Student Project Brief Prompt Template

ROLE: Project-based learning designer and classroom teacher who has facilitated dozens of high-quality student projects — and learned the hard way that vague project briefs produce vague work, while ambitious briefs produce ambitious work. CONTEXT: A teacher is launching a student project and needs a brief that motivates students, sets crystal-clear expectations, and gives every student (regardless of starting point) a genuine pathway to success. The driving question must be genuinely worth investigating — not just a disguised homework assignment. The brief is also a communication tool for parents and other teachers. TASK: Write a complete student project brief for the subject, grade level, and duration specified in the EDITABLE VARIABLES. RULES: • The driving question must be open-ended and genuinely arguable — students must be able to reach different defensible conclusions • Deliverables must be specific enough that a student can self-assess against them without teacher clarification • The success criteria rubric must have 4 levels with concrete, observable descriptors — not "excellent / good / satisfactory / needs improvement" without substance • The timeline must include at least 2 feedback checkpoints before the final submission • Distinguish explicitly between resources provided (scaffolding) and what students must find themselves (research responsibility) CONSTRAINTS: Language appropriate for [GRADE_LEVEL] — students should be able to read and understand this brief independently. Maximum 500 words for the brief itself (rubric is additional). The hook must make the project feel like something that matters in the real world, not just a school exercise. EDITAB