Project-Based Learning
in an Elementary Classroom
If implemented thoughtfully, PBL addresses most of the problems teachers worry about. And it promotes a much more enduring understanding of content.
Project work can drive all of the curriculum
Literacy: Read-alouds, independent reading, lit circles, guided reading, writer's workshop, and writing mechanics can all connect to the project and strengthen the learning
Math: Many of the math content standards in elementary school authentically connect to project work, giving students a context for their learning.
Science/Social Studies concepts are often a great starting place for project planning
Differentiation: Using a project as a vehicle for instruction, teachers are better able to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
PBL is a also great way to address Common Core standards
Standard 1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Standard 2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Standard 3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Standard 4: Model with mathematics
Standard 5: Use appropriate tools strategically
Standard 6: Attend to precision
Standard 7: Look for and make use of structure
Standard 8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
ELA communication, speaking, and collaboration standards are easier to meet (while also teaching about all other important elements of literacy)
4th Grade Project
DQ: What is the MAGIC of Boats?
Tasks:
1. Design and build a boat large enough to support a team of 4 fourth grade students without tipping over.
2. Write an adventure story that captures that MAGIC of boats
Science: We explored the science of floating, boat drag, efficiency, and properties of water
Questions?
Reflection
Your Turn
Brainstorm a project idea stemming from student
passion, community need, product idea, or a content standard
Make sure to include:
- The product students will create
- What content can be incorporated into this project
- The driving question for your project
- The skills students will use
See the video here:
In addition to learning all of the important content that was connected to this project and state standards
78 4th grade students navigated San Diego bay in boats they built themselves!
They practiced skills that are necessary to be successful in the REAL WORLD:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Learning from failure, perseverance
- Integration of multiple disciplines
- Critique/Revision
Stemming from students' wonderings and passions, students ALSO learned about...
Google Sketchup: boat blueprint design
Local boats housed in San Diego
Boats' impact on industry
Boats used to rescue people
Building a boat/construction/ failure & improvement
Boats that have crashed/ sunk
Types of boats: submarines, cruise ships, naval carriers,
kayaks, canoes, paddle boats
History/evolution of boats (life on a boat)
Seasickness
Bodies of water
Cool boats: boats that morph, boats that also fly, boats that are solar powered, speedboats, space boats
Problems that plague boats: illness, mold, sinking
Pirates
Photography of boats
Reinventing the boat
How much cargo can a boat hold?
Community events/info
Festival of Sail
Olympic Sailors
Example Project
Sample Daily Schedule
ACTUALLY...
Given a piece of aluminum foil with an area of 8 in. x 8 in, students will create a foil boat with the maximum possible volume (students can measure the volume using length x width x height OR can fill the boat with rice and measure it using a beaker
Math Content: Students learned about volume, density, buoyancy, and displacement, and building a smaller replica boat to scale
Students are excited to add more dialogue into their Boat Adventures. After a mini-lesson on quotations, students will practice adding dialogue into their stories. After 30 minutes of practice, they will get a chance to give each other feedback on their use of dialogue.
Writing: Students wrote Boat Adventures stories that included what they believed to be the Magic of Boats. During this writing, they learned about all of the important elements of Narrative writing that helped prepared them for the state writing test. They practiced revision and critique, and also learned about the process of publishing.
Density Lab: students are given 10 different liquids (ranging from water to maple syrup. First they predict which will sink to the bottom (most dense) and which will sit at the top (least dense). Then they pour the liquids in the order the predict into a clear glass to find out which liquids are the most dense and which are the least dense. When finished: journal about how this may affect whether or not their boats float or sink.
- 8:00 - 8:30 Morning Meeting
- 8:30 - 9:30 Math Lab
- 9:30 - 10:30 Writing Workshop
- 10:30 - 10:45 Recess
- 10:45 - 12:00 Science Exploration
- 12:00 - 12:15 Read Aloud
- 12:15 - 1:00 Lunch
- 1:00 - 2:00 Reading
Students are preparing for next week's Lit Circle meeting. They will sit in small book club groups around the room where they will read and write down any powerful excerpts and questions that arise during reading. I will pull my struggling Lit Circle group and lead a guided reading session on their Book Club book.
Social Studies: Students learned about the role boats played in exploration, immigration, and trade
On your blog or in our journal, reflect on today's project work. What new fierce wonderings do you have after our math and science lab? What else might you need to know in order to build a boat that supports your entire team?
Reading: In addition to choosing fictional stories involving boats for Book Club reading, students read several non-fiction articles about boats
BUT...
In a Great
Classroom
What Gets in the Way?
(at any grade)...
- Time
- Competing mandates from the district
- Current curriculum (text books, etc. )
- Pacing guides/calendars
- Student ability (lack of grade level preparedness)
- State tests and standards
Project Design:
Where to Begin?
- Students are excited about what they are learning
- Students are able to think critically and problem solve
- Students are able to work/collaborate with others
- Students can apply their learning
- Students love reading and writing
- Students care about doing great work
- Students are being prepared for the real world
- Students are not afraid to fail and learn from their mistakes
- Students are creative and innovative
- Students can communicate their thinking & learning
- Students are confident
- Students are responsible & self-directed
Passions:
What are your academic passions? Your students' passions?
Products:
What cool/fun/engaging/relevant products can students make, build, or create?
Community:
What are some important local issues in your community?
Content:
What content do you want to teach?
What project could you design to connect these learning outcomes to authentic products and driving questions?
Crafting Your Driving Question
There are three criteria for a compelling driving/essential question:
- It should be a question that people ask in the ‘real world’
- It should be a question that has no easy answer, and stretches students’ intellectual muscles
Mathematical Practices are strengthened through project work
- It should be a question that ignites students’ imaginations.
** You will likely revise this question multiple times throughout the project planning process.
Sample Driving Questions
How have the simple inventions of the past helped to create the complex life of today?
• How can an idea be transformed into a product that could make
us millions?
• Why do humans need to protect the earth, and how can we as
12-year-olds play a role in this?
• How have ancient civilizations influenced each other?
• How do drugs impact our bodies, our families, our community,
and our world?
• Is war ever justified?
• How have maritime discoveries, advancements, and events shaped
our world?
• How can an election candidate effectively persuade voters to
elect her/him?
• How can a home be designed to have minimal impact on
the environment?