Minerals Project: The Case of the Missing Key

Fourth graders in Ms. Whaley's class completed a complex integrated research project on minerals last month. This project is a perfect example of how a flexible schedule in the Media Center allows me to best serve the needs of our learners.

Ms. Whaley and I introduced the project by having the kids read Chapter 1 of The Case of the Missing Key (written by Ms. Whaley). In this chapter, the kids were told that the identification key for the minerals had gone missing and they had to do some detective work to find out all the properties of the minerals. Each time we progressed further in our project, Ms. Whaley presented another chapter in the story.

On day 1 each group selected a mineral out of the bag. This would be the mineral they would become experts on over the next few weeks. 

Students used books and websites to research their mineral. They learned the index was very helpful in finding pages with relevant information quickly.

They look detailed notes as part of the research.

They put their detective skills to the test to help identify each mineral sample. 

After all the research was complete, I introduced a great multimedia tool that the students would use to share their mineral information. It's called Board Builders and is found on the Discovery Education. Each student has their own log-in for Discovery Education. 

The students organized their notes and planned their presentation board before logging into Discovery Education. 

Below are a few pictures from their presentations. Each group was responsible for presenting their board to the rest of the class. Some of us were nervous but we know we'll improve and have even more confidence next time!

I asked the students to reflect on 3 questions after our project was complete:

• What did you enjoy about this project?
• What did you find challenging?
• Think about how well you worked with your partner. What would they say about you as a partner and worker?

Everyone had something they enjoyed about the project (and many asked when we could do something similar again!). Here are a few of the things we found challenging:

• Creating the board
• Finding specific information about a mineral on a website
• Putting pictures on the board
• Making the presentation
• Making sense of our research notes
• Speaking in front of the class

I look forward to working with Ms. Whaley's class again on an integrated project!