PBL Review: Step 3

The first PBL I looked at was titled "Lounging Around". This PBL was set for grades 7 and 8 in the middle school. Students were told the school would be creating a new student lounge and they would be allowed to design and decorate it. They were given a set budget to work with in order to decorate the entire lounge. The PBL incorporated standards from geometry, measurement, algebra, data analysis and probability, and number operations. They also incorporated other subject areas such as English, science, social science, and fine arts. There were mini lessons also incorporated and working with excel.

I thought this PBL followed what I understand to be a PBL pretty well. The question was an interesting topic for middle school students. It also was very open ended and allowed the students to direct their learning. It seemed like there were a lot of standards and objectives covered in one project. I know it is important to have multiple standards and objectives but it seems like almost too much. If all those standards are being covered and the students are really understanding them it seems like the project would probably take even longer.

The second PBL I read was titled "Operation: Redo the Zoo". This PBL was set for 5th and 6th grade students. This PBL lets students redo the zoo. They are given a set budget and timeline of creating the new zoo. Many different subject areas are covered with this PBL and standards. There will be a large use of technology including TV, VCR, Excel, and Word. There are mini lessons as well to supplement the project.

This PBL was a little more involved then I originally thought PBL's should be. Detail is very important but I thought their problem had too many guidelines for the students to follow. I also did not like the question they gave students because some students may not have ever been to the zoo and animals are not necessarily a common interest in students. I think a better topic could have been picked for the age group selected. Or there should be a field trip scheduled to the zoo before the PBL is assigned.

Both PBL's focused on the students following a budget. While this a good topic to cover I think they could have come up with some more creative ideas. Both also used mini lessons to supplement their projects which I think is a good idea. Both were connected to the real world in some way however I think "Lounging Around" was better applied to something they may have to do themselves one day.

From "Lounging Around" I would try to take away some of the objectives and standards. If they are not directly assessed in the rubric then I don't see there being a need for them. From "Operation: Redo Zoo" I would give the students a different problem involving the zoo. Maybe they could create the most eco-friendly zoo possible with no need to follow the budget. Students do not always have to be under a specific budget for every PBL.

It appears that math is the main focus of both PBL's. I think the math expected is fair for the ages of the projects. The math from "Operation: Redo Zoo" may be a little higher then the grade level selected but it could be adapted for younger ages.

I thought the assessments in "Lounging Around" were very good at focusing on what needed to be evaluated. However in their overall rubric I thought they had too much in it. This is probably because they had so many standards and objectives covered but I feel there is too much detail within the rubric. For "Operation: Redo Zoo" I was very impressed with their assessments. I liked they were checking their math skills along the way with the PBL and the final rubric seemed to cover all the areas necessary to tell how well a student understood the project.