Seventh Grade Project Based Learning

BIG IDEA

Disease Outbreaks

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1. How do Americans respond to deadly disease outbreaks?

2. In the fight against disease outbreaks, what are the lessons that policy makers and all Americans can learn from the past?

THE CHALLENGE

Based on their understanding of microbiology, geography, social sciences, statistical data and other relevant available data, students will: a. Create a virus and simulate how it spreads through the body using a Human Body Tape Sculpture b. Model and describe how epidemiologists use maps to locate the source of an outbreak c. Map a hypothetical pathway of disease transmission for a particular disease

Eighth Grade Project Based Learning

BIG IDEA

The Columbian Exchange connected Afro-Eurasia to the Americas in a way that changed both continents forever, and created a truly global age and the beginning of the modern world.

Essential Questions

How did the exchange of people, plants and ideas across Afro-Eurasia and the Americas create the modern world?

THE CHALLENGE

1. Create a truly global restaurant menu that helps tell the story of how transoceanic connections changed the modern world.

2. Your restaurant will include at least an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert, but may include more options. Limitations: a. At least one of the menu items must be made from ONLY plants and animals available in the Americas b. At least one item must be made from ONLY plants and animals available in Afro-Eurasia c. Must include ingredients from BOTH world zones d. Your menu must also include an explanation of the ingredients chosen and the story behind each dish, including its origins and history e. You will also calculate the cost of cooking each meal, which includes valuing the labor and expertise needed, and price menu items accordingly

“I think this PBL experience for the students was very valuable. They don’t know how much they are learning and how much their thinking is changing until the process is finally over. One thing that stands out for me as an educator is the importance of asking good questions. Generally, most educators do not model good questioning skills and so students never learn this life skill. Some of the greatest things about PBL are that it forces students to think of and develop engaging questions, to muddle through a series of questions and answers, and continue to use critical thinking skills throughout the entire learning experience to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate their findings and outcomes.”

MS. FELDMAN