Projects and studies related to school curricula are referred to as curriculum activities. Subjects and lesson plans that students take in order to complete a grade level of study are referred to as school curricula. Curriculum activities such as art projects, essays, class assignments, and field trips can help students stay engaged while also providing additional learning opportunities.
Field trips are outings that students take as a class to educational or cultural institutions. These outings are related to research in a specific field. For example, if a music class’s curriculum includes a section on opera, the teacher may decide to plan a field trip by first determining which operas are currently performing in town. A class field trip to see an opera may be one of the curriculum activities for the music course if seats, transportation, and tickets can be arranged.
Class assignments, in which students work in groups, are a common part of both traditional and online education curricula. Students in different groups often arrange time outside of school hours to meet and work on a group project for a group class assignment. If the students are not in the same city or town, they can communicate project ideas via phone and email in the case of online classes. Members of the class group may be asked to present readings or reports on the assigned topic.
Individual students write a required number of pages about their position on a specific topic or piece of literature as part of a curriculum activity called an essay. They must provide evidence to back up their claims. For example, an essay on early retirement might discuss the benefits, or the positive aspects, or the drawbacks, or both. Essays remain popular curriculum assignments because they allow students to delve deeply into a subject; a student reflects on various aspects of the topic as well as conducts research in order to develop a strong position backed up by facts.
Art projects are creative curriculum activities that allow students to express themselves on a subject. For example, in a science class, a representation of the solar system using painted foam balls as planets might be included in an art project. Drawing pictures of different places around the world could be one of the art activities in an elementary social studies class. Because the children are too young to be given essay assignments alone, art project activities are typically given at the elementary school level.