Science & Social Studies and "PBL"

 

At Desert View Christian School, science and social studies are both generally done as whole-class instruction with each child learning at their individual ability level.  We do activity or 'project-based' learning, for these two subjects.  This means that we will be busy, working in groups on developing a product of some sort (poster, report, diorama, display, powerpoint, etc) that will display the learning we do in the specific areas we are focused on.  We will typically rotate, back and forth, between the two subjects, and units will typically last 2-3 weeks.  Sometimes there will be need of a parent meeting of some sort, for the students to have an opportunity to display their work for an audience.  Presentation is an important skill for students to acquire too, and PBL is an awesome means for them to learn these skills, so please attend these events whenever possible - the students are always excited to share what they have learned!

 

This year, as I plan PBL units, I will be attempting to have them parallel topics that are being covered in our Pathways Language Arts curriculum.  It should be noted that this curriculum is rich in Science and Social Studies tie-in activities. So, even when we do not have an active PBL project going, the students are often still receiving indirect instruction in Science and /or Social Studies topics, in their trade book reading and their writing activities.  

 

To learn more about Project-Based Learning (PBL) visit the site linked below.  (click on the image)