Grade 1 Project Challenges

We recommend you click here to view, download, and print these guidelines in full PDF form!

Jump to:
Theme Option #1: Life Cycles
Theme Option #2: Your Choice
Rules

 

OPTION #1 Theme: LIFE CYCLES

Project Challenge: Tracking An Animal's Life Cycle

  • Under the direction of the classroom teacher, students will explore how all animals have a life cycle. Find out about an animal that lives in your area, observe it for a period of time, and follow part of its life cycle.
    • An alternative to live observations in the classroom can be to use the library and/or online resources to find out about an animal and its life cycle that interests students (regardless of where it lives).
  • After you get your background information, as a classroom project, answer the following questions:
    • How are parents and their children (or offspring) alike and different?
    • What kinds of behaviors do they have to protect themselves and survive?

Key Steps:

  • Conduct background research on your animal in the library or online
  • Make a plan/procedure for how they are to be cared for
  • Observe and gather information
  • Analyze your data
  • Interpret your data
  • Using words and original student drawings/artwork, tell the story of your project in one of the two following format options:
    • a handwritten/hand-drawn storyboard presentation (which can be scanned or photographed for submitting on the online entry form)
    • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Suggested Presentation Elements:
    • Beginning Section: Cover & Introduction to project challenge questions/topic
    • Second Section: Introduction to project challenge questions/topic and description of your plan
    • Third Section: What did you observe?
    • Final Section: Draw a conclusion of what you have learned. Why is it important?

NGSS correlation:
From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
  • Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
  • Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive

Back to top

 

OPTION #2 Theme: YOUR CHOICE

Project Challenge: Choose a community-oriented science challenge for your class to study.

  • Conduct background research
  • Build a plan/procedure for how to test or explore your challenge
  • Observe and gather information
  • Analyze your data
  • Interpret your data
  • Using words and original student drawings/artwork, tell the story of your project in one of the two following format options:
    • a handwritten/hand-drawn storyboard presentation (which can be scanned or photographed for submitting on the online entry form)
    • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Suggested Presentation Elements:
    • Beginning Section: Cover & Introduction to project challenge questions/topic
    • Second Section: Introduction to project challenge questions/topic and description of your plan
    • Third Section: What did you observe?
    • Final Section: Draw a conclusion of what you have learned. Why is it important?

Examples of the types of concepts you might want your students to address:

  • Oceans and sea life
  • The human body
  • Matter
  • Measurement
  • Introduction to electricity and magnetism
  • Sound

Back to top

 

Rules for Grade 1

Project submission consists of the creation of a storyboard or PowerPoint presentation. Each storyboard is comprised of visuals and text used to showcase the students' original work in The DuPont Challenge.

Submission Format Options
Besides text, acceptable materials for storyboard projects are the following: visual aids (e.g. photos, images, student drawings, etc.) highlighted on one of the following format options:

  • Storyboard: Handwritten and hand-drawn in book form, then scanned or photographed and uploaded as a JPG or PDF file on the official online entry form
  • Microsoft PowerPoint: uploaded as a PPT, PPTX, JPG, or PDF file on the official online entry form

Guidelines for Using Microsoft PowerPoint Submission Format
The PowerPoint is used as a tool to highlight the team's original work and should be comprised of the following: hand-drawn images, pictures, or drawings compiled to organize the team's information. Teachers are strongly encouraged to allow the students to contribute to the file as needed and use of text within slides should be minimal. Diagrams and labels should be included in the team's images.

Page requirement for project submissions: Up to 8 pages + cover title slide

Team Composition: The entry must be from a team comprised of the students from the same classroom. Only one entry is allowed per classroom and should be a representation of the classroom's ability to address the project challenge.

Submissions in formats other than storyboard or PowerPoint will result in competition disqualification. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

SPECIAL NOTE: Every team must be comprised of students from the same class and in the same grade level. Multi-grade teams--even within the same classroom--are not eligible.

Back to top