Students create short documentaries exploring what it means to build equitable and diverse communities, the formation of  meaningful relationships, and the role of environment and activities in cultivating connections.

You can see one example to the left of this text, and another one just below this text.

This project relied on using asynchronous collaboration since many students were not in the same classes.  Students used advisory time as well as time outside of class to collaborate on this project. By using digital tools like Google Apps for Education, students were able to plan and execute their projects while not being in the same place at the same time.  Learning how to collaborate asynchronously gave them the skills they will need in most 21st century careers.

Having an engaging opening launch was key to this project’s success.  To create an engaging launch the teachers used a previously scheduled field trip to Yosemite to introduce the project.  They were able to maintain student engagement during the trip by scaffolding student journals with prompts they had prepared ahead of time.  Another key element to the launch was the availability of the teachers to check in on the students often and give them the guidance and feedback they needed.

Giving students a task that required collaboration during the field trip built up their agency which helped them as they worked together after the project launch.

Students were given choices throughout this project.  They could determine what the final product would look like.  They could create a documentary using their choice of video editing software.  If they did not want to make a video they could create a podcast or a slideshow.  Students were also given choice in what they wanted to feature in their final product and the size and score of the product.  Additionally, they could determine which part of the project they would be responsible for.