Project Based Learning

Learning By Doing

Project

Topics should address authentic problems or issues and solutions should be built with content that centers around your discipline but can also pull from other subjects. The end of the project should produce a tangible output or presentation of knowledge.

Examples

• A presentation that draws parallels between the civil right movements from the 1960's and the current social climate. 
• Create a blueprint or model for a house that involves entryways, windows, costs of materials and scaled draws.
• Create a business that addresses a societal or community based problem and then create a business plan or shark tank like proposal that pitches the product. Could include verbal presentation, budgets, sales forecasts, etc. This can also include a hands on service learning day. (posters for awareness, create a website, hold a food drive)
• A debate that addresses ethical issues, either pulled from a book or case study from history. Could involve written briefs as well as an actual mock trial or debate. 
• Create biomes or habitats that model or give the opportunity to examine how circumstances influence environments. (What's actually in our drinking water, how to salt balance impact marine plants, plant a garden and study the impacts of phosphorus vs. nitrogen vs, potassium). 

Outputs

Presentation / Multimedia

Creating Physical Product

Debate / Mock Trial

Create biome or environment

Marketing Materials or Written Analysis

Rubric

Individual rubrics for the final project will vary, however there should be commonly found items like: 

 

Writing

Oral Presentation

Multimedia Creations

Content Mastery

Collaboration

Claims and Use of Evidence

 

For support teachers should connect with their coaches to plan and build the rubric for their final project.

Several diverse CFU's along the way

A verbal presentation of their idea or plan

Rough draft of final output

3 - 4 content assessments

 

Purpose is to adjust along the way and also to give students feedback along the way towards the final project. 

Examples:

What Coaches Will Be Looking For

• Opportunities for collaboration.
• Modeling and clear expectations around procedures and tasks related to project.
• Student engagement and on-task in group settings
• Each lesson aligned to objectives of project in a way that matches rigor.
• Students receive daily feedback on progress towards final project and instructor makes appropriate adjustments based on informal data collected in class.

 

We anticipate a lot of variance in how these metrics are demonstrated so please reach out to your coaches with questions and support. 

 

What you will submit

• Your main unit plan
• A rubric for the final project
• Student packets for each day although the layout will vary depending on the project.
• Grades collected from both daily formative assessments and the final project.