Elementary School students from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are conducting an independent study project called “Passion Projects” which will be presented the first week of November.

Students have worked on an independent study which requires them to research on a topic of their interest. The students are required to work on the projects at home for the first trimester of school and prepare a 5-7 minute presentation for the first week of November.

“At the end, is going to be great because they will be able to practice their presentation skills, it’s giving them a lot of freedom. In fact, they choose whatever they want, but they also have to be independent and work on it at home,” Kyle James, 4th grade teacher, said.

The Elementary students will have minimal guidance and help from their teachers. The project will not be brought into the classrooms until the final presentations in November.

“The “Passion Projects” are preparing students for the future, James, said. Because as they get older they will have to make their own decisions and work independently.”

Moreover, teachers are no longer assigning homework to the students  so they have additional time to work on their research. According to Studies from Stanford, 2 hours of homework a day can be counterproductive.

“Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good,” Denise Pope, senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, said.

This is the first time Elementary School endeavors to do a project such as this one.

“A teacher actually brought it from another school she had done it with her students so we are trying it…We’ll see how it goes, the first trimester is kind of like a trial and error, but from what they told me they are all doing a good job. They have a wide range of topics, anything from animals to soccer stadiums around the word,” James said.

The “Passion Project” strives for students to practice their presentation and research skills in a motivating way, with a topic they care about.

“A lot of educators talk about external vs. intrinsic motivation. It’s a fancy word for saying that you want to do, or is it something you are forced to do, and homework is usually something you are forced to do…We are hoping that this project will be something that you want to do, ‘Passion Projects’”. William Stanton, 4th grade teacher, said.