Sample Project Hooks

Hooking the Students into the Projects

Below are listed four hooks written for engaged learning projects. These examples show the different ways to approach the task with students. As you read them think about how they attempt to reach out to the students and give the task a sense of urgency. Notice they describe a broad problem that allows for student self-direction.

Fellow Citizens:

The water for Milwaukee County has been dragged back into the public eye. Water, one of the most important requirements of all living things, may contain the potentially dangerous heavy metal, lead. As residents of Milwaukee, you may be at risk too.

Your Mission:

Your task is to determine whether or not your tap water, and tap water from the local area, contains evidence of lead. Your team is to investigate lead exposure from drinking water; each person will have a specific role with specific questions that must be addressed. Then each team will bring their findings and questions to the city council meeting to share with the citizens of the city.

Lead It Be

 Urgent Memo

Help! Video game manufacturers unite! Due to poor sales of certain video games in the U.S., several top companies have merged together to make one giant company: Mega Game Inc. They have hired you to conduct a study to find the top ten video games in the United States and use the results to suggest the future design of video games.

Video Game Hall of Fame

Memorandum
To: FBHS Junior English Class
cc: Mrs. Bonilla/Mrs. Birkeland
From: Muncie Kasko
Date: 04/06/99
Re: URGENT to SAVE Fort Benton

Lack of moisture, gusting winds, costs of production, lack of government support, low prices, and excess commodities, all reasons why fewer families are staying in agriculture, are wreaking havoc on the economies of small rural towns across America today. As a result, towns like Fort Benton are on the verge of withering quietly, slowly away.

As citizens of these communities, you students have an important task ahead of you. As the next generation of rural America's citizens, the future of communities is in the hands of young people, adults of the future.

How can students help? Students can use their technology proficiencies and creativity to design products intended to promote tourism in their town or region. Will you come up with projects to do your part in saving your town from the state of dying economics? I am a member of the Community Improvement Association. I am contacting your class to help me create a top-notch video and printed brochures to promote what this community has to offer the world. By creating interesting and exciting materials, video and print, you will be contributing to saving your community from withering away.

Please, please help!! I can't do it without your help!

Muncie

Community Heritage Project

Memo to Students

As you know, we have been working on getting an addition to our building for the last few years. On Saturday, March 20, on our third attempt, the public approved the $6.3 million bond issue at the school district meeting. One of the primary areas being addressed in the building is the science facility; we will be renovating the current classrooms and adding four new classrooms at the back of the building.

In the normal process of taking a building from concept to finished plan, many hard decisions and choices are made as to what to include or exclude; and one that affected us was the elimination of a greenhouse early in the process. Often, however, there are ways to accomplish building projects (especially a smaller project) other than through bond issues.

After a careful review of several options, the school has decided to work with an in-house team. Therefore, Ms. Ahern's Physical Science class and Mr. Ross's Construction Technology II & III classes have been appointed as the consultants and contractors for the Plymouth Regional High School Greenhouse Project.

As consultants and contractors for the project, you have been assigned the following tasks to complete.

We Never Promised You a Greenhouse . . .