PBL+Intermediate

= =

**__Project Based Learning in the Intermediate Grades__**

Math Around Town This project asked the Essential Question: Why is Math important? Students then brainstormed businesses they feel use math, skyped with experts and businesses, had visitors from the businesses, and even went to the businesses to learn about how math applies to them. Students created podcasts, claymation videos, keynotes, and digital stories about their project.  They share their whole project and student work on the site. videos using iMovie and Mixbook of businesses using math[|Mixbook webpage]

__**Using Music in PBL **__ Music draws students attention and engages them. Use audio recordings or video as a way for students to share what they have learned or teach others.

[|Decimal Rap Example] OTHER IDEAS: science concepts presidents [|teaching math concepts] public service announcements motivational speech/video (Martin Luther King, Politics) [|Historical Events] [|Biographies]

School Tube and Teacher Tube are great resources to find and view what other students and teachers have done.

__**Using SMART Software for Projects **__ Think of Bloom's Taxonomy. The top of that triangle - CREATE! Students could create games or presentations that meet your classroom expectations using SMART Notebook software. Not only are they using their knowledge, they must APPLY what they know to CREATE an activity that reviews or TEACHES others a concept.

This group used digital cameras to find numbers, then in SMART showed that number in many ways using expanded notation, money, etc. [|USING SMART in the Math classroom video]

**__[|Landmark Games 2012]__** Students 4th grade and up choose a landmark anywhere in the world and research facts about a secret location. They then create clues that are sent to a moderator. Then the clues are posted to the collaborating school. The schools could be anywhere in the world. media type="custom" key="13919298"

**__Math Shapes Fashion Show__** Students use math geometry vocabulary to put on a fashion show. The announcers use the appropriate vocabulary such as parallel skirt" Lesson plans and student sample video here: []

**__Community Service Projects__** Using that "essential question" to guide students into a project that is meaningful to them. Brain storm ideas that could help the cshool or community. Then ways they can help solve that problem. Cleaning up parks, playgrounds, crossing safety, grocery bag recycling projects, ets. Here is a link for a community project done by 6th graders. []

Interactive Stories Some mysterys have a choose your own ending format. Using PowerPoint, or SMART Notebook, students can create a story with different possible outcomes or endings.

__**Ideas:**__ Mysteries Start with a popular story line, but change a climatic event History - what if _ won that battle, became president instead, etc. Math problem solving - 2 alternative ways to solve or even mistakes

[|Qwiki]

This site is a springboard for students to make their own instructional video. Just type in any topic and Qwiki will QUICKLY (in seconds) put together an informational presentation with pictures, videos, and voice overs. Students can use it to learn about presidents, natural disasters, famous people,historical events, etc. Have students watch a few that are related to their topic (biographies, wars, stories, authors, etc.) Then students create their won Qwiki using iMovie or anothe program. Ideas: biography, wars, books, historical events, inventions, math terms media type="custom" key="13919256" media type="custom" key="13919260" Works can be embedded on your district webpage

**Museum Box** - [] - Based on the Story of Thomas Clarkson, an anti-slavery advocate, who carried around a box of items created by slaves to help support his case against slavery. This site allows students to create their own museum box to describe an event, person, or time in history. Students could also put items in the box that tell a story. Inside each part of the box are 3-D cubes where more photos, videos, and text can be added. You can also choose how many cubes, boxes, and drawers can be added.



__**Inventors in Training**__
How can we help others? What are some problems that need to be solved? Students imagine an invention that would solve a problem or help someone. Then they used a variety of technology applications to develop and present their ideas, including KidPix, Stixy, Kidspiration, Microsoft Word, and the inventnow.org website. Lesson plan and student sample: []

Create a Graph __**Create a Graph** -__[| http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/] - students can create a variety of graphs using data they collect. It includes bar, line, area, and x,y graphs. The graphs created can be simple with 2 pieces of date (do you like chocolate or vanilla best) to multiple pieces of data.

Ideas: favorite classroom book, Mushers took in the Iditarod, favorite food, favorite Christmas gift, number of pets, etc.

Graphs are printable. Great to add to presentations. Higher level thinking idea: students could create a graph and then create questions about their graphs for classmates to answer - they could "teach" a small group or their team. **TIP:** have all data collected and prepared before students begin online - can print, download, and email (can edit again from email if needed).



 [|Join a Global Network of People]

This site has links to projects and ways to connect with people around the workd to collaborate on the project. [|http://media.iearn.org/]

Example: [|Writing a joint Global Novel:] Classrooms around the world collaborate to write one Novel and share it with students across the globe.

[|Global Collaborative project links]- including Heros, My grandma, etc. Many ongoing projects that can be joined anytime.

[|Annual and ongoing projects]- including "Cinderella Around the World"

[|Projects with deadlines] - including international water sampling, and the boiling point project

[|More collaborative projects] including Election Co-nection

More PBL Ideas __

[|Project Based Learning for the 21st Century:] A GREAT easy to use search engine for projects based on content and level.

[|KidLink]- links to collaborative projects like the landmark one listed above