Project Based Learning in CCUSD Lesson Archive |
This section below holds Project Based Learning plans for elementary grades. |
Community members make our environment a place that provides function, necessity and teamwork. The students will be challenged to study, evaluate, discuss and demonstrate simple knowledge of a community member that might have helped them or one that they might want to become in the future. What are the differences in them? Do some of them work together? How do people in a community choose their jobs as adults? Are there many ways that this can come about for various people? |
The students will begin by investigating the parts of their body. They will then explore what parts of their bodies they use for their senses. Once they have identified their five senses, they will learn about people and animals who do not have all five of their senses and how their lives are different. Students will next define the words staying safe. The class will come up with situations that the students have to use their senses in order to stay safe In our world. |
I want the students to know what recycling is and the different types of items that can be recycled. I also want the students to know what happens to the items after they recycle them and what also happens to items if they do not recycle them. I want the students to understand that by recycling in their own community, they are doing their part in helping the Earth.
As a result of this project based learning lesson, I would like for the students to set up their own recycling area in their house if possible and share with their family and friends how important recycling is and ways in which they can help their own community. I would also like for the students to make a voki about what they learned about recycling. |
Project Description: Students will study and learn about some important American presidents and democracy. During the three weeks, we will also vote in our classroom on important issues. We will really involve our class in the meaning and feeling of democracy. They will have the chance to be involved in decisions that may impact our classroom. We will have a class election and vote for our own president who will make decisions for and represent our first grade class. We will listen to the story called Duck for President. We will also read Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type and write a persuasive letter to our leader (Principal Dr. Wood) asking him to make a change in our school. They will be able to choose who they would like to spend their time studying~ ongoing part of the project. After they have chosen their president, they will investigate the details of their presidency with my assistance. They will add details to their presentation as we learn more about each president. Then, the culminating event will occur during the last few days of our investigation. They will present to their class and parents all about their president. They can choose to dress like their president. Parents will need to be involved to assist them in finding an outfit. |
I want the students to KNOW the definition of an early civilization vs. a modern civilization.
I want the students to UNDERSTAND how the development of early civilizations impacted the development of our current society, including how the development of writing, laws, architecture, religion, etc. affects us today. I want the students to DO a summative project to demonstrate their learning. They will collaborate to create a visual representation of their learning (poster, diorama, play). |
I would like the students to KNOW how Ancient Greece shaped our lives today through democracy, Olympic Games, and Great Thinkers.
I would like the students to UNDERSTAND that Ancient Greece has a direct influenced on our culture and lives through the development of democracy, specifically how our government chose to form a government as a representative democracy. I would also like the students to UNDERSTAND how the Olympic Games were started and have influenced the modern games today. I would like the class to DO a Multiple Intelligence Project based on their area of interest where they compare and contrast our current government to Acient Greece's democracy, and collaborate with other group members how the beginning of the Olympics in Greece was started and why and how that compares to our Olympic games today. I hope they will deliver this either in a glog, prezi or act it out in a play. |
What I want the students to know: Who the early settlers of Arizona were. How early settlers of Arizona were affected by and changed their environment. What life was like as a person who lived in Arizona long ago.
What I want the students to understand: I want the students to understand the culture and contributions made by the ancient people of Arizona. I also want them to understand what their daily life was like. I want the students to understand the groups of early people who made their homes In Arizona. What I want the students to do: Research the early people of Arizona and list the important groups of people. |
What I want them to understand is that because Arizona has such a colorful and rich cultural history with evidence from a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities as well as a diverse landscape and geographical features, Arizona has many points of interest that make Arizona unique and a place that a lot of people want to visit.
I would like the students at the end of the unit to know: AZ has 3 regions, AZ‘s location, Landforms of AZ, natural resources of AZ, and points of interest in AZ. To help learn this entire curriculum, I would like the students to become travel agents and create a travel brochure highlighting points of interest, landforms, etc. that would persuade someone to take a trip to Arizona. |
As a result of this project students will understand if there is evidence that physical education has a direct positive effect on important educational domains such as reading and mathematics, it could be argued as a result of this project that physical education is not extracurricular. They will know, rather it is a vital component in students’ academic success. |
Students will research various aspects of Ancient Greece and how they influenced the world they live in now. |
Students will learn how math is used in modern professions. |
This section below holds Project Based Learning plans for middle school grades. |
The students are given the scenario of a family with a sick child including family religious beliefs and medical history. They are then asked to find out what disease the child has and how it will affect the family.
I want the kids to see how genetics play a role in family medicine. They should understand exactly where the disease came from and who will / won't pass it on in the future. They should make their presentation to the family as a panel of doctors addressing the concerns of the parents. |
Environmental Impact
SWK ecosystems and how they work, survival if organisms(species). SWU environmental impact of humans, positive and negative. SWD research, plan and address issues related to human interactions with the environment. |
I want my students to KNOW what it takes for them to live an Independent life style when they grow up.
I want my students to UNDERSTAND that they have to obtain further skills and knowledge in order to get a job and be as independent as possible. I want my students to DO research and exploration to find out what it takes to be Independent. |
I would like the students to create child characters who lived in the Great Depression. I want my students to create a project that would teach future generations about what life was like during the GD and also teach them how to avoid another GD. For example, the students could create a time capsule to show articles, pictures, various artifacts, etc. to future generations, so our students understand what life was like during that time period.
I want the students to know what life was like during the Great Depression for the average 12-17 year old child. I want the student to understand that the great depression affected everyone, and affected the roles of their families. Children needed to grow up faster and help provide for their families. I want my students to research what it was like for a child during the great depression. Many children wrote letters to the president, so I would like my students to also read those letters and see what children truly felt like during this time. I want my students to provide information for future generations, as if they were living during those times. How could you teach future generations about the great depression? |
Project Idea: Students will research a nonprofit organization, volunteer at that organization, and create a project of their choice to encourage others to volunteer. |
Preserving Our World: A Collaborative of Sonoran Trails MS and No. 6
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The purpose of this project is to have the students come up with their own thoughts on what it means to be physically fit. Knowing that in the future they will be responsible for their own fitness they must understand what it takes to increase and maintain proper fitness. The levels of obesity continue to rise at an alarming rate which makes this project more relevant to me.
KNOW: I want my students to know what activities will enhance their own fitness level and how much time is needed to see a benefit. They should also know what foods are good for you and how much to eat. UNDERSTAND: I want my students to understand that it is a combination of good nutrition and exercise that enhances fitness levels. They need to understand what a safe activity looks like and also what foods to eat and how many calories to consume. DO: Students should write down and identify several activities that are good for increasing fitness levels. They should also make a plan that shows a good balance of healthy foods to eat for at least a one week plan. |
One of the most difficult subjects to successfully integrate is that of English and Math. This difficulty is brought more into the light considering that two of the most critical skills in a student’s arsenal is the ability to manipulate numbers and the ability to communicate what was manipulated and why.
This project is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how English and math may naturally integrate into a realm that mirrors the more authentic, performance-based standards of the 21st Century workplace. Using the tentative driving question: How can big numbers be effectively communicated?, I plan on giving students the opportunity to explore big number and find a way to relate to them. In turn, they will determine how to communicate to the reader/audience an effective way to relate to those big numbers. KNOW: That we live in a world circulated by big, significant, and (on occasion), incomprehensibly large numbers. We find big numbers in science, economics, and current events, to name a few places. Furthermore, students will know: How to generate questions for age-appropriate product presentation. How to use comprehension strategies to find needed information for their age-appropriate media product. How to cite sources of information. How to collaborate to complete the age-appropriate media product. How to plan, create, and present an age-appropriate media product. UNDERSTAND: I want students to know that they are surrounded by and personally affected by large numbers everyday, and that these numbers represent valuable information that may change their lives, or at least their understanding of their lives. DO: Students will research and select a big number(s) that is personally relevant and then they will determine an affective method to communicate that number(s) to an audience. Furthermore, students will: Plan, develop, and present an age-appropriate media product. Rehearse/practice presentation on media product. Cite sources of information. Create a task chart, flow chart, or process plan. Generate and answer questions needed for successful completion of an age-appropriate media presentation. Collaborate with team members to successfully complete an age-appropriate media presentation. Use comprehension strategies to find needed information for age-appropriate media presentation. Evaluate peers by various rubrics. Complete self-assessment of the project. |
Project Idea: TSW brainstorm, research, collaborate, create, and present a multi-media presentation on how a specific animal organism and a specific plant organism survives in the Sonoran Desert. KNOW: how organisms survive in the Sonoran Desert UNDERSTAND: what specific behaviors and adaptations organisms must have to survive in the Sonoran Desert DO: work in a group of 4 students to research and create a multi-media presentation on how a specific animal organism and plant organism survives in the Sonoran Desert |
The students will use the information that was gathered from their Explore test (grade 8) or with choose their own profession (7th grade), and will find the yearly salary of profession. Next, students will use the information found to create a monthly budget. Students will use the Arizona Career Information System (http://www.azcis.intocareers.org/):
· Create an Educational Career Action Plan Portfolio (ECAP), · Take a " career cluster inventory" to compare to students Explore test results or their own profession preference Using the information that the students have found, students will research monthly costs (utilities, apartment costs, groceries, insurance, needs & wants, unexpected costs, etc.), and create a presentation of their final completed budget. |
Everyone has a story. Our cultural experience and point of view determine how we read, view, and relate to stories. This project is designed to make students aware of the stories around them. Students will see how real or imagined interpretations help us understand historical events. Students will work in groups to provide different perspectives and use different mediums to present historical events. |
The students will be investigating cultures other than their own and teaching about ours by communicating with International pen pals. |
Using Social Studies content of Imperialism as a lead-in, students will investigate whether one country ever has a right to dominate others. To develop that concept, they would need to investigate what makes a country powerful. From there, they will need to apply this knowledge to their own life and decide "does might make right?" Their final product will be an expository essay. |
The issue or challenge is how has theatre evolved? How did it first begin? What was theatre like in the days when Ancient Greeks performed? What did they use for a stage? What problems did they encounter? |
Issue: Discussion of how an event can leave a lasting, personal image/memory whether it is a positive or negative one.
Challenge/Investigation: Expand the discussion into how an event can change the course of a person and/or Society. Ask the students: Is there a day when something important happened that changed how you live? (i.e. birth, death, moving) Scenario: Tell the students that a few events in the past have been important enough to change history, and some of these events have been referred to as “infamous” or “days of infamy”, such as 9-11 and Pearl Harbor in American History. Problem: How can a society safeguard against such tyranny in the future? |
The project idea is to create a futuristic Martian Colony in which humans can sustain life. |
Students will investigate the idea of ethical behavior in digital environments as well as look into safety guidelines for these environments. Students are then to convey their learning to an audience of their younger peers. |
This section below holds Project Based Learning plans for high school content areas. |
After teaching about cell growth, cell cycle and mitosis students are going to continue by researching how the cell cycle can cause cancer. Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and depending on the type of cancer, can affect us in different ways. |
With so many civil developments in the 20th century, it is no surprise that the literature and culture reflected either changing or unchanging social attitudes towards race. The students will explore those attitudes and try to determine what the culture and literature of the time had to say about race in general, and our attitudes towards it. |
Big idea - the counter-culture movement of the 1960's has had a profound impact on our society. The movement questioned the role and influence of government in American life. There is considerable debate as to the positive/negative, short and long-term effects on American society/politics. Many of the individuals who were protesting were the same people that enjoyed most of the benefits within the American society that they rejected. As time has passed, many of these same individuals have settled into a lifestyle that they may have rejected in their youth. Some continue to speak out for their causes. |
Students will work in teams (companies) to develop a medicine that was discovered by a research scientist through genetic manipulation. The goal is to understand the scientific principles and technological manipulations needed to produce this medicine and then convince a Review Board from the Small Business Administration (SBA) that their product (medicine) and its delivery mechanism (applicator) are worthy of venture capital funding from the SBA. Companies will design the applicator and develop a marketing strategy that they will present together to the SBA. |
Developing a thematic unit to help students link together information from different civilizations. The challenge is to bring students to better understanding of the common aspects of civilization. Students will develop knowledge of individual civilizations through course work and compare/contrast these civilizations in periodic reviews. The thematic unit will enable an ongoing and evolving understanding of civilization and what makes them successful. |