiral Cognitive Skill development from the beginning through to the end of a project,
you’re ready to begin planning for your Project. First, click the Plans tab at the top of your project page,
to the right of Overview. We will use this section to continue our work.
Use the table below and the Plans tab on the platform to build out a day-to-
day calendar for your project. Once you have built out this calendar, you can
make edits to the Plans on the platform using the instructions below the table.
Follow these directions to understand how to customize your daily plans. If it
is easier to do this first in the plans tab thats fine! The outcome that is
important is that you know how the tasks lead to the checkpoint and have
chosen the correct activities for your students.

Day Towards Cognitive Activities Scaffolds/Differentiation

which Skills
checkpoint is
this day
building?

1 1 Modeling and Entry Event: Volcanic quick Examples of comic books

Justification draw
Diagrams or models
Tectonics stations
Graphic organizer for quick
Checkpoint 1 work time draw

1 1 Predicting/Hy Entry Event: What do you

pothesizing know?

Designing Entry Event Slideshow

Processes
and Entry Event: Where do plants
Procedures get what they need to live?

2 1 Predicting/Hy Hypothesis Video ***May want to complete Day

pothesizing 11 after this day
What is a Hydroponic
Designing Garden?
Processes &
Procedures Hydroponics

Making a Hypothesis

Forming a Hypothesis

3 1 Predicting/Hy Scientific Variables ***Complete Day 11 before

pothesizing this day
Control & Variable Groups
Designing
Processes & Dependent & Independent
Procedures Variables

Experiments & Variables

(Checkpoint 1 Activity)

4 1 Predicting/ Experimental Design

Hypothesizing (Checkpoint 1)
 Designing
Processes
and
Procedures

5 2 Interpreting Edit Procedure (Checkpoint 2

Data/Info Activity)
Making
Connections The Right Graph for the Job
& Inferences
What is Data? (Qualitative vs.
Quantitative)

6 2 Interpreting Using & Handling Data

Data/Info (website)
Making
Connections Data Collection (Checkpoint 2
& Inferences Activity)

7 2 Interpreting Data Collection (Checkpoint 2

Data/Info Activity)
Making
Connections Focus Area Note-Taking
& Inferences Template

8 2 Interpreting Data Collection (Checkpoint 2

Data/Info Activity)
Making
Connections Focus Area Note-Taking
& Inferences Template

9 2 Interpreting Data Collection (Checkpoint 2

Data/Info Activity)
Making
Connections Conduct the Experiment
& Inferences (Checkpoint 2)

10 2 Interpreting Data Collection (Checkpoint 2

Data/Info Activity)
Making
Connections Conduct the Experiment
& Inferences (Checkpoint 2)

11 3 Making Plant Research *May want to do this earlier

Connections (after day 2?)
& Inferences The Old Farmer’s Almanac
 Multimedia in
Written Plants
Production
Plant Encyclopedia

12 3 Making Plant Analysis Slideshow

Connections Draft
& Inferences
Multimedia in
Written
Production

13 Final Product All Cog Skills Present Your Garden

14 Final Product All Cog Skills Present Your Garden

Additional Planning to Consider:

1. What is the entry event? How will the entry event serve as a way to engage students in the
project? What key information does the entry event provide students?
1. How will you share this project arc with your students to make sure they know each day how the
activity links to the final product and which cognitive skills they are working on?
a. Link cog skill tracker
2. Which classroom visuals will help your students internalize the arc of the project?
a. Link visual