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creating classroom museum exhibits

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Editor's note: this is the last article in our "Best of 2014" series. We'll be back on Monday with all new articles and ideas for you to kick off 2015!

On a recent visit to New York City, I had the chance to visit many of the world-class museums the city has to offer. Just to name a few, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Natural History, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. As I walked through these museums, it occurred to me that this is arts integration at work in the real world. I saw content areas come together and come alive seamlessly. Visual art, music, media arts, history, science, literature, and math all came together to create these masterpieces.

Creating a classroom museum exhibit can be an effective tool for arts integration. Museum lesson plans can be a powerful way for students to synthesize information, make content connections, demonstrate deep understanding of a topic, and practice speaking, listening, and presentation skills. Here are some ways to integrate the arts through a museum experience in your classroom...

Museum Procedures

Museum Labels (Tags): There are a few types of labels/tags students can create to identify and provide information about parts of their exhibit as well as individual pieces. An introduction label should talk about the main idea of the exhibit. A section label can be used to identify topics within the exhibit. Finally, an object label describes the individual object or piece of art. This label typically gives the title of the piece, the date and place of creation, and the materials of the object. (Click here for information on creating classroom museum labels. In addition to other educational activities related to museum labels.) This procedure can be used for any piece of artwork created in an arts integrated museum lesson plan.

Museum Docents: Having students act as museum docents, or tour guides, is a great way to have them demonstrate what they know. All while, practicing those speaking and listening standards.

Artist Statements and QR Codes: Have student record artist statements, and upload them a podcast or website. Display a QR code next to each piece. Include the museum label, so viewers can scan to access these recordings.

Nature Displays: Students collect items from nature, based on a theme or topic of study. (Either collected from a nature walk, or brought from home). Have students display these items in a collage, and label them using classroom museum tags.

Lit Exhibit: Have students create an exhibit of items related to a piece of literature. These items can connect to characters, setting, and plot. Students should create museum tags for these items. Then, be able to guide visitors through the exhibit as a docent. Students can also write about their item in an essay or journal entry.

Historical Exhibit: Have students curate artifacts related to a social studies topic (historical or cultural). Students can include music, visual art, videos, digital media, information about important individuals from the time/culture, and cultural/historical items in their exhibit. Artifacts should be catalogued and given museum tags. And, students should be able to act as a docent to visitors to the classroom exhibit.

Geometric Art: Have students create a piece of art incorporating geometric concepts (see the work of Mondrian). Students should create classroom museum tags for these pieces. They should be able to act as a docent, explaining the mathematical process that went into the creation of their artwork.

Wax Museum: This is a familiar strategy. A wax museum requires students to research a historical figure or a character from a piece of literature. Students dress as that character, and prepare a monologue or written statement to be shared with visitors to the classroom museum. Additionally, they could take this a step further by providing a list of questions or topics for discussion that can be brought up to each character, students should respond in character, making the museum experience more interactive and giving students an opportunity to practice speaking, listening, and presentation skills.

Exhibit Ideas

What are some strategies you've used for integrating content areas through a museum experience in your classroom?

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Editor's note: this is the last article in our "Best of 2014" series. We'll be back on Monday with all new articles and ideas for you to kick off 2015! On a recent visit to New York City, I had the chance to visit many of the world-class museums the city has to offer.

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By planning, designing, and building their own museum exhibition, your students can bring the educational resources that museums offer to others in your school. They'll sharpen their information-gathering, organizational, and problem-solving skills by writing labels and other documentation for the objects in the exhibition.

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by Linda D'Acquisto

More than eighty 5th grade students are seated on the floor of the multipurpose room at Bayside Middle School. Teacher Jane Elizabeth Marko asks them to close their eyes and visualize the room filled with museum exhibits that they have created: "It's opening night, and you are a proud museum staff member greeting visitors. Everyone is impressed with your work. People walk from exhibit to exhibit saying things like, 'Awesome,' 'Interesting,' 'I didn't know that.' Take a minute and try to imagine what those visitors see. Now open your eyes and describe what you saw." Excitedly, hands go up. Another teacher, Manon Gatford, steps in. Capitalizing on student enthusiasm, she emphasizes the magnitude of the task, careful to assure students that they can do it if they take their work seriously and work together. Teacher Stephen Schneider describes the upcoming activities, encouraging students to think creatively and critically. Finally, teacher Chuck Gilbert explains the importance of research and how necessary it is for students to know and understand the content they will present to their visitors.

* * *

Introducing the museum project is the first step of the eight-step instructional process outlined in the remainder of this book. Figure 5.1 on pp. 64-65 provides a graphic overview of the instructional process with key questions for each step.

Figure 5.1. Instructional Process Overview

Step

Key Questions

Introduce the museum project

What is our job?

What is a museum?

How will we work as a team?

What do visitors know and wonder about our topic?

Visit a professional museum

What are the characteristics of high-quality exhibits?

What criteria will we use for our exhibits?

Research the museum topic

What are our research questions?

Where will we locate information?

How will we summarize information as we take notes?

How will we analyze information to answer our research questions?

How will we synthesize information to answer our focus question?

What is our big idea?

What is our story line for visitor learning?

Design the exhibits

What will we use to tell our story?

How do we get visitors to experience our story?

What will our completed exhibit look like?

Will our exhibit work?

Write for a museum audience

Does the content and order of our exhibit labels help visitors understand our big idea?

Is our writing relevant and useful to the visitor?

Is the tone of our writing clear and consistent?

Does the visual quality, organization, and structure of our text make it easy to read?

Is the text in our exhibit grammatically correct?

Construct the exhibition

How do we organize for construction?

How are we working as a team?

How will we install our exhibit?

Learn the full exhibition

How can the completed exhibit be used as a teaching tool?

How can we engage visitors with our exhibit?

When will we take school groups on tours of our museum?

How will we learn about the other exhibits in our museum?

What did we learn?

Open the museum to the public

What roles will we play on opening night?

What activities will we have during our opening night event?

How will we advertise our event?

What is our schedule for opening night?

How will we dismantle our museum?

How will we celebrate our accomplishments?

Copyright 2001 by Kid Curators. Reprinted with permission.

There are many tools for the instructional process; teachers should select those that are most appropriate for their situation. The teacher rubric in Figure 5.2 on pp. 66-67 describes three levels of quality for the instructional process. This rubric may help your team reflect on your project as it unfolds. Consider reviewing the rubric traits periodically during the school museum project and, if necessary, set goals for improvement.

Figure 5.2. Instructional Process Rubric

Note the performance level that is most descriptive of how the school museum instructional process is unfolding. If necessary, set goals for improving the quality of your instructional process.

Teachers effectively guide student teams as they produce high-quality research, label copy, and exhibits.

Teachers effectively manage the unfolding and sometimes changing project time line. They oversee the effective use of time among student teams.

Teachers use the school museum project as an opportunity for student learning and skill development. They don't maintain a narrow focus on completion of the project in and of itself.

As the project unfolds, teachers help students see connections between their new knowledge and old knowledge.

Instructional plans include adequate time for student-involved formative assessment. For all learning targets, students have the opportunity to monitor the quality of their work in production and watch their performance improve.

Teachers guide student teams as they produce research, label copy, and exhibits. They sometimes focus on production of high-quality work, but other times they sacrifice this focus to meet project deadlines.

Teachers effectively manage the unfolding and sometimes changing project time line. But sometimes student teams waste time by being off task or being confused about what they are to do.

In planning the project, teachers view the school museum as an opportunity for student learning and skill development. Once the project is underway, however, there are times when the completion of the project becomes the priority.

As the project unfolds, teachers sometimes help students see the connections between their new knowledge and old knowledge. Sometimes they don't take the time to do this due to project deadlines.

Instructional plans include some time for student-involved formative assessment but not enough for students to be able to monitor the quality of their work in production.

Teachers urge student teams to complete their research, label copy, and exhibits but don't effectively guide this work.

When unexpected changes occur within the project, time line adjustments are made haphazardly and are not well communicated among teachers or to students. Sometimes student teams waste time by being off task or being confused about what they are to do.

Teachers view the school museum project as an end in itself and often prioritize the completion of the project above the opportunity for student learning and skill development.

Teachers rarely help students see the connections between their new knowledge and old knowledge. Instead, they are focused on project completion.

Because there isn't a clear time line for the project, there is no way to know whether students will have adequate opportunities for student-involved formative assessment.

Student collaboration

Teachers systematically arrange for and promote interdependent collaboration among students.

Teachers monitor student teamwork and ensure that roles are assigned within teams. Each team has a student leader who keeps the group focused and on task. This role may be rotated among students, but there is always a capable student in this role.

Teachers promote collaboration among students, but sometimes independent work overwhelms collaborative work. The interdependence of team members isn't evident.

Teachers emphasize the importance of teamwork and ensure that roles are assigned within teams. Teamwork isn't closely monitored throughout the project, and there are times when teams don't have effective student leadership.

Teachers place students on teams, but students function independently. Rarely do they share their work and collaboratively develop a coherent answer to their focus question. Team members aren't interdependent.

Teachers emphasize the importance of teamwork but don't adequately ensure that roles are assigned within teams. Teamwork isn't monitored throughout the project, and many teams don't have effective student leadership.

Copyright 2005 by Kid Curators. Reprinted with permission.

How Do You Begin the Project?

Now that you have completed the groundwork for your school museum, you are ready to begin the project with your students. You have defined the museum topic, big idea, story line, focus questions, statements of expected student learning, research questions, and an assessment plan. Students have already heard about the upcoming project-perhaps they have answered know and wonder questions about the topic. You are now set for the official kickoff.

To formally introduce the museum project to his students, Mike Moore of Waunakee Intermediate School asked them to describe the best museums and exhibits they had ever seen. After students shared their experiences, Moore told them that a new World War II museum was opening in Waunakee: "I asked them if they would like to visit that museum, and they were thrilled. I asked them if other kids would [want to] visit it, and they all agreed. You should have seen their faces when I told them they were the curators of the museum!"

In planning your introduction, consider these questions that student curators might ask (with some prompting from their teacher):

What is our job?

What is a museum?

How will we work as a team?

What do visitors know and wonder about our museum topic?

The introduction to the school museum should address these questions and present the learning expectations for the project.
Many teachers give students a broad overview of the topic to build their background knowledge and put their upcoming exhibit work into perspective. You might present this overview to the class through minilessons, learning centers, books, or videos on the topic. For instance, to present an overview to their 6th grade students, Elmwood Elementary School teachers Pat Morrissey, Susan Bush, and Jim Slonac created a one-page background sheet for each focus question and used the sheets in combination with a history video series.

Another way to provide students with an overview of the museum topic involves concept mapping. In the know and wonder activity described in Chapter 3, students created a visual web of information that represented what they knew and wondered about the museum topic. Once the museum topic has been officially introduced, students might create a new concept map reflective of the emerging project. Figure 5.3 shows how this visual organizer might look. The museum topic is at the center of the concept map, focus questions are the first spokes out, and additional layers of detail come from the know and wonder chart, the museum overview, front-end evaluation data from visitors (explained later in this chapter), and students' ongoing research findings. The concept map is a powerful way to represent knowledge and integrate information. It also reminds students that they will be working on one part of a larger project.

Figure 5.3. Concept Map for School Museum Project

Copyright 2004 by Kid Curators. Reprinted with permission.

What Is Our Job?

Your students will play two roles in the school museum project. They will be young curators creating a school museum, and they will be students working to meet learning goals and earn good grades. The "What is our job?" question is relevant for each role.

As creators of a school museum, students have a specific mission to develop an interesting and informative exhibition for their school and community. This mission can be presented in an engaging way by using a strategy common in problem-based learning: giving students a loosely defined, real-world problem or challenge that serves as the context for upcoming instruction. Students "meet the problem" (Torp & Sage, 1998) in a role other than that of student; in our case, as museum curators and exhibit developers.

Consider presenting students with their "job" as it might be presented to an exhibit design firm-with a memo from a potential client, such as the sample in Figure 5.4. In fact, curators or exhibit designers in your community might be willing to help you create a letter inspired by a story about one of their exhibitions. For example, the fictitious letter in Figure 5.4 was inspired by a true story from the Veterans Museum of Wisconsin. A semi-permanent exhibition at the museum was set in motion after the director visited the British Museum of Military History, where he saw an Enigma machine (a machine used by the German armed forces to encrypt messages). He was so intrigued with this artifact that he returned from the trip eager to secure an Enigma machine for his museum. The director brainstormed ideas with museum curators. They felt that an exhibition about Enigma machines would be too narrow, but a story about communication and intelligence could be compelling, especially if it involved the contributions of Wisconsin veterans. They employed the services of a design firm to shape their emerging idea and created the exhibition Uncovering the Enemy: Military Intelligence in the 20th Century.

Figure 5.4. Exhibition Request Letter

Museum of World History

Anywhere, USA 12345

January 5, 2004

Dalke Exhibit Design

456 Center Avenue

Your City, MO 23456

Dear Curators and Exhibit Designers:

I would like to contract with your exhibit development team to create a new exhibition for our museum. While visiting the British Museum of Military History, I saw a German Enigma machine on display. I was intrigued by this machine and its elaborate system of translating messages to code. I was especially interested in the story of the team of scientists who broke the cipher. Many speculate that this contribution had an important influence on the outcome of the war.

The year 2005 will mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, and many visitors have been asking for exhibits that highlight unique contributions of those who did not fight in combat. Our visitor survey results indicate an interest in exploring the role of intelligence during wartime. We would like your design team to use the German Enigma machine as a centerpiece of an exhibition that explores the themes of intelligence and communication and highlights the contributions of individual veterans.

I look forward to reviewing your proposal.

Sincerely,

I. M. History

Executive Director of the Museum of World History

Copyright 2004 by Kid Curators. Reprinted with permission.

Even though the request in this letter is very specific and won't match your school museum topic, it serves as an example of how you might explain the museum design problem to your students. You could introduce the problem when you begin instruction or even earlier, before the know and wonder activity described in Chapter 3. If your letter includes a description of why the exhibition is significant and what it should accomplish, it can be used throughout the instructional process to maintain student focus on satisfying the needs of the "client."

Requests, in the form of letters or personal visits from authentic sources, are also great ways for students to "meet the problem." These requests may come from a local museum or other community organization or from an individual. Beginning the project with a request adds credibility, as students will work to fulfill the needs of a client; it also creates an opportunity for community collaboration. You may want to contact individuals or community groups that might be interested in presenting a request to students. Consider these possible requests:

The mayor requests a museum about your community.

The school board requests a museum about the history of your school.

The zoo requests an exhibition about native snake species.

The historical society requests a black history museum.

The Jewish Community Center requests an exhibition for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The young curators in your classroom have another important job-to meet state standards and earn good grades. This aspect of the museum project also requires careful presentation. Be sure to review the learning targets and grading plan for the school museum with your students (see Figure 4.3 on p. 50).

What Is a Museum?

Now that students are clear about their job, they face another fundamental question: "What is a museum?" Although students are likely to have some answers to this question, the following activities will sharpen their ideas.

Types and Purposes of Museums

Teachers report that simply brainstorming types and purposes of museums can be a real eye-opener for students regardless of their experience. One teacher was surprised to find out how many museums her students had visited, whereas another was surprised by how few-but even this teacher noted that many students who had never visited an art or history museum had been to hands-on science centers and zoos.

Another teacher said that this exercise not only expanded his students' definition of museum, but his own as well. When students were asked, "What museums have you visited?" they came up with a variety of different types-science centers, zoos, historical homes, nature centers, botanical gardens, art museums, history museums, and specialty museums. Upon reflection, this teacher realized that many of these informal learning environments provided useful models for school museum exhibits. This experience sparked his personal interest in visiting a wider range of museums and led to new ideas for his next school museum project.

As students list the museums that they have heard of or visited, they quickly recognize that there are many types and purposes of museums.

Discussion of similarities and differences among types of museums can lead to another question: "What are the purposes of museums?" When students in Kim Kuchler's 2nd grade class at Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary School answered this question, their ideas included "to help us learn," "to look at stuff," and "to explore." Many museums also collect, classify, preserve, and display artifacts. Answers such as "to look at stuff" seem to imply this purpose, and teachers can make the connection more explicit.

Objects and Images in Museums

Discussion about the types and purposes of museums can lead to a significant observation-all museum exhibits use objects to engage their visitors. This is true for museums as different as SciTrek: The Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta, a hands-on science center, and the Milwaukee Public Museum, a natural history museum. SciTrek is an "experience" museum; its aim is to make abstract physical science concepts more accessible to the public through hands-on activities. It does not have an extensive collection of artifacts; preservation is not part of its mission. In contrast, the Milwaukee Public Museum has an enormous collection. Some of their artifacts, objects, and images are displayed in realistic dioramas that capture the imagination of visitors. According to Peter Haydock, the senior director of education and public programs, less than 2 percent of the collection is displayed on the museum floor! Part of the collection may be displayed in future public exhibitions, loaned to other institutions, or used by visiting researchers, but some objects will never be seen by visitors-they are being preserved for the public trust. The Milwaukee Public Museum and SciTrek are very different museums, but they both use objects and images to create experiences for visitors. (See Chapter 8 for more about the use of objects and images.)

Organization of Museum Displays

Early in the process, even before they visit a professional museum, students will benefit from learning about how museums organize material. Ann Clifton, a museum educator and curator from the Samuel Cupples House and the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, visited Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary School and spoke to 3rd graders about the roles of curators and docents. The class discussed different curator responsibilities-deciding what goes in a museum, how to display it, how to teach the public about an exhibition, and how to attract museum guests. Students curated their own tabletop museum by arranging images of objects that "belonged together"-historical artifacts, paintings, Egyptian mummies, and sports memorabilia. Students were able to see connections among different, seemingly unrelated objects and arrange them to tell a story. The 3rd graders quickly understood how objects can be grouped effectively to communicate a message.

Peg Koetsch, founder of the program Museum-in-Progress, uses a similar technique in an activity she calls "Thinking like a Curator." Koetsch assembles a variety of postcards, each representing a work of art that uses different media, style, subject, and compositional technique. She gives students one postcard image to study and asks them to imagine it as an artifact in their museum collection. Koetsch places a postcard in the center of a table and asks if anyone has an artifact that connects to it. If so, they place their postcard near the original image and explain how it is connected. For example, a student might say that both of the works of art are painted with oils, illustrate people, or use symmetry as a compositional technique. Students continue making these connections until the images are grouped together. As they analyze and critique this "exhibition," students move images to make stronger connections and identify group themes. Then students give this exhibition a title reflective of its overarching concept.

You might ask students in your classroom to think like curators and have them group "artifacts" from a previous instructional unit. For example, an elementary science unit on sound might have artifacts such as wire coils that simulate sound waves, varying lengths of tubing that create different pitched sounds, student-created musical instruments, and other samples of students' work. Students could group these artifacts to tell the story of sound. As you review their grouping decisions, ask students what their visitors will learn about sound and have them explain how the artifacts, together, communicate that message. Perhaps this introductory activity will result in a classroom minimuseum, a worthy culminating activity for an instructional unit.

How Will We Work as a Team?

Interdependent collaboration within and among exhibit teams is one of the many learning opportunities in a school museum project, as discussed in Chapter 2. It is also one of the great challenges. Students develop collaborative skills-and make mistakes-as they engage in the work of creating a school museum. Yet there is no better way to learn how to be a team player than by doing the real and often difficult work of collaboration. Fortunately, some strategies can make this work easier for teachers and students.

Students at Elmwood Elementary School work together to construct their exhibit.

Creating Teams

One of the best ways to organize students for successful teamwork is to carefully establish teams. Creating a diverse group will promote productive collaboration; try to balance teams in terms of gender, ability, and leadership skill. To also allow student choice, teachers at Elmwood Elementary School in New Berlin, Wisconsin, asked students to list their top three areas of interest from 11 focus questions and to list one exhibit they did not want to work on (if there was one). When teachers assembled teams, they considered their students' input.

Team size is another significant factor. Teams of three to four students are ideal, whereas larger teams add to the complexity of managing work and negotiating group dynamics. A group's large size can add undue burden to students who are learning how to function as effective team members. In fact, Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) note that group size of six members or more can actually have a negative effect on achievement (p. 88).

Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities

Teams function best when responsibility is shared by all members and when each member's role is clear. Even in adult meetings, teamwork quickly deteriorates when there is uncertainty about who is leading the discussion, preparing the minutes, or following up on particular items. Similarly, it is important for students to clarify their roles and responsibilities as team members. As a class, decide who will assume responsibility for each role; roles can be rotated. Examples of team roles include the following:

Leader: Sets direction for the team, makes sure team members understand what they have to do, gets things going, and keeps things moving.

Timekeeper: Informs team members when time limits are approaching and helps keep the team on task.

Recorder: Makes note of team decisions.

These roles can be modified for the age of your students and the composition of your teams. Pat Morrissey, a 6th grade teacher at Elmwood Elementary School, thought that her teams could function more efficiently with defined roles, so she created a list of roles appropriate for her students. She presented the roles to students and asked them to make assignments within their teams. Once roles were in place, students immediately noticed an improvement in their performance, as reflected in their following comments:

Sometimes people can get off task but we have jobs, and one of the person's jobs is to keep people on task. That's been working pretty good lately. We're getting a lot accomplished.

I think [roles] help because we all have certain responsibilities to do and that helps the rest of the group. If we didn't have assigned roles ... we wouldn't get anything done.

Regardless of their roles, all students are responsible for being good team members. The rubric in Figure 5.5 on p. 78 lists traits of good teamwork in a school museum project. You may present students with this rubric, or you may prefer to have students develop their own. Most students have been part of a group project or cooperative learning activity and can describe what it was like when teamwork went well and when it didn't. Those experiences will help them think about ways to ensure that their team functions effectively. A rubric clarifies the teamwork learning target and makes it easier for students to assess their skills and set goals for improvement.

Communicating Teamwork Expectations

The student responsibilities outlined in the teamwork rubric communicate expectations for teamwork behavior. You will also need to communicate the expectation that students will take responsibility for these behaviors, their work, and the smooth functioning of their team. Harmin (1994) identifies the "intelligence call up" strategy as one way to "advance students' ability to handle their lives responsibly, wisely" (p. 118). This strategy asks students to stop when faced with a problem and consider what would be the intelligent thing to do. The strategy communicates confidence in students-"You are smart and know what to do"-and encourages them to be part of the solution. When an individual or team confronts this question, they take responsibility for their work: "We are having a problem. What should we do? Let's brainstorm some solutions." This strategy can go a long way to promote student independence and shared responsibility within the classroom.

Foyne Mahaffey, a 1st and 2nd grade multi-age teacher at Lake Bluff Elementary School in Shorewood,Wisconsin, instructs students to "ask three before me." Students know to ask three peers for clarification or direction before they go to Mahaffey with their concern. This simple rule communicates great confidence in the students and distributes responsibility for learning among the members of the classroom community.

Another way students can demonstrate responsibility in the school museum project is by putting forth their best effort. Research shows that not all students realize the importance of effort.

Although it might seem obvious to adults-particularly successful ones-that effort pays off in terms of enhanced achievement, not all students are aware of this. In fact, studies have demonstrated that some students are not aware of the fact that the effort they put into a task has a direct effect on their success relative to the task.... The implication here is that teachers should explain and exemplify the "effort belief" to students. (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001, p. 50)

To help students see the relationship between effort and achievement, you might ask them to use the rubric shown in Figure 5.6 to track their effort and connect it to improved achievement.

Improving Teamwork Skills

Once your project is underway, you may want to develop minilessons to improve teamwork. Consider using Harmin's (1994) "task and team skill group" strategy, in which a small group works at a task and simultaneously practices an interpersonal skill (p. 114). The strategy consists of four steps and takes about 45 minutes to complete, so you will want to use it when you suspect it will save time in the long run by reducing existing or anticipated problems.

Figure 5.6. Effort and Achievement Rubrics

Scale: 4 = excellent; 3 = good; 2 = needs improvement; 1 = unacceptable

4 I worked on the task until it was completed. I pushed myself to continue working on the task even when difficulties arose or a solution was not immediately evident. I viewed difficulties that arose as opportunities to strengthen my understanding.

3 I worked on the task until it was completed. I pushed myself to continue working on the task even when difficulties arose or a solution was not immediately evident.

2 I put some effort into the task, but I stopped working when difficulties arose.

1 I put very little effort into the task.

4 I exceeded the objectives of the task or lesson.

3 I met the objectives of the task or lesson.

2 I met a few of the objectives of the task or lesson, but did not meet others.

1 I did not meet the objectives of the task or lesson.

From Classroom Instruction That Works(p. 52), by R. J. Marzano, D. J. Pickering, and J. E. Pollock, 2001, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Copyright 2001 by McREL. Reprinted with permission.

Step 1 is to assign students an individual task. The following are examples of school museum tasks:

Draft a letter to someone who has firsthand knowledge of your research or focus question and request information or an interview.

Create a preliminary drawing of your exhibit.

Design one interactive component for your exhibit.

Step 2 is to assign a group product for the task. The following examples correspond to the tasks listed in Step 1:

a final version of a letter that incorporates the best of individual drafts

a drawing of the exhibit that incorporates the best of individual preliminary drawings

an interactive component for the exhibit that incorporates the best of individual ideas

Students work in their exhibit teams to create this product, and they practice one or two specific teamwork skills that need to be developed, such as listening closely to one another, returning to work when they notice they are off task, disagreeing respectfully, paraphrasing, or sharing opinions honestly. Students should consider how they might demonstrate these skills. For example, if they plan to practice listening closely to one another, they should first brainstorm what they might say or do when they are not listening well and when they are listening well.

A teacher at Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary School prepares her students for their work on exhibit teams.

Step 3 is to review the teamwork skill as soon as teams have developed their product. Ask students to do some reflective writing: "When did you or someone in your group practice the target skill? What would you do next time you have a chance to practice this skill? In what other situations in your life could you use this skill?" After students have reflected on the lesson, engage in a large-group discussion about these questions.

Step 4 is to review the task and the work of each small group.

Teamwork is a critical feature of the school museum project and something that students practice in each step of the process. Be sure to make time for students to regularly reflect on their teamwork skills and to work on improving them.

What Do Visitors Know and Wonder About Our Topic?

Early in the conceptual phase of exhibit development, museum professionals engage visitors in a process known as front-end evaluation. Through focus groups or interviews, evaluators find out what visitors know about the topic, what is of interest to them, and their expectations for the upcoming exhibition. Museum professionals consider front-end evaluation a vital tool to "uncover, examine, and then set aside our own preconceptions about visitors so that we can see and understand more clearly what they know, believe, and are interested in" (Dierking & Pollock, 1998).

Liz Forrestal, an exhibit developer at the Saint Louis Zoo, considers front-end evaluation critical in the early stages of exhibit development. By talking to audiences before designing the Monsanto Insectarium, evaluators found out that many visitors didn't know the difference between an insect and other kinds of small invertebrates. In response, the exhibit team designed Am I an Insect? to address visitor misconceptions. Insects, spiders, and millipedes are on display, each accompanied by a flip door with the question "Am I an insect?" After examining the live animal in each display case, the visitor opens the flip door to find the answer and explanation. Forrestal also wants to know how the visitor feels about the exhibit topic. Front-end evaluation for the Monsanto Insectarium revealed that many visitors simply do not like insects. This negative perception prompted exhibit developers to create displays that highlight the importance of insects.

Student curators can conduct front-end evaluations for their exhibit by asking their parents, other adults, or their peers about the museum topic or a specific focus area. Questions they might ask include the following:

What do you know about this area?

What do you wonder about this area?

What about this area interests you?

Exhibit and evaluation consultant Beverly Serrell (1996) suggests other questions that your student curators might consider, such as "What would you expect to do, see, find out about in this exhibit?" (p. 97) and "What comes to mind when you see or think about X?" (p. 137).
Asking prospective visitors for input can build anticipation for the coming school museum. Waunakee Intermediate School teacher Mike Moore wanted to ensure that his school's World War II Museum would generate curiosity among students and visitors. As students explored the wartime contributions of men and women from different cultural groups, Moore encouraged them to conduct front-end evaluation. Students asked their parents what they knew and wondered about the Tuskegee Airmen, Navajo code talkers, and other groups.

When students ask their parents about their exhibit topic, they involve them in school activities and encourage interest in the upcoming museum. The conversation may also broaden students' background knowledge and provide new ideas for their displays.

Summary

Introducing the school museum may include a dramatic kickoff event to capture students' imagination and build excitement for the project. The introduction should clarify the learning expectations for students and anticipate their questions about project work. Providing background knowledge about the museum topic is usually necessary before research and exhibit design begin. Background knowledge helps students put the project in perspective and shows how upcoming exhibit work connects to a larger whole.

Students are better able to imagine their exhibition when they understand the different types and purposes of museums and how museum displays rely on objects and images to engage visitors. To create their exhibit, students will need to work together as a team. Each step of the school museum process is made easier when students understand their teamwork roles and responsibilities. As they begin to develop their exhibition, student teams conduct front-end evaluation, which provides an opportunity for parental involvement.

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by Linda D'Acquisto More than eighty 5th grade students are seated on the floor of the multipurpose room at Bayside Middle School. Teacher Jane Elizabeth Marko asks them to close their eyes and visualize the room filled with museum exhibits that they have created: "It's opening night, and you are a proud museum staff member greeting visitors.

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Search and download thousands of ELT resources for secondary and primary students, in audio or PDF format. Download 5 FREE resources before you subscribe.

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British life and culture - England, Scotland and Wales

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Prepare your clients' trip to London here

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Prepare your clients' trip to London here

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A Weekend in London

This page is aimed at students learning about England.

Friday 6 pm (evening)
Airport
You arrive at one of the three main London airports.
Which airport would you arrive at from your country?

How will you travel to London?
Will you travel by train, underground, coach or taxi?

How much does it cost you?
Find out here Hotel
You now need to find a hotel.

What is the address of your hotel?

How much does it cost for 2 nights?
Click here for hotel information
Food

You are hungry.

You would like to eat a traditional take-way English meal.

What do you eat?

Saturday 8 am (morning)

You wake up at the hotel and have a shower.

You then go down to the restaurant to have a traditional English breakfast.

What do you eat?

Saturday 9 am

You are going sightseeing in London.

Where are you going to go?

Name two places and write a little bit about what you will see.

Museums | Buildings and Landmarks
Saturday 1 pm (afternoon)
Lunchtime.

You are tired and need to sit down.

You find a lovely park to eat a packed lunch.

What do you eat?

Which park will you choose to have your packed lunch in?
London Parks

Saturday 2 pm
You go shopping.

Shops and Markets in London Find the nearest underground station and take The Tube to one of the famous shopping districts in London.

Where will you go?

Write the name of the two Underground Stations you use, A and B.

What do you want to buy?

Tube Map ( "The Tube" is the name of London's underground system, it is by far the best way to travel around whilst in London. )

Saturday 3 pm

You take a break from shopping to have some Afternoon Tea.

What do you eat and drink?

Saturday 6 pm (evening)
You have tickets to go and see a West End Show.
What show do you go and see?

Sunday 9 am (morning)

It is time to leave London and to fly back to your country.

Before you leave, you decide to buy a typically English present for your mother.

What do you buy?
Sunday 11:30 am
You leave London

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A Virtual Trip to London - A student activity

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A Weekend in London This page is aimed at students learning about England. Friday 6 pm (evening) Airport You arrive at one of the three main London airports. Which airport would you arrive at from your country? How will you travel to London? Will you travel by train, underground, coach or taxi?

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Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.

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A super easy brownie recipe for a squidgy chocolate bake. Watch our foolproof recipe video to help you get a perfect traybake every time.

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Try this homemade pizza recipe, then check out more of our easy pizza recipes.

Method

STEP 1

Make the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it's not essential for a thin crust.

STEP 2

Make the sauce: Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.

STEP 3

Roll out the dough: if you've let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.

STEP 4

Top and bake: heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.

RECIPE TIPS

TROUBLESHOOTING

If the dough is too wet: add a bit more flour and work it in. If dough is too stretchy to roll out: leave it to rest for 10 mins or so, then try again. You need far more pressure when rolling dough than when rolling out pastry. If the base isn't cooked: baking the pizza on top of a preheated sheet or tray should prevent this. However, it could be too thick or have too much topping. If the topping is cooked before the base, cover with foil and give it another 5 mins.

CHOOSE YOUR TOPPINGS

Fancy a bit more topping? Here's some suggestions. Olives, ham and chargrilled artichokes; Spicy sausage, chilli or jalapeños and

sliced tomato; Spinach, garlic, gorgonzola cheese and a whole egg cracked on top; Creamy mascarpone, pesto, roasted red peppers and sliced mushrooms. Or if you're not sure what you fancy - why not do half and half? Also try our cheesy courgette pizza.

CALZONE

Pile sauce and toppings onto one half of the dough circle, brush the edge with a little water, then fold and pinch to make a pasty shape. Bake until golden as before.

GARLIC & ROSEMARY BREAD

Leave the dough a bit thicker, brush with oil and stud with rosemary sprigs. Bake for 15 mins or until risen and golden. Brush with garlic butter.

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Even a novice cook can master the art of perfect pizza with our step-by-step guide. This homemade pizza recipe features a simple pizza dough and toppings.

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Our puzzle after finishing our proyect

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Ane's idea

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The clients wrote postcards after listening to the presentations and reading the leaflets

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Olatz's idea

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Julen´s Aquapark

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Unai´s proyect

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Oier´s zoo

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Endika's idea

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Endika's Idea

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Julen G's project

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Imanol's idea

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Iker's proposal

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Showing their proposal to possible clients

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Presenting their London trip to their clients

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Presenting their proposed trip to class

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Come to Oduairline for your dream holiday

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Thanks to Project Britain

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To see the world fly with us

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Inside of leaflet, made by Endika, Imanol & Julen G,

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Inside of leaflet, made by Julen M, Oier & Unai

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Inside of leaflet, made by Ane, Iker & Olatz

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From Orduña to the world