'Who am I?' researchers (Now in Lower 4/Year 8)

The project introduced them to interdisciplinary research using a wide range of sources, guided by subject teachers.

All Form 3 lessons except Maths and Languages were devoted to their research, and to the creation of their projects, for a week. All pupils created project scrapbooks, which were produced with a great deal of care; these included written text, photographs, and family trees.

Finally, pupils presented their research, using the scrapbooks, to their forms and everyone judged each other’s project.

Pupils were able to follow their particular interests in choosing the main focus of their projects; some took a historical perspective, others delved into science. A few thought about the philosophical nature of self, or included creative writing.

The interdisciplinary choices were wide:

• Science: origin of life, evolution, genealogy, inheritance, genetics etc
• History: own family history; National Archives, genealogical research
• Art: how I look – portraits to show me
• Geography: mapping, landscape and cultural investigation; identify places of focus of their own or of their parents (or further back)
• RE: religious and cultural backgrounds; how I respond to things
• Sport: Role of sport and who I am in terms of sport; sporting role models, lifestyle, sporting etiquette, sporting ethos, results of my country and sports
• Classics : Classical influences on Western and English society
• English: A poem about me

Mr Scicinski, Director of Academic Challenge, said: “I was very impressed indeed by the quality of Form 3’s research, and by their engaging presentations at the end of the project.”