Project Based LearningWhat better way to end the year with some hands on cross-curricular project based learning opportunities! Project Based Learning (PBL) is a form of teaching that allows students and teachers to engage in hands-on activities that extend across math,science, and ELA. They often include art and technology to add extra depth to the learning. These projects will take a few days to weeks at a time! So gear up 3rd grade, it's time to use what you have learned this year and apply it in a fun way!
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Here is 3rd graders PBL in action!
eBird and Fantastic Feeder PBL
In this project we fird readied our bird feeders. We used recycled materials, wire, and neon paint to build a new home for some local feathered friends. The following week we spent time getting to know the top 10 birds of Pittsburgh, and each child chose their favorite to complete research on. We used textbooks and online resources to answer some main ideas and compose 3 paragraph essays. After we published our work, we then presented some of the most exciting facts discovered on a poster for the class and school to enjoy! However, the fun didn't stop there. Once the research and building the feeders ended, we then began to investigate the top 4 native birds to Propel Northside's habitat. We set up a data tracking sheet to collect data on the Goldfinch, Sparrow, Cardinal, and Robins. We will collect and organize our data on an online program in graph format. We will then share our findings and conclusions with the school with the posters!
A few days of Exploring Space and Geometry in Math class
One of the other mini-units we have been doing as part of our project based learning centers are math and science. We have completed several one hour sessions focused on designing ninja traps (exploring concepts of geometry and light), building cow pens (exploring concepts of area and perimeter, and animal habitats), studying the math and science connection between the length of seasons, and more such as using Pixels and Pirates to learn about coordinate grids.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE PICTURES AND INFO ON SOME FUN COMING UP INVOLVING STAINED GLASS WINDOWS. I HAVE PLANNED A LESSON AND PROJECT INVOLVING GEOMETRY, LIGHT, AND ENGINEERING!