Guest Blogger

The second semester is upon us and I have that sinking feeling that we didn’t start NHD early enough. We actually introduced the project a month ago but very few kids have really tied into it yet. I especially wanted to get the kids that are working on documentaries to get going because that clearly is the most time-intensive project category.

We did a few brown-bag lunch workshops on project types before break. Websites and exhibits seem to be the most popular categories. We are limiting groups to three members even though the official NHD rules allow up to five. We have rarely seem a functional group of four; five kids working in a cooperative and equitable manner is even more unlikely. Groups of four or five are usually de facto groups of two or three with a few “hangers-on.” We caution our kids to choose wisely when forming groups and suggest that working with best friends is not always a good idea. We encourage 9^th and 10^th graders to work together so that at least one member has some experience with NHD.

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