PROJECT-BASED LEARNING PLAN

This document correlates project-based learning: Unit Plan Organizer.

1. Author:

2. Title:

3. Topic or Theme:

4. Project Description: Write an overview describing the unit. Complete this task after you have fully planned the unit!

5. Grade Level: What grade level(s) will be addressed?

6. Subject(s): What subject areas will be addressed in this unit?

7. Essential Question(s) : Essential questions are open-ended that lead to discovery and stimulate further interest in the topic. These questions establish relevancy and help students make the connection to a real world situation. What essential questions are addressed in this unit?

8. Supporting Questions : What are the smaller questions that will lead students to answer the essential question? They tend to be more topic- and subject- specific and are tied to targeted standards/benchmarks. What supporting questions will be used in this unit?

9. Prerequisite Skills (Background Knowledge): Curriculum: What subject matter or information do students need to know and/or be taught before beginning the unit?

Technology Skills: While many of the technology skills are learned within context of the unit, there may be prerequisite technical skills that may need to be addressed initially. In determining if skills need to be taught prior to the unit or learned in the process, the following factors might be considered: age level; student experience with the skills; intuitiveness of the software and ease of use. What technology skills need to be taught prior to the start of this unit?

10. Duration: How long will this unit take?

11. Technology (Hardware and Software): Identify the technology necessary to deliver this project-based learning plan. (i.e. wireless laptop carts; video projector or; interactive white board; digital cameras; power strips and cords ,surge protectors; CD-ROMs; software applications, etc.).

12. Internet Sites: Identify Internet sites applicable to this project-based learning plan.

13. Publications: Identify publications applicable to this project-based learning plan.

14. Miscellaneous Supplies /Guest Speakers: Identify all other supplies/resources necessary for this project-based learning plan.

15. Project Vision (INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT): Describe the steps and procedures you will take as you initiate this project and stimulate student motivation. These steps will serve as a springboard to this project and will explain to your students what they are expected to accomplish in the project.

Consider the following to help support that process: Establish overall essential question(s) Stimulate thinking and facilitate brainstorming session to develop supporting questions. Create motivation that will elicit student buy in and ownership of the unit (i.e. quote, slide/movie presentation, excerpt from a book, sharing a personal experience). Facilitate a conversation that will help establish the rationale of why they are solving/answering the essential/supporting questions. Establish relevancy of project

16. Project Building: (Step-by-step procedures for establishing the who, what, when, where, why, and how of this Project Based Learning Plan. This is where students engage in PLANNING, RESEARCH AND GATHERING PHASE) Student Planning Process: How will your students plan how they will complete the unit? In developing the process for student planning, you might want to consider the following: What strategy(ies) will be used for the students to determine what they need to learn? How might the supporting questions be refined? How will the students organize their thoughts, classify and/or narrow questions that will lead into the research phase of the unit? Student Research and Gathering Process: How will your students research and gather information in the unit? In developing the processes for student research and gathering, you might want to consider the following: What strategy(ies) will be used for the students to determine what they need to research? How will the supporting questions be researched? How will the students gather their research? What tools will they use? Will there be specific criteria for what type of information the students will gather? How will copyright be addressed?

***SEE additional considerations at end of this document

17. Project (BUILDING) and PRESENTATION: Student Building/Presentation Process: What processes will your students use for building and presenting their projects? In developing the process for student building and presenting, you might want to consider the following: What strategy(ies) will be used for the students to determine what they need to share in the product and presentation they are creating? How will the supporting questions be addressed in the product and presentation? Is there specific criteria that needs to be used as the groups bring their findings together in a product / presentation? Is there a process that needs to be used as the group builds their product/ presentation? (I.e.: plan the product, storyboard, script, create, practice presentation) How will each team formally present their project to the entire group or series of small groups?

***SEE additional considerations at end of this document

18. Assessment of Product and Process: Describe assessment procedures that will be used in the various stages of project development and presentation. Consider the following: Standards: How will the curriculum standards be assessed? Process: How will the process and the way the students worked together be assessed? Product: How will the product be addressed? Presentation: How will the students presentation be addressed?

*** Consider the following when facilitating each phase of the Project Vision, Project Building and Project Presentation process: Grouping and Roles: How will the students be grouped? What will be the roles of each person in the planning phase? What will be your role in this process? Time and Place: How long will this phase of the unit take? Where will this phase take place? Resources: If using computers in this phase: How many computers per group are needed? Do you need to schedule the cart for specific times? If specific applications are needed: what are they and are they on the computers being used? What other equipment is needed? Have you set up a structure for students to store and share files? How will the students store information? Do the students know what, where and how to save? How will students access the information from you? Are there any skills needed to complete this activity? If so, how will they be leaned? What other resources beside technology will be needed in this phase? Teacher Prep: What do I need to do prior to each phase of plan, gather, build: File management system Step set for students to use to save. Group process sheet for this phase.