Quest students at Kosciusko Middle Elementary School recently completed their research projects and gave presentations to parents, teacher and classmates.
Part of the curricular framework for Quest is that students conduct independent research. Second-grade Quest students have been involved in a study of Antarctica and the Arctic. After first learning about the topography and climate of Antarctica, they researched different breeds of penguins. After this introduction to data collection, each child chose a different Arctic animal as the subject of his or her independent research. They used covered cereal boxes to show the animals, their habitats, and basic facts.
Third-grade Quest students each chose a state of the country to research. They used tri-fold display boards and created models to depict important facts about their chosen states. They also prepared a speech, giving a brief summary of the facts that they found most interesting.
Part of the mission of Quest is to encourage higher order thinking skills for life-long learning.
In addition to collecting data, students used organizational thinking to analyze the information, interpret the data and draw conclusions. They applied communication skills to share their research through visual and oral presentations.
Through receptive listening and effective questioning, students conducted peer evaluations, assessing the strengths and improvement needs in themselves and classmates.
