How do you teach literacy with projects?

1 Choose a relevant and challenging topic

The first step to teach literacy with projects is to choose a topic that is relevant, challenging, and interesting for your students. The topic should be aligned with your curriculum standards and learning goals, but also allow for some choice and voice from your students. You can use a driving question to guide the inquiry and the project, such as "How can we reduce food waste in our school?" or "How can we create a podcast about our community's history?" The topic should also require some research, analysis, and synthesis of information from various sources and perspectives.

2 Design engaging and rigorous activities

The next step is to design engaging and rigorous activities that scaffold and support your students' literacy development throughout the project. You can use a variety of activities, such as brainstorming, questioning, interviewing, surveying, reading, writing, editing, presenting, and reflecting. You can also differentiate the activities according to your students' needs, interests, and abilities. The activities should help your students to develop their reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing skills, speaking skills, listening skills, and media literacy skills.

3 Assess and provide feedback

The third step is to assess and provide feedback on your students' literacy skills and their project outcomes. You can use a variety of assessment tools, such as rubrics, checklists, portfolios, peer reviews, self-assessments, and conferences. You can also use formative and summative assessments to monitor your students' progress and learning. You should provide timely, specific, and constructive feedback to your students to help them improve their literacy skills and their project quality.

4 Showcase and celebrate

The final step is to showcase and celebrate your students' literacy skills and their project achievements. You can use a variety of platforms and formats to share your students' projects with an authentic audience, such as a website, a blog, a podcast, a video, a poster, or a presentation. You can also invite parents, peers, experts, or community members to view and comment on your students' projects. You should also celebrate your students' efforts, growth, and learning by acknowledging their strengths, challenges, and accomplishments.

Teaching literacy with projects is a rewarding and effective way to enhance your students' literacy skills and motivation. By choosing a relevant and challenging topic, designing engaging and rigorous activities, assessing and providing feedback, and showcasing and celebrating your students' projects, you can create a rich and meaningful learning experience for your students.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?