Unit 11: Project Design and Management
Project planning activity guide and worksheet
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This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
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Unit 11: Project Design and Management
Project planning activity guide and worksheet Estimated duration: 60 minutes
Aim •
To decide what their sustainability project will be and to start planning for it
Outcome By the end of this class, students will be able to: • articulate what their sustainability project will be and how they’ll go about it • Understand the process of project planning, through applying it to their own project
Resources •
Worksheet: Project planning (included below)
Activity Description Now it’s time to make some decisions about the students’ own project. Choosing a project First get students to decide what they would like to do for their project. Use the brainstorm from the start of the class as a starting point. This time it is important to take into account the limitations of how much time they have available, what resources they have available (although they may well be able to get some resources donated), and what they have power over (e.g. they can’t get more recycling bins installed in public places, although they can create a petition to encourage the council to do this). Also make sure that they think about the environmental impact of their project. Note that this is intended to be a group project involving the whole class, not a series of individual projects. Planning the project Get students to work through the project planning worksheet as a group, discussing how they can answer each of the questions, and recording their answers individually, so they all have a record. Note that they might not be able to answer all of the questions in this class – they might need to choose someone to do some more research on existing projects which are similar, or to go and talk with the groups they will be working with.
Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Work cooperatively with others Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Provide encouragement Introduce tasks and activities Provide assistance when requested.
Assessment To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as: Teacher checklist and observation Teacher checklist for class discussions Copies of student materials and worksheets
Unit 11: Project Design and Management
Project planning worksheet
How to begin your 13 step plan for your project 1. What is your purpose?
E.g. Get the canteen selling fruit grown in students’ backyards
2. What is your project about?
E.g. Learning how to grow and distribute fresh food
3. Are there any
E.g. The canteen is already getting fresh fruit delivered!
similar projects which already exist?
4. If there are similar projects, are there ways you can work with them, instead of competing with them?
5. What are your goals and targets?
E.g. The group could decide to change the project to growing herbs for the canteen.
E.g. To supply the canteen with a fresh supply of parsley, basil, mint and coriander within six months.
Unit 11: Project Design Project planning worksheet, p.2
6. Which people can help get you started? 7. Who will you work with?
E.g. Canteen worker, parents, nursery, gardener
E.g. The VCAL teachers, the canteen, the local nursery, parents & friends
8. Have you spoken with these people about the project?
It’s important that you speak to the people you will be working with. You might find that the canteen doesn’t want herbs!
9. What research do you need to do? 10. Who are your target groups? 11. What methods will you use?
E.g. Find out about herbs, cost of garden supplies, growing conditions
12. Will you need any
E.g. Canteen manager, school community
E.g. Use pots placed in school greenhouse. Establish watering roster.
E.g. Pots, potting mixture, seeds
materials? How much will they cost? (note that you will work on how to get some of these materials in the next activity)
13. How will you present your results?
E.g. PowerPoint presentation to community garden group