I love the idea of students actually "doing." Any kind of display of students' learning shows students' mastery of concepts, and builds self-esteem. Addtionally rubrics are a great way to evaluate students. They are also a great way to communicate expectations of students for a particular project. Engaging students in a "rubric-building" activity is a great way to promote class expectations, and provide students with ownership of their class performance. When students design the rubric, they have an active voice in discussing what makes a strong project and a weak project, and are ultimately determining the academic standards to which they will be held.
