During each 5-week project block, one student team would be assigned to each of the portfolio projects below. Over the course of the year, students would have a chance to work on each project team at least once in order to complete their overall portfolio. At the end of the year, students wrap up their portfolio with one reflective writing piece that describes their overall learning experience.
a) The construction design team will create a “design packet” for the structure to be built, including:
- land survey of the existing layout and structures
- blueprints of the structure drawn to scale, including all measurements
- list of necessary materials
- step-by-step directions for construction
- a series of integrated math challenges for other students to complete while building
b) The community research team will create a “community profile” about the neighborhood where construction will take place, including:
- historical timeline of key events in the neighborhood, as well as key events in the outside world that affected the community
- historical analysis: how events in the timeline relate to current conditions in the neighborhood
- oral history transcripts of neighborhood interviews
- geographical neighborhood guide, including some combination of student-made maps, listings of important sites and possible walking tour
- data collection: socio-economic statistics, population density, etc.
- data analysis: what picture do the data reveal about the neighborhood?
c) The arts and literature research team will create an “artistic profile” of the neighborhood where construction will take place, including:
- art search: assembling a list of works of art and literature created in, about or relating to the neighborhood
- art analysis: reading a piece of literature, watching a film or examining another form of art, and writing an analytical essay about it
- creative piece: creating an original piece of writing/artwork inspired by the art search and art analysis findings
d) The multimedia documentary team will create a “project profile” illustrating the entire five-week process of planning, construction and evaluation, including
- photo essay
- digitally-edited video assembly
- Powerpoint-type presentation
- website documentation
