Fifth Grade Research Projects on Display

Sandy Janack, fifth grade Social Studies Teacher, and Allyson Fletcher, Middle School Media Specialist, collaborated in December and January to guide fifth graders through a research project. Students first learned about the United Nations and their 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are goals the United Nations member nations are striving to reach to deal with some of the world’s most pressing problems by the year 2050.

As students learned about the goals such as No Poverty, Quality Education, Peace and Justice, and Sustainable Cities, they quickly recognized how weighty these issues are. Students began to wonder how almost 200 countries in the world could agree on how to achieve these goals. Through a tool called LibGuides, Mrs. Fletcher and Ms. Janack taught students research skills such as locating relevant information, paraphrasing, and analyzing data. Mrs. Fletcher also showed students how to organize and showcase library resources and introduced the fifth graders to NoodleTools to correctly cite sources and organize their research. 

To present their findings, each student created an infographic - a digital, visual representation of their data - using their iPad and the Pages app. After choosing a model infographic to help guide their work, students organized their research to tell the story of their chosen SDG with text and graphics. To engage and inspire their audience, students made sure to include steps everyone can take to make a positive impact on the planet. 

The Chargers were excited to work on their projects in the new Makerspace on the second floor of Charger Commons. They used recycled materials to create stands to display their infographics. The final projects are currently on exhibit in Charger Commons. 

View more photos here.