"Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers." ~ from the bie.org website
Project-Based Learning
A major project taken on by my classroom students in 2018-2019 was the "Pollinator Paradise." The students, recognizing the need for and benefits of natural pollination in our community wanted to determine how we could increase the number of pollinators for our local farmers. Now that it has been established, it has become our classroom’s Legacy Project, and the students I have each year are responsible for the basic maintenance of this area throughout the school year. Students who work in this garden are provided with gardening tools, gloves, etc. This project-directly impacts all of our local farmer’s crops and the community’s smaller gardens and in-town planters as all of these plants need pollination for growth!
This Year’s Projects: Specific topics TBD Q1 : Community Based PBL (Social Studies) Q2: Science Focused PBL Q3: Career Exploration PBL (In conjunction with Junior Achievement) Q4: Math Focused PBL Curriculum Connections: TBA Real-World Connections: TBA
UPDATE: Please stay tuned to this section to see where we're at with our projects!
Check out our current project!
How can I help? Stay tuned to this section to see if there are supplies or assistance that you can help with!
TBA
TBA
What is Project Based Learning? At Central Noble, our primary and elementary school principals are on a mission to bring our students front and center in their own education. They are doing this with an endeavor called Project UnSchool. Our creative and caring principals have embarked on a journey to make our schools a place students want to be and an experience to be had! One of the ways we will do that in our classroom is through Science and Social Studies-based Project Based Learning. All staff at the primary and elementary schools are now trained in PBL101 through PBLWorks, formerly the Buck Institute, which carries out high quality "gold-standard" project based learning. The graphics below help to explain some basics of Project Based Learning (PBL), and you can check out this website for some additional information! #ProjectUnschool #PBLWorks
Watch this video from the Buck Institute for Education for more information about Project Based Learning!
Genius Hour
Students will also have "Genius Hour" every week where they may research and study a topic or topics which interest them. There will only be 3 requirements for Genius Hour projects:
There must be a focused inquiry question developed from a student's personal interest.
The project will involve independent research.
The finished project will be shared with the class.
4 projects is the minimum expectation for the year for each student.
You can find out more information about Genius hour by checking out the its Learning website.
Check out this video from John Spencer about Genius Hour. This process is something that really gets kids excited to learn and and grow!
Outdoor Learning & STEM
This year's Specials Classes will feature the tried and true familiar faces, Library with our librarian and creativity expert, Katy Knox, PE & Health with CN's own Scott Rees, and Music & Art with the talented Julie Price. Regular classroom teachers are also able to teach a specials class, and in our room we will work on a rotating schedule of Genius Hour (student choice) the first C1 rotation and Outdoor Learning the second time around. Outdoor Learning will be based loosely on the activities I learned as a Cub Scout & Boy Scout leader when my son participated in that program. The activities will incorporate STEM & STEAM components. Our outdoor learning time will be outdoors, rain or shine, hot or cold, unless it is dangerous for children to be outside. You will get a heads up the night before on ClassTag, so please make sure to dress students appropriately as the school cannot provide extra clothing and shoes for students who get wet or muddy. It is my suggestion that you purchase or allow students to bring in a pair of mudding shoes that they can keep at the school for our days out in the weather. I will do everything I can to stir up some good weather on our days out, but sometimes Mother Nature laughs at my well-intentioned pleas!