About two weeks ago, seventh graders were assigned a unique comprehensive project covering a wide range of materials, including maximizing volume, Pythagorean Theorem, Pascal’s Triangle, and transformations. This assignment was different from past projects in that students were randomly assigned one topic out of the four provided options rather than all of them completing the same project. Students were allowed to work in groups with 4 to 5 people to maximize their efficiency and creativity. The requirements of each project differed according to the content, where some were encouraged to make posters, and others were asked to give a PowerPoint presentation. Almost all students were given some low to medium-level problems in task #1 before being asked to extend their knowledge with a poster or PowerPoint in task #2.

This project was the first time students were allowed to use their computers in class for brainstorming and data research. It, therefore, integrated interdisciplinary learning and improved students’ digital literacy. This project also allowed students to investigate content outside of their textbook or general curriculum, which piqued their curiosity and improved their teamwork. Despite being given different assignments, all students successfully investigated interesting mathematical relationships in this project, and we are so proud of their ingenious work!

(Written by Jeffrey 7(12) Supervised by Hannah Bush Pictures by Wei Xu Edited byHuangShiyuan,MikahJimenez)