Projects
Projects provide pupils with a motivating opportunity to • Collaboration
use the language they have learnt in order to research,
produce and present a collaborative piece of work.
Project stages
• Choose
Pupils work in groups. They use what they have learnt
in the Wider World lesson as a starting point to decide
on the topic of their project. At the start of this level,
pupils are provided with more structured support for
this project stage. They are invited to share their ideas
and to follow a framework for research. As the level
progresses, this stage encourages pupils to explore
their imagination and creativity.
• Find out
Open questions direct pupils to find out more about
their topic. The group decides how to divide up the
work. Either all pupils in a group can find out the
answers to all the questions or the questions can be
divided up between the pupils in the group. Pupils find
out about their topic by doing online research, reading
library books or asking other people. They write their
findings in their notebooks. When everyone in the group
has completed their research, they share and discuss
what they have found out.
• Create
The group uses imagination to create their project.
They decide how they are going to present their
project, e.g. a poster, a multi-media presentation. Pupils
develop texts, and find and use pictures. They use the
text from the Wider World lesson as a model.
• Present
Each group presents their project to the rest of the
class. Everyone in the group has a turn to speak and to
play a valuable part in presenting what they have found
out. At the end of the presentation, encourage the rest
of the class to ask questions, and stimulate reflection
and discussion.
Development of 21st Century skills
• Critical thinking
Ask pupils to consult a variety of sources during their
project research. Have them look up in a dictionary
any unknown words they cannot understand from the
context. Remind pupils to think critically about the
source of information they find. Invite them to build a
mind map to clarify their understanding.
• Communication
Projects give pupils an opportunity to articulate their
thoughts and ideas, both through speaking and writing.
Remind them to use vocabulary and grammatical
structures they have learnt in the unit as well as
previously in the course. When pupils discuss in their
group, encourage them to give one another a turn to
speak, and to listen carefully and respectfully.
F01 Poptropica English Islands TB5 PREL 98804.indd 11
Project work requires pupils to expand their willingness
to be flexible and to make compromises during the
collaborative stages of Choose and Find out. Invite
groups to assign clear responsibilities to each pupil
in the group. Encourage pupils to be self-directed for
their individual contribution, while also taking shared
responsibility for the success of the project as a whole.
• Creativity
Encourage pupils to use original thinking and
imagination to create their project. Use brainstorming
techniques, such as concept maps, to support pupils’
capacity to create new ideas. Remind them to make
best use of the different abilities of pupils in the group.
• Digital literacy
Promote the use of digital resources to aid pupils’
competence in researching, sourcing and organising
relevant information for their project. The questions
in the Find out project stage intend to direct pupils’
navigation through the multiple sources they will
encounter during online research. Invite pupils to
consider using a variety of digital presentation tools
as they develop their ideas during the Create and
Present project stages.
Project success
• Make sure that pupils understand the steps to success
for their project, to enable them to deliver the project
to the best of their abilities. Give them clear step-by-
step instructions. For example, Make sure you answer all
of the questions. Include relevant detail and examples. Use
different sources to find out information.
• Show pupils an example of what good means, so that
they know what is required of them.
• Provide additional support to pupils who need it,
or partner them with more-able pupils, to encourage
peer learning.
• Provide clear feedback,
explaining what pupils
have done successfully,
and where and how
they can improve.
For example, Good
work! Your information
is very interesting.
Add a heading. Include
more adjectives to help
us imagine what it looks
like.
• Use project work
as an opportunity
for assessment and
remediation.
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