Referring to Criteria

If students are given project criteria, it is important that they check this regularly as they complete projects. Sometimes, without this step, students will put a tremendous amount of work into an unasked for element, and then feel frustrated when the assessment doesn’t match their expectations. As students do their research and complete their work, they should regularly be checking to make sure that they haven’t moved too far away from what they are being asked to focus on.

In the example image, a student is being asked to focus on four main ideas. If you, as a supporting adult, do not know how to read French, a first step is to ask your child to explain the criteria to you. This helps you clarify meaning, while also providing an opportunity for the student to review what they are being asked to do. You could also use Google Lens or another translating tool to translate text to confirm meaning.

In the example above, students are being asked to report on four things:

• describe the reasoning behind an invention;
• the materials used in the making of the invention;
• the effects that invention within the civilization that created it;
• the inventions effect has on modern society.

If a student focus their time on making an elaborate and beautiful poster, but adds very little information, they aren’t demonstrating their understanding of the topic to the best of their ability. It’s best to create content that shows understanding of the material listed in the criteria before turning attention to adding other details.