Four years ago a student I had taught the previous year came up to me and told me I needed to watch Prince EA's What is School For? If I am being honest I ignored the suggestion but he was persistent. After a few more reminders I sat down and watched. I watched it again with students in each of my classes. We reflected on the thinking it brought to students. One question that came up often was, "Why can't we learn about what we think is important? I didn't have an answer for that. Why couldn't we? From this and a wonderful picture book by Peter Reynolds titled, Say Something brought the beginning ideas of Project Speak.

Project Speak has gone through many changes over the years (definitely more of a traditional project in its first version). Our first year was pre-Covid 19. It survived the pandemic as a virtual project that was admittedly hit or miss (just like attendance in virtual school). This year I am excited to see what level of engagement we see. Inquiry work is new to this group and my own understanding has grown. I look forward to the wonderings and the learning that is to come. Student-centered and focused on what they are interested in, Project Speak is meant to provide students with time to learn about something that interests them and moves them to action. If Day 1 was any indication the future looks bright.

Project Speak is a multi-step inquiry project that incorporates student interests alongside curricular outcomes. Students research, write, design, and perform at various stages of the project.

With multiple points to check in, students will develop rich projects that explore questions and topics students are passionate about.