Projects

Why projects?

Projects energize and engage students by anchoring academic content within a larger context. As students engage with the project, they develop a felt need to learn the concepts and skills that will be help them in completing the project.

The 6 Ps of PBL

Have you ever heard the term PBL? In the world of education, PBL has traditionally referred to project-based learning. Dr. Nancy Sulla recently described a more specific list of PBL terms in a blog post.

Problem-Based

Engage students in a real-world, authentic problem, such as: developing a plan for saving a species from extinction or designing a product to help disabled veterans.

Project-Based

Engage students in a real-world, authentic challenge, such as: an original work of art, a vertical garden, or new board game.

Profession-Based

Student solve a problem or tackle a challenge specific to an existing or future occupation. They might develop a portfolio to become a Disney Imagineer or design a new cell phone application.

Place-Based

Students create something that impacts a specific location such as the local library, their school, or other community area.

Phenomena-Based

Students solve a problem or tackle a challenge that is inspired by a scientific phenomenon, such as preventing the extinction of the butterfly, inventing a product that mimics an aspect of an animal, or the ability of single-celled organisms to clean up radioactive waste.

Pursuit-Based

Students select the problems or challenges they want to tackle. (This is very well-suited to home-based learning projects.)

Project Ideas

Elementary School:

Create an interactive family tree.
Become an author and/or illustrator.
Create a board game.
Plan, write, and develop a movie, television show, cartoon, or play.
Design something to help themselves or their family.
Show community helpers their appreciation.

Middle School:

Create a picture project telling a family story.
Tell a story about a time in history through an interactive map using Google Slides, PowerPoint, or other platform.
Design a plan to stay active and healthy.
Design a vehicle of some sort that can move and hold another item.
Write and illustrate a children’s book.
Create and implement a menu highlighting the food of another culture.

High School:

Write and illustrate a dystopian graphic novel.
Create a campaign to support first-responders.
Design a project for younger children.
Create a video blog showcasing special skills or abilities.

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