The Science Project

This week, we finished up the solar system unit we had been working on. Last week, I assigned the students a solar system model project; they were given 7 days to complete the project at home. I specifically went over examples with them, took questions, and gave ideas for solutions to problems they had run into already. Several students shared ideas for what they planned to do, and the overall class seemed to have some creative ideas for their models. Throughout this discussion, I had one student say several times, “My Mom says I don’t have to do it.” When asked why not, JP simply replied that they couldn’t afford the “stuff I told him to buy.” At first, this made me angry for several reasons. One of those reasons being that the directions specifically said it could be any materials, and should be things they already had at home. The biggest reason this bothered me was because his thoughts of not having to do homework were coming from home.

Throughout the entire week, I asked questions everyday about how far the students had gotten, and what they still had left to do. I also offered to take questions, or help come up with solutions if they were running into problems. All the rest of the week, the other class members commented on the ways they planned to make parts of their models. JP continued to comment that he did not have to do the work. Wednesday came, and the models were due. Everyone brought one, or had a family member bring it for them. Still, JP was under the impression that he didn’t have to do it, because he couldn’t buy “the stuff.”

During study hall that afternoon, I pulled JP aside in the hallway. I asked him if he realized that this project was for a grade. I also asked if he realized that not turning it in would earn him a zero in the grade book. By the look on his face, I don’t think he had previously considered those parts of “not having to do it.” I asked him if he had any ideas about how we could make the model without buying “stuff.” He said he could use some paper, scissors, and crayons for the planets. I gave him a piece of paper and some crayons and sent him to Study Hall. He stopped to ask for a text book; I also gave him that. Not only did he start making the planets, but he continued to work on that project until he was dismissed an hour later for late bus hall. I had yet to see that initiative in him. On his way out the door, he showed me his progress, and I told him how good his paper planets had looked.

The next morning, JP walked in with a model. Now, I should back up first to say that most of my other students used a kit they admitted buying at A.C. Moore. I also had several parents accidentally admit to doing the project for the student. I did have a handful of students really try to get creative and use things from home, but even most of them admitted to their parents doing the work. When asked how he made his, JP told me that he had his dad cut the bottom out of an old pizza box from the trash. He glued his paper planets from the previous school day as close to the order he could get them without the textbook, and tried to label everything the way it should be.

While not everything was correct according to the rubric, and JP ultimately scored close to a 75%, I still found it touching that he was one of the only ones in the class to complete the project without a kit or parental assistance (or both). When the other students carried theirs in, I didn’t see much excitement or pride in the work. However, JP walked in with his pizza box bottom, stained with pizza grease, and scarred with lines from a pizza cutter, proud as a peacock. His planets weren’t real circles, they were labeled somewhat incorrectly, and glued down in the wrong order, but they were there, and I was amazed. He told everyone that walked by that was his project, and he did it himself. If anyone deserved bragging rights, he’d be the one this time! I can’t help but feel I made an impact on him this week, academically.