Tried it Tuesday {Research Reports}

I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday. I'm loving the idea of this linky party and can't wait to read what everyone else is trying. 

This past week I began working on research projects with my 4th graders. This is usually a subject that causes me to run in the other direction, but I have tried something that has changed my mind. Back during the Super Bowl Sale on TpT I bought something called Take the Madness out of Research Projects, created by Dragon's Den. You've got to click over and check this out - its such a neat idea! 
As soon as we launched these projects I had students asking when we were going to work on them again and even if they could take them home and work on them! Yes, you heard right, I had students begging me to take them home so they could do MORE research at home. 
One thing that I think really helped add an element of excitement to our projects was the people we were researching. In 4th grade social studies we learn about Virginia History and there are 6 important people from the 20th century we study about, but most of my students have never heard of them until now. I didn't give away any information about the people, just assigned students their person right before class ended one day and the anticipation and wonder was killing them! It was so neat to see my students speculating on what their person did and why they were so famous. 
I'd made some group statements, like one person lived near where we do, another person was a sports star, etc., so they were very anxious to see if their person had done any of those things I'd mentioned. 
Now, the bad thing about this?  I have 20 very excited, motived students (but thats good, right?) and today is our 2nd snow day for this week, we have 2 benchmark tests to give this week, a Spring party on Friday, and Spring Break next week. Time is not our friend right now. It is looking like we will most likely not be able to finish these reports before Spring Break. Don't you just hate when that happens? You finally get something good goin' on in the classroom and then it seems like every outside force works against you? LOL