ELNORA — One week into the school year, North Daviess High School classrooms look different than they ever have before. Students say they are a little apprehensive, but they are having a lot of fun.

Teachers and administrators say they see great potential in the new project-based 21st Century Learning curriculum that is being phased into the high school starting with freshmen, although some eighth graders and sophomores are in 21st Century classes.

“It’s a lot more fun, but harder (than previous grade levels),” said freshman Chanda Perry as she used a computer to create a brochure for a combined history, English and business class.

Her classmate, Jeremy Sears, said he enjoys having more freedom. Last year, his teacher was “over our backs,” he said, but this year with 21st Century learning, the teacher “lets us do our own work without pushing.”

While he’s not thrilled about adapting to the change, Sears does feel he will get used to the new curriculum and do well with it.

School board president Darin Holder said when he walked into Perry and Sears’ classroom he was thrilled to see the groups working at computers, just like in the new tech high school he visited this summer in Napa, Calif.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed visited the high school Tuesday to speak with teachers and administrators and watch the students learning in their new environment. Reed said she is excited to see the curriculum implemented at North Daviess because it teaches students skills they will need to succeed in the future.

“Not all of our schools are as forward-thinking as this school has been,” said Reed while talking with Holder.

She compared the new curriculum to 4-H projects — teachers give students the guidelines that the project will be judged on, the students have checkpoints throughout the project, and the project is judged by the teacher or a selected group.

Project-based learning has been around for a long time, said Reed, and has proven effective. But 21st Century Learning uses the curriculum style to pointedly teach students the connections between subjects and prepare them for the work world.

“You have to know your stuff,” she said. “If you can’t read, you’re not going to be able to do this project. But you have to not only be able to read, you have to be able to think.”

Students are naturally curious, and project-based learning takes advantage of that curiosity to help them learn better, she continued.

When she asked one student in another 21st Century school about how much homework he had, the student told her he didn’t have time for homework because he was working on his projects. Most students in project-based learning are like him; they enjoy learning so much they don’t realize that homework is homework, said Reed.

The 21st Century curriculum continues to emphasize the basics, said Reed, but presents them in ways that teach students to apply what they learn to everyday life. Meanwhile, teachers apply the three social principles used in all North Daviess’ 21st Century classrooms: respect, responsibility and trust.

In the classrooms

Reed visited Connie Adkinson’s Biology I class, which will be investigating whether the lifestyles of wealthy countries effect biodiversity. Students will gather information about whether biodiversity is declining in Daviess County and send the information to the state Environmental Protection Agency.

Adkinson said she determined which state standards she wanted to target in ecology, then wrote the curriculum around them. She wants to gather a group of conservation-minded community members to help judge students’ projects.

Other classrooms combine several subjects in a longer period. Reed visited a combined two-hour class taught by business teacher Amy Graber, history teacher Zack Stoll and English teacher Debbie Thomas.

Graber said she was concerned about teaching in a group setting at first, but as she began to see how all the concepts overlapped, she was excited to implement the curriculum.

Tuesday, students in the class were creating a brochure about the school culture. The next project class will be to create a new civilization for the reality TV show, “Survivor,” said Graber. They will incorporate the five characteristics of a civilization, create a map, write a document detailing the civilization and learn about work environment expectations as they complete their project, she said.

“I’m just so encouraged by these teachers that are willing to do something different,” said Reed.

Other 21st Century teachers visiting with Reed included Algebra I teacher Linda Streepy, who said her students have been learning how to use the computer programs for the class by writing a guide for parents and other students. Their next project will entail investigating the cost of T-shirts for the drama club using algebraic equations. They will present their findings to the drama club to help them get the best deal on their shirts.

Instead of showing how to solve a problem, then giving students a list of equations to solve, teachers will now give students a project assignment, and they will have to come to the teacher to find what they need to complete the assignment, explained Streepy. If several students are struggling with a concept, they or the teacher can call a workshop for more intense study of the subject.

“Students see the purpose for what they are doing,” said Streepy. “They are excited about this class. They really and truly love it.”

The new curriculum comes with a new grading system, which North Daviess 21st Century teachers created over the summer. It is based on understanding of content including test and quiz scores, work ethic, oral presentations, written presentations and collaboration, said Spanish teacher Pat Brochin. Teachers can determine which areas are most important for each project, but content will always carry the most weight, she and band director Deanne Mayfield said.

“The whole goal is to prepare (students) to step out in the workplace,” said Adkinson.