389: A First Week Project Lesson: Building Research Skills + Community
Aug 6, 2025
Dive into a creative first-week project designed to build classroom community! Students can create infographics on topics meaningful to them, boosting not just relationships but also their research skills. The discussion highlights the importance of citation practices and introduces Canva as a powerful design tool. It's a fun and engaging way to kick off the school year while fostering self-exploration and collaboration among students!
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start With Student-Centered Infographics
Have students create an infographic on a topic they care about to teach the class. - Use this to build community, practice research skills, and learn about Canva.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Teach Citation Early and Creatively
Warm students up on citation formats early with slides, posters, or games. - This ensures credible sources and prevents plagiarism in their projects.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Onboard Students to Canva Effectively
Get students registered on free Canva for Education early in the year. - Use simple creative challenges to help them learn the platform's design tools.
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Today's request for "Plan My Lesson" is from a teacher searching for a first week project that helps students get to know each other AND introduces a few key skills along the way. Perhaps you can relate?
Here's what she writes: "It’s time to switch up the first project I do in English 10… For the last few years I’ve had the kiddos research their first name, practicing basic research skills, as well as us getting to know them and them doing some self exploration. I want a similar caliber project, but on a different topic."
So our goal for the lesson is to introduce key elements for a project that will give students a chance to share something important to them as you build community, learn and practice basic research skills, and get them adjusted to a key platform (in my opinion) for the school year, Canva. As usual, it's a struggle for me to pack it all into one lesson, so feel free to spread this over several depending on how much time you have in your period!
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