Project-based Learning: A Project-based Learning Activity Designed for Second Grade Students
_Ashley Vasquez
Second Grade Project
Goal: Students will understand where their ancestors lived, telling when the family moved and how and why they made the trip.
Learning Objectives
-Understand the purpose of migration and why people migrate
-Understand basic features of mapping and geography
-Experience migration through another person’s viewpoint
-Create a map detailing the migration journey of another person
-Write brief narratives based on their person’s experiences that move through a logical sequence of events and describe the setting, characters, objects, and events in detail.
-Determine the purpose or purposes of listening and ask for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas.
-Organize a presentation to maintain a clear focus.
-Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication
-Recount experiences in a logical sequence that includes important characters, setting, and plot.
-Report on a topic with supportive facts and details, drawing from several sources of information
Project Description
-Students will take/collect/or illustrate pictures on a map of the journey they family made from one community to another (similar to a photo journal). Pictures will be mounted on the map. Students would need to conduct interviews of family members in order to gather information.
-For students who do not have home support/accessibility to information, students can detail the journey of one of the speakers who presented in class (i.e. community member, another teacher, older student, etc.)
-Students will write a narrative of someone’s migration story (possibly their own personal story). Students would need to gather information from class speakers, family interviews, websites, etc.
Project Steps/Benchmarks
To get students to make a personal connection with the project, I will have students brainstorm a trip (small or big) that they have taken and do a quick write about it.
To start project, bring in speakers and read fictional or non-fictional stories about other people’s migrations.
-Introduce important vocabulary (i.e. route, migration, community, tradition, etc.)
Step 1: Interview a family member or speaker (include timeline/important moving dates)
Step 2: Trace family member’s move on a physical map. Include names of places and dates of departure and arrival.
Step 3: Teacher will model how to gather important pictures/artifacts/drawings to include on map. Students will need to gather at least three to four pictures and/or artifacts to include on map. One needs to represent beginning community, one or two need to represent middle points of the journey, and one has to represent the final destination.
Step 4: Teacher will give students a world map (enlarged). Students will assemble their maps and include important names, dates, artifacts and/or pictures. (Opportunities for revision will be included in this step.)
Step 5: Students will use information from original interview to write a narrative on their person’s migration journey. Students’ will need to include information about what happened first, in the middle, and finally. Narratives will be included with the map. (Opportunities for revision will be included in this step.)
Step 6: Students will give an oral presentation to the class describing their project. They will also discuss three important things they learned about their person and how they felt during the project process. (What did you learn? How did you feel while working on your project? What was your favorite part of the project? Etc.) Audience members (fellow students) will give constructive feedback. Students will make project changes where necessary in order to prepare for final presentation.
Step 7: Students will present their work in some sort of forum/public context. TBD
Grouping Strategies:
Students will be working independently and creating their own product, however, they will be collaborating in the form of critique and peer revision. They would have to go through a minimum number of critiques/revisions [insert actual number here]. In my current classroom, an effective critique environment has not yet been established. My students have successfully established norms of being supportive and respectful, however, they are struggling with giving each other useful and constructive feedback. Therefore, I will need to build in ample time to model great feedback. I would also like my students to have a “critical buddy” to check in with.
Exhibition:
I will have my students present their final work at our school’s annual Learning Fair. Each class gets a reserved spot on the school campus (usually cafeteria or library). Students will set up their work and present their map, their findings, and how they felt throughout the process. Students will present to other faculty members, parents, and fellow students. I want all parts of the exhibition to be student created, including promotional posters, table set-ups, and identifying project name placards. Since I want my students to set up their own work, I will have to help them develop a system to show their work in which items are presentable, organized, and accessible.
I will invite other students, fellow colleagues, parents and family members, and administrators to view my students’ work. I would also love some fellow HTH GSE members/faculty to see my students’ work as well. I would like some community members to come as well, I just have not decided who we could invite yet. I would publicize the event through fliers, newsletters, word of mouth, and telephone calls.
I will need to assist my students extensively in the area of public speaking. Second graders tend to be very self-conscious and shy when it comes to talking in front of adults or people they do not know. I will need to build in ample time to practice speaking in front of an audience in a manner that is clear and understandable.
I will start with our own classroom, where students feel comfortable to safe. I will then begin to slowly invite a few outside students, colleagues, or administrators (in small quantities), so that students can build up a public speaking confidence.
Second Grade Project
Goal: Students will understand where their ancestors lived, telling when the family moved and how and why they made the trip.
Learning Objectives
-Understand the purpose of migration and why people migrate
-Understand basic features of mapping and geography
-Experience migration through another person’s viewpoint
-Create a map detailing the migration journey of another person
-Write brief narratives based on their person’s experiences that move through a logical sequence of events and describe the setting, characters, objects, and events in detail.
-Determine the purpose or purposes of listening and ask for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas.
-Organize a presentation to maintain a clear focus.
-Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication
-Recount experiences in a logical sequence that includes important characters, setting, and plot.
-Report on a topic with supportive facts and details, drawing from several sources of information
Project Description
-Students will take/collect/or illustrate pictures on a map of the journey they family made from one community to another (similar to a photo journal). Pictures will be mounted on the map. Students would need to conduct interviews of family members in order to gather information.
-For students who do not have home support/accessibility to information, students can detail the journey of one of the speakers who presented in class (i.e. community member, another teacher, older student, etc.)
-Students will write a narrative of someone’s migration story (possibly their own personal story). Students would need to gather information from class speakers, family interviews, websites, etc.
Project Steps/Benchmarks
To get students to make a personal connection with the project, I will have students brainstorm a trip (small or big) that they have taken and do a quick write about it.
To start project, bring in speakers and read fictional or non-fictional stories about other people’s migrations.
-Introduce important vocabulary (i.e. route, migration, community, tradition, etc.)
Step 1: Interview a family member or speaker (include timeline/important moving dates)
Step 2: Trace family member’s move on a physical map. Include names of places and dates of departure and arrival.
Step 3: Teacher will model how to gather important pictures/artifacts/drawings to include on map. Students will need to gather at least three to four pictures and/or artifacts to include on map. One needs to represent beginning community, one or two need to represent middle points of the journey, and one has to represent the final destination.
Step 4: Teacher will give students a world map (enlarged). Students will assemble their maps and include important names, dates, artifacts and/or pictures. (Opportunities for revision will be included in this step.)
Step 5: Students will use information from original interview to write a narrative on their person’s migration journey. Students’ will need to include information about what happened first, in the middle, and finally. Narratives will be included with the map. (Opportunities for revision will be included in this step.)
Step 6: Students will give an oral presentation to the class describing their project. They will also discuss three important things they learned about their person and how they felt during the project process. (What did you learn? How did you feel while working on your project? What was your favorite part of the project? Etc.) Audience members (fellow students) will give constructive feedback. Students will make project changes where necessary in order to prepare for final presentation.
Step 7: Students will present their work in some sort of forum/public context. TBD
Grouping Strategies:
Students will be working independently and creating their own product, however, they will be collaborating in the form of critique and peer revision. They would have to go through a minimum number of critiques/revisions [insert actual number here]. In my current classroom, an effective critique environment has not yet been established. My students have successfully established norms of being supportive and respectful, however, they are struggling with giving each other useful and constructive feedback. Therefore, I will need to build in ample time to model great feedback. I would also like my students to have a “critical buddy” to check in with.
Exhibition:
I will have my students present their final work at our school’s annual Learning Fair. Each class gets a reserved spot on the school campus (usually cafeteria or library). Students will set up their work and present their map, their findings, and how they felt throughout the process. Students will present to other faculty members, parents, and fellow students. I want all parts of the exhibition to be student created, including promotional posters, table set-ups, and identifying project name placards. Since I want my students to set up their own work, I will have to help them develop a system to show their work in which items are presentable, organized, and accessible.
I will invite other students, fellow colleagues, parents and family members, and administrators to view my students’ work. I would also love some fellow HTH GSE members/faculty to see my students’ work as well. I would like some community members to come as well, I just have not decided who we could invite yet. I would publicize the event through fliers, newsletters, word of mouth, and telephone calls.
I will need to assist my students extensively in the area of public speaking. Second graders tend to be very self-conscious and shy when it comes to talking in front of adults or people they do not know. I will need to build in ample time to practice speaking in front of an audience in a manner that is clear and understandable.
I will start with our own classroom, where students feel comfortable to safe. I will then begin to slowly invite a few outside students, colleagues, or administrators (in small quantities), so that students can build up a public speaking confidence.