The classroom can be supplied with a variety of resources. Not all of these need be expensive. Some can be collected temporarily for use in particular projects and stored in the school for use by other groups. Some will be brought to school by the children when parents lend items of special interest for a project.

Where children are working independently, applying skills which they already have, it is important to have supplies of paper, paint, clay, model-making materials, construction sets, math equipment, basic science equipment, dramatic play resources, a classroom library in a reading area, and for the youngest children, sand and water tables, and for the older children easy access to sets of good encyclopedias. Whole class sets of text books are not needed for project work.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR WORK ON PROJECTS

Children can acquire information from two types of source: primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources of information may be of at least five main kinds: people, places, real objects, events, and processes.

Secondary sources include books, posters, magazines, videos, libraries, and museums.

Field work outside the classroom can provide children with much first hand information which they can use in project activities. Sometimes it is possible for all the children to go on a field trip, at other times they can go in small groups. Children can also go on interesting visits with their parents outside school time and report to the class through their independent field work.

Primary sources: learning directly from their own and another person'sfirst hand experience

1. First hand experience of children and teacher in the class
2. First hand evidence gained on a field trip
3. Explanations and guidance from an expert at the site of a visit
4. Interviewing an expert visiting the classroom

Secondary sources: learning indirectly from material organized or presented by others

1. Information acquired by children through research out of school time
2. School library, resource room, other teachers
3. Books, brochures, films, videos, etc.
4. Museums
5. Local community library

All these sources can contribute to the study of a topic in the classroom. Primary source material is particularly important for the understanding of the younger children and the vitality of the project work in the lower elementary grades.