What is PBI?
Project based instruction allows students to learn by doing
and applying ideas. Students engage in real
world activities that are similar to the activities that adult professionals
engage in. Project based learning is a form of situated learning (Greeno) and it is based on the constructivist finding that students gain a
deeper understanding of material when they actively construct their [understanding] by working with and using ideas.
A project based classroom allows students to
investigate questions, propose hypotheses and explanations, discuss their
ideas, challenge the ideas of others, and try out new ideas.
Krajcik, J., & Blumenfeld, P. (2006). Chapter 19: Project Based Learning. In CLH.
Krajcik, J., & Blumenfeld, P. (2006). Chapter 19: Project Based Learning. In CLH.
Overview of Unit
Students will design a “Rooftop Garden Kit” and a poster where they list all the things that they have decided to place in the kit. The kit should contain artifacts that students would have had developed during investigations. They will design the seeds and flowers that they want to place in their kits by doing Punnett square crossings and using their knowledge of Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics. They will do monohybrid and dihybrid crosses to figure out what bugs their plants will be sensitive to. They will be using math to learn how genotypes and phenotypes are affected by ratios. Additionally, they will be using linear equations to calculate the prices of seeds, flowers and fertilizers. Linear equations will also be used to look at plant growth data and decide which fertilizer works best. Students will learn about how quadratic graphs look and their similarities/ differences to linear graphs. They will use their understanding of quadratic graphs to Hardy-Weinberg population genetics by looking at plant death and growth. Ultimately their kits should encompass: seeds, flowers, bugs, fertilizers, and prices of every item they list. Their posters should reflect how they chose every item in their kits and should justify why their kits are the best.
How unit includes the 5 essential elements of PBI
1. The driving questions is meaningful and relevant to students: Can we create a Rooftop Garden Kit to promote green spaces in the very limited urban areas? This is an issue that we face with the expansion of cities and the reign of concrete everywhere. Students are growing up in this setting and can consciously see how this is a problem that they can get involved in and is worthwhile.
2. Students will be looking at plant growth data and the effects fertilizers have on it. They will use their gained understanding and knowledge of linear equations and Mendelian/ non- Mendelian genetics to inquire about things that are relevant to the driving question (i.e., picking seeds, flowers, and other essentials for their kits)
3. Students will be able to collaborate with each other by presenting their final artifact (a rooftop garden kit) as a group. A lot of the inquiries and benchmark checkpoints will be done in groups to all in-depth discussions and further understanding.
4. Technology will be incorporated into a game by the use of clickers, the answers will serve as a short formative- assessment. Additionally inquiry will be done by allowing students to search for data on computers.
5. Students will have developed the key objects for their kits. The final rooftop garden kits will be explain on a poster (artifact) that students will present and defend as to why their kit is the best.
2. Students will be looking at plant growth data and the effects fertilizers have on it. They will use their gained understanding and knowledge of linear equations and Mendelian/ non- Mendelian genetics to inquire about things that are relevant to the driving question (i.e., picking seeds, flowers, and other essentials for their kits)
3. Students will be able to collaborate with each other by presenting their final artifact (a rooftop garden kit) as a group. A lot of the inquiries and benchmark checkpoints will be done in groups to all in-depth discussions and further understanding.
4. Technology will be incorporated into a game by the use of clickers, the answers will serve as a short formative- assessment. Additionally inquiry will be done by allowing students to search for data on computers.
5. Students will have developed the key objects for their kits. The final rooftop garden kits will be explain on a poster (artifact) that students will present and defend as to why their kit is the best.
Why the project is meaningful?
Cities continue to grow and there is less space for agriculture. Rooftop
gardening is an attractive and energy-saving alternative to a conventional
rooftop. They provide economic benefits to what once was space not being used. With the increase of people moving to cities this could be an opportunity to help their city, or even start their own rooftop garden on top of their school.
Equity in Unit
This unit provides students with equitable instruction by having multiple occasions of group work. "English-language learners need a silent period, that is, time to acquire the new language without necessarily producing it... This silence should not be interpreted as unwillingness to participate in mathematics classroom activities. Teach might us cooperative learning or pairing students to ensure that English-language learners are exposed to the new language in nonthreatening ways." (Chappell et al., 2004) Group work allows for students to collaborate and learn from each other. The article also talks about teaching culturally diverse students. The strategies presented to help those students were; listening carefully to what students say, ask questions to reinforce student learning, offer students open problems, and challenge the students intellectually (Chappell et al., 2004). In the unit students have to present their activity sheets to the class, and present their final artifact to the class. When students are presenting it is a good time for the teacher to be listening to what the students are saying and ask questions to evaluate student learning. There is also opportunity for the students to make the activity their own by letting them create their own data to graph, or creating a word problem.
In an article about ELL teaching strategies the author discussed participating in classroom discussion. He talked about how it is a challenge for ELL to verbally participate even when they know the material. He talked about taking and giving the floor, and that participation is a mixture of listening well and providing input. This allows for ELL to be more involved and create an atmosphere that is open to discussion (Edmonds). This unit has allowed opportunity for this type of participation in discussion of activity sheets.
Chappell, M., Choppin, J., & Salls, J. (2004). Equity. In Empowering the Beginning Teacher of Mathematics in High School. National Council of Mathematics
Edmonds, L. (2009). Challenges and solutions for ELLs: Teaching strategies for English Language Learners’ success in Science. The Science Teacher
In an article about ELL teaching strategies the author discussed participating in classroom discussion. He talked about how it is a challenge for ELL to verbally participate even when they know the material. He talked about taking and giving the floor, and that participation is a mixture of listening well and providing input. This allows for ELL to be more involved and create an atmosphere that is open to discussion (Edmonds). This unit has allowed opportunity for this type of participation in discussion of activity sheets.
Chappell, M., Choppin, J., & Salls, J. (2004). Equity. In Empowering the Beginning Teacher of Mathematics in High School. National Council of Mathematics
Edmonds, L. (2009). Challenges and solutions for ELLs: Teaching strategies for English Language Learners’ success in Science. The Science Teacher