FOUNDATIONS OF PBLWORKSHOP

“Doing Projects” vs. PBLProjects: Large activities completed

after the students have been pushed through homework assignments, lectures, and readings. Usually a culminating event for a unit or semester.

Textbook Activity

Lecture

Lecture

Writing Exercise

Writing Exercise

Peer Edit

Textbook Activity

Culminating Project

Teacher-directed Activity

Know/ Need to Know

Presentation/Product

In PBL, the “Problem” is front-loaded

Rubric

Workshop

Workshop

5 STEPS FOR DESIGNING A PBL UNIT:

1. Begin with the end in mind2. Craft the driving question

& Entry Event3. Plan the assessment4. Map the project5. Manage the process

STEP 1 - BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

History Content – Essential Learning Outcomes

Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign & domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including:

The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e.g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting

The Truman Doctrine Atomic testing in the American West, the “mutual

assured destruction” doctrine, and disarmament policies

21st Century Learning Outcomes

Written Communication

Oral Communication

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

Project

ConceptEnglish Language Arts Content – Essential Learning Outcomes

Analyze recognized works of American literature representing a variety of genres and traditions:

o Trace the development of American literature from the colonial period forward.

o Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings.

o Relate literary works and authors to the major themes and issues of their eras.

PROJECT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT CHART

Standard WHO might need to have this knowledge?

WHY might they need this information?

What might this person DO with this knowledge?

SAMPLE:Analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution on England, the United States, Japan, etc.

-Environmentalist To identify the effects of industrialism on a developing nation

Create ways to prevent the negative effects of industrialism, share with government or people these effects

- Economist To make current market predictions according to previous trends

Share the information with stockholders or businessmen looking to do business in industrializing nations

- Politician To make political arguments for or against international tariffs or ethical labor laws

Create a bill or modify voting, work on a committee or push an issue with other politicians

SAMPLE:Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease (human immune response).

- Doctor To diagnose patients and share information with patients about their diseases

Inform patients or share knowledge with other doctors

- Drug company, marketing department

To understand how their product can effect people

Explain to doctors or clinics how this drug can help patients in a pamphlet or other written work (drug rep could verbally share this information with potential clients as well)

- Center for Infectious diseases, military specialist, or other government representative

To understand what the potential dangers are of disease on the health of the nation

Create an information packet or pamphlet about dangers of germ warfare or other publication

Standard Student roleScenario Product

STEP 2 - CRAFT THE DRIVING QUESTION

Driving Question:

What does it mean to be a Great American Author, and more specifically, a Great American Author of the 1950s?

OTHER EXAMPLES OF DRIVING QUESTIONS:

To what degree should World War I be praised or condemned?

(World History and 10th Grade English)

How is biological evidence of a crime collected and processed to identify the perpetrator?

(ROP CSI and Biology)

How do people from different countries and cultural groups see the world?

(World Languages)

DRIVING QUESTIONS ARE…

Provocative Open Ended Aligned to standards Challenging Arise from real world situations Act as a lighthouse to keep you on

course

ENTRY DOCUMENT & PROJECT GUIDELINES

Great American Author Entry Document & Project Guidelines

Link to Google

Doc!

PUT YOURSELF IN THE ROLE OF A STUDENT…

We know…We will be choosing an American author

Author must have been writing in 1950s

We will be on a panel to figure out what is means to be a “Great American Author”

Our panel will be competing to determine what the guidelines should be for a new award called “Great American Author”

We will need to decide if our individual author meets the criteria that our panel decides on

The country is in confusion and there may be spies or enemies within the country

We are experts in American Literature & History

We will be presenting our recommendation to a committee in one month

Etc.

We need to know…How will the panels be formed?

Will we have a list of authors to choose from?

Who is Senator Joseph McCarthy and why is he important?

Who is Joseph Pulitzer & why is he important?

How will we be assessed?

What kind of writing will be doing? Essay? Letter? What is the proper format?

What will the final product look like?

What was going on in the 1950s in America?

How were authors significant during the ‘50s?

What is the literary landscape of America?

Research on one author and his/her impact?

Guidelines and requirements for other literary awards that already exist?

Etc.

STEP 3 - PLAN THE ASSESSMENT

Research Journals History Textbook

Assignments Literature Readings &

Assignments Journal Reflections & Check-

ins Film Worksheets &

Reflections Quizzes & Tests

Additional Individual

Formative & Summative

Assessments:

Great American Author Project Rubric

Great American Author Presentation Rubric

Links to Google Docs!

PLAN THE ASSESSMENT (CONT)

Don’t forget to plan formative assessments & analysis into your project calendar so that you can…

Assess the data to determine student learning

Embed re-teaching opportunities for those students who did not demonstrate proficiency on the formative assessment

Note: PBL works great for re-teaching activities, as students can have project work time and project-related tasks occur during re-teach workshops/activities

USING EFFECTIVE RUBRICS

Importance of rubrics in a PBL environmentWhen given to students early in a project, it sets

the expectations for student achievementClarifies performance expectations in both content

standards and 21st Century skillsCrafting an effective rubric

Focus on the standards being assessedBe specific, using objective language when

possibleMake sure there isn’t one right answer or “right

way” for students to address each requirement If something isn’t on the rubric, it will not be

assessed

District 21st Century Skills Rubric: Presentation/CommunicationCommunication- Presentation

Skills

Advanced

4

Proficient

3

Basic

2

Not Yet Proficient

1

Stage Presence

Students will articulate ideas and solutions clearly to an audience.

Students use techniques to keep audience engaged.

Clothing was very professional

Strong eye contact with the whole audience throughout the whole presentation

Tone and enthusiasm was very appropriate to the topic

Stood up straight and no fidgeting throughout the presentation

Speakers were easy to hear by all and easy to understand

No verbal fillers

Clothing was appropriate for audience and purpose

Strong eye contact most of the time with most of the audience

Tone and enthusiasm is mostly appropriate to the topic

Stood up straight and did not fidget for a majority of the presentation

Speakers are easy to hear by most and easy to understand most of the time

Uses very few verbal fillers (“um”, “yeah”, “so”…

Clothing was a mix of appropriate and inappropriate for the audience and purpose

Eye contact was limited and/or was not with most of the audience

Tone and enthusiasm was sometimes appropriate to the topic

Stood up straight for part of the presentation and/or fidgeting was distracting

Speakers were not always easy to hear or understood

Many verbal fillers used

Clothing was inappropriate for audience and purpose

Little to no eye contact

Tone and enthusiasm inappropriate for topic

Did not stand up straight and/or fidgeting for most of the presentation

Speakers were not heard by most and not easy nor understand

Verbal fillers were a major distraction

QUICK NOTE: All of the pieces of ELO Unit Outline are still used when creating

a PBL unit – the structure and wording just looks a bit different!

Select Standard & Unit NameWrite Essential Learning OutcomesList Prerequisite SkillsSelect Content and Academic VocabularyDevelop TimelinesUnit Start DateSummative DateFormative DateRe-teach DateExtension DateAssessment Analysis

Write Summative AssessmentWrite 1 or 2 Formative AssessmentsTeach, Give Formative AssessmentAnalyze Formative Assessment ResultsDevelop Re-Teach and Extension PlanRe-teach/Extend/Continue TeachingGive Summative AssessmentAnalyze Summative Assessment Results ~ Decide what to build into next unit based upon results

STEP 4 - MAP THE PROJECT

Sample Scaffolding Activities from Great American Author Project:

PowerPoint Presentation, Lecture & Discussion on American Literary Periods

Annotated Bibliography Workshop & Sample Entry Scholarly Article Workshop History Films, Discussions & Reflections Journal Check-ins & Progress Reports Guided Literature Circles

What will scaffolding activities look like to support students in their understanding of both the content and the key skills necessary to complete the project?

Quick Tip:Draft a Tentative Project Calendar

Helps you to visually map out the course of the project

Allows you to plan project activities, assessments, and re-teaching opportunities effectively and in the appropriate timeframe

Once the project rolls out, it will help students manage the project for themselves and plan ahead

Link to Google Doc with Great American Author Project Calendar!

STEP 5 - MANAGE THE PROCESS

Questions to consider…

What’s the role of the students during the project?

What are the different stages of the project?

What does a typical day look like?

How will individual student accountability be ensured?

What’s the role of the teacher during the project?

Group Contract

Why do we need a contract?

• Hold group members accountable for work within a project

• Divide up responsibilities

• Set due dates within the project to make sure work can be turned in on time

NEW ROLES

TeacherProject manager

CoachGuide

AdvisorMentor

StudentsTeam membersActive learners

ResearchersInvestigatorsApprentice

Teachers and students are working collaboratively to

complete the task

Teachers and students are working collaboratively to

complete the task

HERE’S WHAT THE PROJECT MIGHT LOOK LIKE OVER THE COURSE OF THE UNIT:

Beginning Stage Middle Stage Final Stage

• Read entry doc and create know/need to know list• Problem statement development / prioritize tasks• Establish group roles and write group contracts• Review rubric and fill out project pacing chart• Begin preliminary investigations

• Group meetings / progress checks using pacing chart• Research• Warm-ups / Journals• Class discussions• Workshops and mini-lessons• Reading assignments / skill building practice• Guided activities• Quizzes• Collaboration evaluations• Rough drafts

• Rough drafts• Peer reviews• Self evaluations• Practice presentations• Presentations• Practice tests• Tests• Collaboration evaluations• Reflection and debrief

HERE’S WHAT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT MIGHT LOOK LIKE:

1. Silent Reading (10 min)2. Digitally Submit Yesterday’s History Assignment (5 min)3. Literature Circles (30 min)4. Workshop: Writing an Effective Nomination Letter (30 min)5. Project Work Time (40 min)

- Individual Research Journal due Today- Rough Draft of Nomination Letter due

Tomorrow

Here is an example of a student’s final product for Great American Author Project:

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS PROJECT?

The Six A’s of PBLAuthenticity

Academic RigorApplied Learning

Active ExplorationAdult Connections

Assessment Practices

Link to The Six A’s Project Idea Rubric

A quality project will…Establish a Need to Know or DoStudents are brought into the project by an entry event that captures interest, and begins the inquiry process

Develop Learning OutcomesProject activities invoke, teach, and assess skills like collaboration, oral communication, and other learning outcomes adopted by your school

Engage Students in InquiryStudents ask questions, consider several options, and proceed with answering questions independently and interdependently.

Require InnovationStudents generate new answers to complex, open-ended questions or problems.

Organize Activities Around a Driving Question or ChallengeStudents find the Driving Question a meaningful focus for their work

Encourage Student Voice and ChoiceStudents, with teacher supervision and guidance, make decisions that affect the course of the project

Conclude with a Public PresentationStudents explain their findings an activities to others and respond to serious content- and process-focused questions

Confront Significant Content and Authentic IssuesStudents focus on content centered around state standards and address problems and issues from the world outside the classroom

Incorporate Critique and RevisionStudents use feedback to improve their work and create high quality products.

LAST THOUGHTS?

Did we answer your need to knows?

Additional questions or comments?

What “ah-ha” or “take-away” do you have from this workshop?