Exploring Europe through Project-Based Learning

Presented By:

Cathy Dalimonte; Christi Clark; & Tori Carpenter – Queens Creek Elementary

Laura Thompson – Clyde Erwin Elementary Magnet School

What is Project-based Learning?Problem-Solving; Collaboration

IMPORTANT FACTORS:• Student Choice• Authenticity• Global Significance• Exhibition

(Asia Society)

Creating a PBL – Questions to Consider:

What standards do you need to teach? Are there related standards that can be addressed? Establish your learning targets.

What real-world problem or situation can you use to capture students’ interests?What real-world scientist/career can be attributed?What group size will be best? How will they be selected? Introduce learning targets, the problem, and get feedback (I wonders) from your

students? – this can make your PBL even better!Teacher-students create rubric together (what are your must haves, what will your

students add – what is important to them; are the standards/learning targets addressed?

Who will be your authentic audience?What technology tools can be integrated to enhance experience?

Europe in the K-12 Classroom 2014 Curriculum Development Award – World View & UNC Center

for European Studies Grant

Dr. Allen Hurlburt, Associate Professor Biology Dept – UNC-Chapel Hill

ALEXANDRA HOLMGREN

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

http://europe.unc.edu/teaching/lesson-plans/http://www.birdsleuth.org/

http://labs.bio.unc.edu/Hurlbert/links.html

Queens Creek Elementary’sBird PBL

Learning Targets: Science – animal adaptations; Social Studies – human impact; geography; Math –measurement systems; currency; ELA – informational texts; novel study; letter writing/persuasive writing

Problem Challenges:• You are a team of expert ornithologists who have been asked by the European Ornithologists’ Union

to explain the adaptations of European owls and whether or not climate change/human intervention is affecting food source, thus affecting survival.

• You will create an owlet of your chosen species to study, identifying physical adaptations this owl has to use to survive. For two weeks, you will be responsible for caring for your owlet and recording your actions to keep your owlet “alive.”

• You will determine from the data and research on your owl whether or not it can survive in coastal North Carolina. You will also determine what other raptors live in coastal NC that could be competing for food with your owl. Write a letter to the European Ornithologists’ Union telling them your opinion on whether it would be a good idea or not to have your chosen owl to be brought to and live in coastal NC ecosystem should its European feeding ground be compromised.

Discovering What Owls Eat & Owl Digestion

Through Dissecting Owl Pellets

Date/Time (EST)

Swansboro,NC - ◦F

Swansboro, NC - ◦C

Italy -◦F

Italy - ◦C

May 28. 2015; 10:10 a.m.

78◦F 26◦C 75◦F 24◦C

June 3, 2015; 8:46 a.m.

85◦F 33◦C 78◦F 26◦C

Date/Time (EST)

Swansboro,NC - ◦F

Swansboro, NC - ◦C

Scotland ◦F

Scotland ◦C

June 1, 2015; 10:16 a.m.

84◦F 28◦C 51◦F 10◦C

June 5, 2015; 10:11 a.m.

84◦F 28◦C 61◦F 16◦C

Temperature Comparisons

Letter Writing/Writing Process

Novel Study

A story that shows conflict between nature and human industry

– students made connections to conditions for their European owl.

Entrepreneurship

Clyde Erwin Elementary Magnet School’s Bird PBL

Poetry ConnectionsA Bird

Emily Dickinson

A bird came down the walk:

He did not know I saw;

He bit an angleworm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew

From a convenient grass,

And then hopped sidewise to the wall

To let a beetle pass.

Be Like the Bird

Victor Hugo

Be like the bird, who

Halting in his flight

On limb too slight

Feels it give way beneath him,

Yet sings

Knowing he hath wings.

Bird Migration Maps/ Math -Measurement

Other PBL Examples with European Connections

“Let’s Go Fly A Kite” PBL

Attributes of Our Kite:•Is it 2D or 3D?

•How many sides does it have? (2D)

•How many edges does it have? (3D)

•How many angles does it have?

•How many vertices does it have?Is it an open shape or a closedshape?

Your team has been asked to create the very first kites for the Clyde Erwin IB Kite Festival –celebrating all things IB. Your kite will be made from at least 3 different shapes. Each shape will represent a part of IB – an attitude; a learner profile; and a student action you have participated in during this school year. You will create your prototype on PPT and then use that to create a real kite. You will have choices of materials to choose from but will have to purchase them and stay on budget. When the kite is done, we will use our weather skills to test wind speed and our estimation skills to see how high the kite flies! You can get your inspiration for this Kite Festival by “visiting” Kite festivals in Europe:• Vulandra International Kite Festival – Italy• Berck International Kite Festival – France• Drachenfest Hannover Kite Festival – Germany• St. Anne’s Kite Festival – Lancaster, UK

Fairytale Rollercoaster PBL(A 3rd-Grade Project-based Learning Experience)

Disney is looking to create a new park dedicated to classic fairytales. They

have hired your engineering team to design a fairytale rollercoaster. You must

make a rollercoaster model for them to evaluate. The rollercoaster must have

at least two props that show fairytale elements from your chosen story. Your

team also needs to present images and information about the country the

fairytale originates from so Disney Imagineers can develop the area around the

rollercoaster. Additionally, Disney wants your team to create a shortened retell

of your chosen fairytale so they can have the story broadcasted during the ride

to bring the joy of this story to the many children they anticipate will ride your

rollercoaster.

Pinocchio on TrialInquiry Questions:

• What laws would Pinocchio have broken if living in the US? How is that

different than in Florence, Italy, where Pinocchio was created?

• How does a trial work? Who are the people involved in a trial?

Authentic Resources:Judge Sarah Seaton

Laura Miller, Cultural Correspondent, studying abroad in Florence, Italy

Flags of the World PBLA new island has appeared in the Atlantic Ocean close to the European coast. People

started to inhabit this land and decided to declare it a country. They have formed a government and this government has hired your team of vexillologists to create a new

flag for their country. (Vexillologists are people who studies flags).

To prove that you are up for the task, they have asked that your team to first compare your nation’s flag with another established European country’s flag. You are to

compare geometric shapes used (using mathematical terms); color choices; meaning behind the choices for design; and identify the global perspectives each flag represents

best. You may use http://www.worldflags101.com/a/albania-flag.aspx to help you with this comparison.

Designing Country’s flag – Your team will need to design this new country’s flag using PowerPoint. Prior to designing, make decisions in your team about geometric shapes, which global perspectives you think may be most important for the island nation, and

the colors your team will use. These websites can help you in your decision -http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/visual-grammar-shapes/ and

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html. Your presentation to the government must include the reasons for your choices.

Global Perspectives:• Interdependence• Identity• Human Rights• Peace

Building/Conflict• Sustainability

How the European Frog Got Its Hop PBL

Guidelines:Select an ecosystem from the bag.Discover through research a type of frog that lives in that ecosystemDiscover through research a tribe or native people who may have created this story to explain why frogs hopCreate a story on PowerPoint of how that particular frog got its hop in that ecosystem (you will need to know what other animals are in that ecosystem to help you in your story – predators; what the frog eats, etc.) – we will make these into books for the KindergartenersCreate a robotic storyboard of the story that your frog will takeCreate robotic frog according to directions and then add any additional pieces to represent your particular frogPresent to a Kindergarten class on January 14th.

You are a team of herpetologists, ecologists, historians and engineers who have selected an ecosystem in Europe to study the frogs there and their importance to the native culture in the area. You will discover a native who will share how his people believe the frog got its hop (a pourquoi tale). You will share this story to a younger generation and share the importance of sharing stories from generation to generation.

Task 3 2 1

Pourquoi Tale –story Explains how the frog got its hop and is consistent

with the ecosystem

Explains how the frog got its hop but can be a story

told in any ecosystem

Explains how the frog got its hop and does not

relate it to the ecosystem

Pourquoi Tale – setting Setting clearly identifies the chosen ecosystem Setting shows some factors related to the chosen

ecosystem

Setting shows few to no factors related to chosen

ecosystem

Pourquoi tale – characters The animal characters are consistent with animals

found in this ecosystem

The animal characters are mostly animals found in

this ecosystem

Only some of the animal characters are found in

this ecosystem.

Mat – ECOSYSTEM The mat shows at least 3 animals (including frog); 2

plants, and 1 water source specific to the

ecosystem

The mat shows at least 2 animals (including frog)

and 1 plant specific to the ecosystem

The mat is missing inclusion of other animals,

plants, or water source

Frog Robot Frog robot is complete, looks like the chosen frog

for the ecosystem and can move forward

Frog robot is complete and can move forward Frog robot is complete but is not programmed to

move

Native American research A PowerPoint slide gives information on a specific

Native American tribe/tribe of chosen ecosystem;

information includes name, location and at least 2

interesting facts

A PowerPoint slide gives information on a specific

Native American tribe/tribe of chosen ecosystem;

information includes name, location and at least 1

interesting facts

A PowerPoint slide gives information on a specific

Native American tribe/tribe of chosen ecosystem;

information includes name and location

Animal and Plant Research Completes PPT slides showing and describing at

least 2 animals, the frog, and 2 plants from that

ecosystem

Completes PPT slides showing and describing at

least 1 animals, the frog, and 1 plants from that

ecosystem

Completes PPT slides showing and describing at

least the frog, and 1 plants from that ecosystem

Creativity Shows creativity in tale, mat and robot frog Shows some creativity in tale and robot frog Shows little creativity in tale and robot frog

Teamwork Work together without arguing and complete PBL

on time

Work together with a little arguing and complete

PBL on time

Work together with a little arguing and doesn’t

complete PBL on time

Presentation to K/1st grade class Presents story with storytelling voice that is easily

heard and includes expression of feelings

Presents story with storytelling voice that is easily

heard

Presents story with storytelling voice that is heard

most of the time

5th Grade Rubric – PourQuoi Tale PBL

Laura Thompson4th Grade TeacherClyde Erwin Elementary Magnet School

of International Studies & Cultural Artslaura.thompson@onslow.k12.nc.usSchool website:http://clydeerwin.nc.oce.schoolinsites.com/

Cathy Dalimonte, Assistant PrincipalChristi Clark, 4th Grade TeacherTori Carpenter, 5th Grade Science TeacherQueens Creek Elementary Schoolcathy.dalimonte@onslow.k12.nc.uschristi.clark@onslow.k12.nc.ustori.carpenter@onslow.k12.nc.usSchool website:http://queenscreek.nc.oce.schoolinsites.com/