Tackling A Project
Introduction
So you have just been given a project to do. And you are not sure where to start. Here are some guidelines to help you get started which will give your project much better structure..
- First of all, make sure you know the EXACT DATE that you have been asked to hand in your work and stick to a plan so that you will meet that date.
- Next, think about how you are going to PRESENT your project. How will it be finally presented?
- As a scrapbook
- As one or several large wall charts
- In a ring binder
- As a power point presentation
- How do you want the end product to look?
- Mostly pictures with a little bit of text
- Mostly text with a few pictures
- All text• All pictures
- 50/50 text and pictures
- Will the project only use photos or are you happy to do drawings and or diagrams?
- Do you want to give the BIG PICTURE on the subject or do you want to concentrate on a certain, small aspect of the subject and why?
What interests you about this subject?
If you are interested, then your reader will be too!
- Try to break the whole subject down into easily managed sections that could in the end become ‘chapters’ for your project.
For example if you are studying CASTLES you might like to have different chapters on HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY and PEOPLE’S WORK AND LIVES IN THE CASTLE and so on.
- Remember your project will be interesting if you are interested. Most people want to find out about other people’s lives. That’s why we read magazines and watch REALITY TV shows. SO your project will be really interesting if you concentrate on how your subject has AFFECTED PEOPLE’S LIVESSo again with the example of CASTLES you might like to write an imagined diary piece belonging to the Lord’s child or a servant or a peasant about their life in the Castle – think how different each of those diaries and lives would be. That is what will make your project interesting for your reader.
- Make a list of all the actual materials you will need. The following list might help you. You may not need all of these things or you may think of other things
- Notebook(s)
- Paper – ruled for writing and plain for drawing
- Pens, pencils, eraser, ruler, markers, highlighters, colouring pencils
- Cardboard Folders to keep your information in as you work
- A ring binder/Scrapbook/Wall chart sheets depending on how you wish to present your project
- Selotape
- Scissors
- Paperclips
Presentation
You will need to think of this before you begin and as you go along and also at the very end. NEATNESS is essential. There is no point in doing lots of work if people can’t read it!
The following tips might help you.
- Do a first draft of each piece of writing in a copy book. Read it aloud. Does it make sense? Does it flow well or do you need to move paragraphs around? Do you need to add anything or take anything out? Have you put in all the full stops you need? Now ask a grown up or older brother/sister to read it and ask them to mark any changes they think are needed
- Now decide. Are you going to type this or hand write it? If you are hand writing, you need to use lined paper and write as clearly and neatly as you can. Don’t make your writing too small. If you are going to type it, use DOUBLE LINE SPACING
- Don’t stick anything into your scrapbook or folder or wall chart until you have finished all your work. Spread it out over the pages and check that you are happy with the lay out before you stick anything in place.
- When it comes to sticking photos and text into your final project scrapbook or charts or folder, make sure all the edges of your paper are straight and cut well. Use a ruler and pencil to square off edges and then trim to get a neat shape. Use SMALL, EVEN SIZED pieces of SELOTAPE to stick down the corners –avoid big ugly chunks of Selotape
- Label every photo or drawing – have a look at newspapers to see how they label and tell you what each photo is about.
Organisation
- Keep labelled folders for each category/ chapter of your project and when you finish a piece of writing or find a picture put it into the right folder.
- List all the areas that you want to cover in your topic. For example in the case of CASTLES you might want to look at the following type of things;
- HISTORY; when the castle was built and by whom and for whom? Who lived here? When did people stop living in it? Or is it still used? Are there any famous battles that happened near it? Is anyone famous connected to the castle?
- GEOGRAPHY; Where is the Castle? What kind of land was it built on? On a hill? –if so, why? Near water? –again if so, why? Perhaps a drawing/photo of how it looked when it was being used and another of how it looks today would be interesting
- Is the CASTLE linked to anybody FAMOUS or any famous EVENT or DISCOVERY in history? Has it been significant in how life has changed and maybe we can still see the effects of that today?
- What was everyday LIFE in the Castle like? What are the main differences between life in the Castle and life as we know it today? Did the CASTLE make any changes to its area and people that can still be seen and felt today?
- Is it an important CASTLE? Do people/tourists still visit it? Why is it WELL-KNOWN?
- What does the FUTURE hold for the CASTLE? Does it need repairs and if so, where will the money come from? Is it important to preserve the CASTLE and why?
- How did LOCAL PEOPLE FEEL about the CASTLE when it was being used and how do they feel today?
Research
Once you have worked out what areas you want to look you will probably need to do some research; you will want to get more information and maybe find some photographs. So where do you start looking?
- Your local LIBRARY and librarian will be a great source of help to you. Ask a librarian to have a little chat with you when he or she is not too busy. Tell him/her what your project is about and what you would like to find out and ask their advice on how to go about it and where to look.
- START COLLECTING CUTTINGS of any kind that you think are useful – from magazines, leaflets, newspapers
- CONTACT a local tourist/culture centre to see if they have any information on your subject. You can call in, email (having got an email address from their website) or maybe telephone, politely explaining what you are doing and exactly what you would like to find out.
- VISIT the place/person you are researching if at all possible. Take photos and notes and collect as much information/ leaflets as you can
- ASK around locally to find out if any OLDER PERSON is still alive who was connected with your subject. If possible visit and interview them, recording notes in a notebook or even recording them on tape if at all possible. Before you visit, write out a list of the EXACT questions you would like to ask. Go back and look at the questions under ORGANISATION. They may give you some guidelines but you will be able to come up with questions of your own too.
- Check THE INTERNET. Use GOOGLE by typing in the KEY WORDS of your project to search for sites that will give you more information and use GOOGLE IMAGES to find pictures. In your CASTLE project, for example, you might have found that the lord used a feudal system to rule his tenants. So all you would have to do is type in the words feudal system (and possibly add the area) and you would get a list of lots of possible sites with information
- As you do your research and find out new information, it is important to keep writing your own articles and pieces of text about what you have found out and then file these pieces in the correct folder.
- By now many of the folders should be filling up. If one or two look a bit thin, you might need to do some more research on those areas or do some more writing/drawing. Check out the notes on PRESENTATION above.
- Paper clip together you final pieces of writing and the matching pictures.
Putting it all together
Leave yourself enough time to put the project together before the final date for handing it up. The last thing you want to do is spoil all the wonderful work with sloppy presentation because you ran out of time.
- Lay out all your information in their categories on the floor or a large table.
- Make a COLOURFUL TITLE FOR YOUR PROJECT
- Make COLOURFUL HEADINGS for each category (such as History or Life in the Castle). These will be like the names of chapters so they need to be eye catching.
- Write an INTRODUCTION to your project which will go on the first page. In this you need to
- Name the subject
- Describe it and say where it is
- Give dates
- Describe what it now looks like today
- Briefly say what you set out to do when you began the project
- Write a CONCLUSION for the last page. Include
- Information on where you found your research material, such as names of books, internet sites, people,
- A brief description of how you did your research
- A brief description of what you learned by doing this project and if you think you achieved the goals that you set out in your INTRODUCTION. And maybe even you learned some unexpected and entirely NEW things in the whole process?
- Briefly state what were the most important things you learned by doing the project. What were the things you disliked doing and what were the things you really enjoyed and why?
- Look at your scrapbook/wall charts/ring binder and try to fit and arrange your work nicely on the pages. Try not to cram too much together. Space it all out so that the reader can see everything clearly. Remember to put a name or caption for each picture
- Don’t stick anything down until you are happy with the layout.
- Finally add your name with a great deal of pride.
So you have just been given a project to do. And you are not sure where to start. Here are some guidelines to help you get started which will give your project much better structure..
- First of all, make sure you know the EXACT DATE that you have been asked to hand in your work and stick to a plan so that you will meet that date.
- Next, think about how you are going to PRESENT your project. How will it be finally presented?
- As a scrapbook
- As one or several large wall charts
- In a ring binder
- As a power point presentation
- How do you want the end product to look?
- Mostly pictures with a little bit of text
- Mostly text with a few pictures
- All text• All pictures
- 50/50 text and pictures
- Will the project only use photos or are you happy to do drawings and or diagrams?
- Do you want to give the BIG PICTURE on the subject or do you want to concentrate on a certain, small aspect of the subject and why?
What interests you about this subject?
If you are interested, then your reader will be too! - Try to break the whole subject down into easily managed sections that could in the end become ‘chapters’ for your project.
For example if you are studying CASTLES you might like to have different chapters on HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY and PEOPLE’S WORK AND LIVES IN THE CASTLE and so on. - Remember your project will be interesting if you are interested. Most people want to find out about other people’s lives. That’s why we read magazines and watch REALITY TV shows. SO your project will be really interesting if you concentrate on how your subject has AFFECTED PEOPLE’S LIVESSo again with the example of CASTLES you might like to write an imagined diary piece belonging to the Lord’s child or a servant or a peasant about their life in the Castle – think how different each of those diaries and lives would be. That is what will make your project interesting for your reader.
- Make a list of all the actual materials you will need. The following list might help you. You may not need all of these things or you may think of other things
- Notebook(s)
- Paper – ruled for writing and plain for drawing
- Pens, pencils, eraser, ruler, markers, highlighters, colouring pencils
- Cardboard Folders to keep your information in as you work
- A ring binder/Scrapbook/Wall chart sheets depending on how you wish to present your project
- Selotape
- Scissors
- Paperclips
Presentation
You will need to think of this before you begin and as you go along and also at the very end. NEATNESS is essential. There is no point in doing lots of work if people can’t read it!
The following tips might help you.
- Do a first draft of each piece of writing in a copy book. Read it aloud. Does it make sense? Does it flow well or do you need to move paragraphs around? Do you need to add anything or take anything out? Have you put in all the full stops you need? Now ask a grown up or older brother/sister to read it and ask them to mark any changes they think are needed
- Now decide. Are you going to type this or hand write it? If you are hand writing, you need to use lined paper and write as clearly and neatly as you can. Don’t make your writing too small. If you are going to type it, use DOUBLE LINE SPACING
- Don’t stick anything into your scrapbook or folder or wall chart until you have finished all your work. Spread it out over the pages and check that you are happy with the lay out before you stick anything in place.
- When it comes to sticking photos and text into your final project scrapbook or charts or folder, make sure all the edges of your paper are straight and cut well. Use a ruler and pencil to square off edges and then trim to get a neat shape. Use SMALL, EVEN SIZED pieces of SELOTAPE to stick down the corners –avoid big ugly chunks of Selotape
- Label every photo or drawing – have a look at newspapers to see how they label and tell you what each photo is about.
Organisation
- Keep labelled folders for each category/ chapter of your project and when you finish a piece of writing or find a picture put it into the right folder.
- List all the areas that you want to cover in your topic. For example in the case of CASTLES you might want to look at the following type of things;
- HISTORY; when the castle was built and by whom and for whom? Who lived here? When did people stop living in it? Or is it still used? Are there any famous battles that happened near it? Is anyone famous connected to the castle?
- GEOGRAPHY; Where is the Castle? What kind of land was it built on? On a hill? –if so, why? Near water? –again if so, why? Perhaps a drawing/photo of how it looked when it was being used and another of how it looks today would be interesting
- Is the CASTLE linked to anybody FAMOUS or any famous EVENT or DISCOVERY in history? Has it been significant in how life has changed and maybe we can still see the effects of that today?
- What was everyday LIFE in the Castle like? What are the main differences between life in the Castle and life as we know it today? Did the CASTLE make any changes to its area and people that can still be seen and felt today?
- Is it an important CASTLE? Do people/tourists still visit it? Why is it WELL-KNOWN?
- What does the FUTURE hold for the CASTLE? Does it need repairs and if so, where will the money come from? Is it important to preserve the CASTLE and why?
- How did LOCAL PEOPLE FEEL about the CASTLE when it was being used and how do they feel today?
Research
Once you have worked out what areas you want to look you will probably need to do some research; you will want to get more information and maybe find some photographs. So where do you start looking?
- Your local LIBRARY and librarian will be a great source of help to you. Ask a librarian to have a little chat with you when he or she is not too busy. Tell him/her what your project is about and what you would like to find out and ask their advice on how to go about it and where to look.
- START COLLECTING CUTTINGS of any kind that you think are useful – from magazines, leaflets, newspapers
- CONTACT a local tourist/culture centre to see if they have any information on your subject. You can call in, email (having got an email address from their website) or maybe telephone, politely explaining what you are doing and exactly what you would like to find out.
- VISIT the place/person you are researching if at all possible. Take photos and notes and collect as much information/ leaflets as you can
- ASK around locally to find out if any OLDER PERSON is still alive who was connected with your subject. If possible visit and interview them, recording notes in a notebook or even recording them on tape if at all possible. Before you visit, write out a list of the EXACT questions you would like to ask. Go back and look at the questions under ORGANISATION. They may give you some guidelines but you will be able to come up with questions of your own too.
- Check THE INTERNET. Use GOOGLE by typing in the KEY WORDS of your project to search for sites that will give you more information and use GOOGLE IMAGES to find pictures. In your CASTLE project, for example, you might have found that the lord used a feudal system to rule his tenants. So all you would have to do is type in the words feudal system (and possibly add the area) and you would get a list of lots of possible sites with information
- As you do your research and find out new information, it is important to keep writing your own articles and pieces of text about what you have found out and then file these pieces in the correct folder.
- By now many of the folders should be filling up. If one or two look a bit thin, you might need to do some more research on those areas or do some more writing/drawing. Check out the notes on PRESENTATION above.
- Paper clip together you final pieces of writing and the matching pictures.
Putting it all together
Leave yourself enough time to put the project together before the final date for handing it up. The last thing you want to do is spoil all the wonderful work with sloppy presentation because you ran out of time.
- Lay out all your information in their categories on the floor or a large table.
- Make a COLOURFUL TITLE FOR YOUR PROJECT
- Make COLOURFUL HEADINGS for each category (such as History or Life in the Castle). These will be like the names of chapters so they need to be eye catching.
- Write an INTRODUCTION to your project which will go on the first page. In this you need to
- Name the subject
- Describe it and say where it is
- Give dates
- Describe what it now looks like today
- Briefly say what you set out to do when you began the project
- Write a CONCLUSION for the last page. Include
- Information on where you found your research material, such as names of books, internet sites, people,
- A brief description of how you did your research
- A brief description of what you learned by doing this project and if you think you achieved the goals that you set out in your INTRODUCTION. And maybe even you learned some unexpected and entirely NEW things in the whole process?
- Briefly state what were the most important things you learned by doing the project. What were the things you disliked doing and what were the things you really enjoyed and why?
- Look at your scrapbook/wall charts/ring binder and try to fit and arrange your work nicely on the pages. Try not to cram too much together. Space it all out so that the reader can see everything clearly. Remember to put a name or caption for each picture
- Don’t stick anything down until you are happy with the layout.
- Finally add your name with a great deal of pride.
