Waynedale Elementary hosts Passion Project event
Students in the gifted class at Waynedale Elementary School recently shared their capstone projects with family, friends and the public.
Students in the gifted class at Waynedale Elementary School recently shared their capstone projects with family, friends and the public.
The culmination of their studies, their Passion Projects were inspired by the Genius Hour, a nationwide project developed to celebrate passion, wonder and inquiry in the classroom. Each student was required to choose a topic to study, then research it through multiple sources such as websites, books and interviews of experts in their field of study. They then created a presentation to communicate their findings.
Students in third grade through sixth grade are chosen for the gifted class based on their score on the Standards Mastery Assessment. They must score 90% or higher, demonstrating mastery of the standards.
“Those who succeed come to my room to be taught at the next grade level,” said Heather Riebe, gifted intervention specialist at Waynedale Local Schools.
The class met twice per week for one hour, grouped by grade level, for eight weeks, during which students worked through the required steps of their projects. Riebe included proper presentation skills in the curriculum.
“Our desired outcome is to engage and encourage innovation while allowing students an opportunity to learn about a passion through application,” Riebe said.
The projects were presented at the school on May 1. Each of the 22 students was provided with a table on which to exhibit their materials. Visitors were able to stroll through the displays and pause at those that caught their eye.
Each student utilized an electronic tablet to present and narrate the slideshow they had created. As part of the assignment, they also were required to offer an interactive lesson and a supplemental handout to provide their audience with a deeper understanding of their topic. Many students took it a step further, exercising their creativity with the use of props such as books they read, offering candy as prizes, presenting maps or posters, and showing websites they had created.
The topics themselves were equally creative. One student presented the benefits of playing video games, then demonstrated a video game he had developed. Another created a mock crime scene and provided a list of suspects and information to help solve the misdeed. One table featured an insect with all its proper parts, which the student had designed out of candy, pretzels and sprinkles.
Riebe’s gifted students continually amaze her.
“They provide me with hope for our future,” she said.