Have you heard about project-based learning? Have you ever taken the time to engage your students in a project-based learning (PBL) example? Maybe you’re wondering . . . what is PBL? In this post, we’ll learn more about PBL. I also have a project-based learning example to share with you that was a huge hit with my students.
First . . . What is Project-Based Learning?
Do you have students who are not motivated, struggle to articulate their thoughts, are not engaged in lessons, and wonder why they are learning the content . . . then project-based learning is for you.
According to PBLworks, project-based learning is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world, personally meaningful projects.
This method of teaching not only increases academic skills, but also work-related skills. Those four work skills are embedded in all project-based learning examples: collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity.
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Today I will share an introductory unit to a PBL example that is shared over several posts. Since this is the first PBL unit my students participated in, you’ll find this is a teacher directed unit. My goal, as we go throughout the year, is to scaffold student learning where students end up finding problems they can solve.
Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard about project-based learning. Let’s unpack this topic and read more about a fabulous project-based learning example you can use right in your classroom. This PBL focuses on dinosaurs!
Engaging Students with Project-Based Learning Example
This year, I teach a multiage third and fourth-grade class using a blended learning pedagogy. This means half the day students engage in learning using an online platform. The other half of the day, students use a project-based learning unit to reinforce academic and work skills.
This project-based unit was our first opportunity to engage students in a real-world personally meaningful project.
Therefore, my goal with this PBL unit was to engage students in developing the academic and work skills needed to further their learning.
When I planned this unit, I focused on fourth and fifth-grade standards. The online learning platform for the main academic lessons was individualized; therefore, this project based learning example provided differentiated learning opportunities.
I taylored lessons to fit a variety of intelligences along with lots of experiential lessons. As a result, this unit easily engaged all students with several opportunities to collaborate, communicate, think creatively, and critically think.
An Introduction Engages Students in Learning
To launch this unit, I dressed up in my paleontology gear and set the classroom up with a paleontology work station. As I greeted my students on the first day, they passed through a decorated doorway and into the Mesozoic time period. I decorated the classroom with palm trees, dinosaur skeletons, and tools to “dig”.
The students were quite excited to enter into a time machine and go back to the Mesozoic period. Have you ever taken your kids into the past with a time machine? The students really get “into” the thought about going back in time, especially, when the classroom is decorated for the theme. We certainly used our time machine to help us on this adventure!!
After the first day of learning, we headed on a field trip to the state fair.
A Field Trip Launches Learning
We launched our learning with a field trip to the Alaska State Fair! This year, one of the educational displays was about dinosaurs that roamed the earth in our backyard . . . yes . . . Alaska . . . the time when dinosaurs roamed the land we call home!!!
At this exhibit, we met with an artist, who works with paleontologists. He was our tour guide. Since we just started our learning, the students prepared and learned how to ask interview questions before our trip. With notebooks in hand, students were ready to fill it with answers to their questions, drawings, labels, and more questions. In this notebook, students were able to carefully write accurate responses as they began their second day of dinosaur research. Great little notetakers they were that day!
Part of our learning involved being a paleontologist. During the tour, students had fun digging for dinosaurs, looking at “the real deal” fossils as well as some replicas.
Students also had opportunities to engage in interactive displays, view more presentations, ask questions, gather data, and continue learning.
At another point on the trip, students were able to learn how the mechanical dinosaurs operate – like in the movies. Along with the dinosaur scenes, picture opportunities were available at each station.
After the trip, we returned to school and students had time to reflect upon their learning, engage in peer discourse, and attend to our learning board where we could clarify learning and pose more questions. They were able to experience a “Day in the Life of a Paleontologist” on this trip and learn how a paleontologist would uncover fossils.
An Introduction to Research
This was an exciting opportunity to begin our research about the prehistoric period, focusing on the Dinosaurs! With our initial learning opportunity behind us, we were ready to continue uncovering clues to answer the essential questions, which will lead us to uncover our driving question: What happened to the dinosaurs?
In the classroom, I had a variety of learning stations set up for students to utilize, investigate, answer questions, and continue learning. There were lots of books, both fiction and nonfiction, for students to read and learn. Of course, I used books to teach content including literacy skills. Several STEM tasks provide opportunities for students to practice those math skills and four employment skills: collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.
I can’t wait to write about the next phase of our adventure as I share some of the lessons students engaged in during our five-week journey. Do your kids like dinosaurs? Are you looking for a way to teach literacy skills through a science and social studies lens? Give project-based learning examples a try. Your students will be very excited to learn!! I promise!!
Related Resources
This post is the first of several posts about a project-based learning example. Continue the journey with these related links.
What is 21st Century Learning?
Great resources about PBL
Below are some of my favorite PBL teacher resources. These are all available on Amazon. Simply click the picture to learn more about each resource.
Final Thoughts About Project-Based Learning Example
Although this project-based learning example was an introduction, the focus was to foster skills needed for upcoming PBL units. Students use higher-order thinking skills when they collaborate, communicate, critically think, and work creatively. These are essential skills that will be used in any future career. It was very exciting to watch the students not only learn and develop skills, but have so much fun with this introductory unit.
We just came back from our cruise to Alaska 2 weeks ago. We love state fairs and this is somewhere I would love to go back and visit.
Hello Monica! WOW!!! Soo exciting that you came to Alaska!!! I hope you were able to enjoy our beautiful fall season. It lingered on a few extra weeks with perfect temperatures and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.
Have a great day!!
~ Annette
What a cool experience! Learning about dinosaurs is so awesome, and I’m sure the kids loved it!
Hello Kathryn, yes the kids certainly LOVED this experience. I wasn’t quite sure if I could hook them, since they are older students. Typically younger kiddos ages 5-8 embrace dinosaurs, but my 4th and 5th graders were just as excited and had lots of fun uncovering clues to their questions.
Thanks for stopping by!!
~ Annette
This looks so fun! Those replicas look very lifelike.
Yes, Brooke, those replicas were just like the real fossils. It was quite interesting to learn that such huge fossils were found in our backyard!
Have a great day!
~ Annette
What an exciting adventure for these kiddos! Taking field trips relative to the lessons they are learning adds so much to the absorption of information. Looks like this was fun.
Oh yes!! Sounds like you know some tips about exciting field trips, too!! This was such a fabulous opportunity for these kiddos, one I know they’ll remember!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
~ Annette
Great way to learn what a paleontologist does!
So true, Dee. Oftentimes we can only guess what “the job” entails, but these kiddos were able to “dig” right in and learn.
Thanks for stopping by!!
~ Annette
This looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to tag along on all my son’s field trips.
Hello Christa, I hope you can tag along on all the trips. There is something special about getting out into the community to learn in a different way, one that is hard to replicate in the classroom.
Enjoy those trips!!
~ Annette
So cool! I love that they learned about how mechanical dinosaurs work. I would love to learn that as well! Looking forward to the next posts!
Thanks, Mary! It is always a win-win when the teacher learns new things, too!! The kids were amazed at how the mechanics worked and were even able to make the dinosaurs move with their commands.
Thanks for stopping by!!
~ Annette
Looks like an interesting and educational trip!
Thanks, Tonya!! You bet!! This trip was a solid “10” across the board!
Have a great week!
~ Annette
This looks like such a wonderful visit! My 17-year-old daughter and I recently visited Pink Palace in Memphis Tennessee which has a natural museum and Planetarium. We were both so very interested in all of the artifacts!
That is wonderful, Jennifer!! It is such an interesting place to learn at the museum. My students are continuing their journey learning about Ancient Civilizations, so I’m looking forward to our learning celebration – appropriately titled “A Night at the Museum”. I’ll post more about that in a few weeks!!
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Annette
What a phenomenal field trip! I love the hands-on experience!
Thanks, Michele!! Anytime we can get “hands-on learning” happening, it is such a win-win!!
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Annette