PBL Power: Shaping Student Success!

All grades Project 3 weeks

PBL Power: Shaping Student Success!

Lisa W

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5

+ 5 more

1-pager

Purpose

In this project, students will explore the impact of Project Based Learning (PBL) on their academic and personal success by collaboratively creating and presenting a Google slideshow to the community. Through this hands-on experience, they will engage in meaningful inquiry, dialogue, and reflection, building critical thinking and collaboration skills. The project aims to empower students to communicate effectively, apply feedback constructively, and express their understanding of PBL's benefits in a way that inspires and informs their audience.

Learning goals

The learning goals for this project include developing effective communication skills through the creation and presentation of a multimedia Google slideshow, fostering collaboration by co-designing the project with peers, enhancing self-directed learning via peer and teacher feedback, and promoting critical thinking by addressing the essential question of how project-based learning helps students succeed. Students will also gain content expertise by integrating key competencies and skills into their presentations and engaging with community partners for authentic input and revisions.

Standards

[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5 - Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5 - Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5 - Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5 - Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
[Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5 - Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Competencies

Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.

Products

Students will collaboratively create a comprehensive 40-slide Google slideshow on Project Based Learning, incorporating multimedia components such as graphics, audio, and video. Throughout the process, they'll engage in peer and teacher feedback sessions every three days to refine content and design. Midway, students will present their draft slideshow to community partner Patti Hurley for constructive critiques to ensure relevance and clarity. At the project's conclusion, students will exhibit their polished slideshow to parents, community members, and staff at ITHS, effectively showcasing their learning and communication skills.

Launch

To kick off the learning experience, invite Patti Hurley to visit the class and engage students with an interactive discussion about Project-Based Learning (PBL). Have her share real-life examples and success stories of how PBL impacts students' academic and personal growth. Organize a short workshop where students brainstorm initial ideas for their slides and ask questions, setting the stage for the collaborative and multimedia aspects of the project. This launch will energize students, create a sense of relevance, and establish a foundation for their exploration of the essential question.

Exhibition

Students will showcase their persuasive Google slideshows to parents, community members, and staff at ITHS during an organized exhibition event. Each student will have the opportunity to present their slides, engaging the audience in a dialogue about the benefits of project-based learning and its impact on student success. Attendees, including community partner Patti Hurley, will provide feedback and ask questions, creating an interactive environment for students to demonstrate their communication and presentation skills. This real-world exhibition not only enhances the students’ learning experience but also fosters strong community connections.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can use various multimedia elements, like images and videos, in my presentation to make my ideas clearer and more interesting for my audience.	I can use multimedia elements like images, sounds, and videos in my presentation to make my ideas clearer and more interesting for my audience I make sure my slides highlight important points and I can explain how each multimedia component supports my message, using feedback from my peers and teachers to improve my work.	I can effectively communicate by using multimedia elements like graphics, sound, and videos in my presentation to make my ideas clearer and more interesting I can engage my audience, encouraging questions and feedback to expand the discussion about the benefits of project-based learning.	I can create and present a compelling Google slideshow that skillfully combines text, graphics, audio, and video to clearly communicate the benefits of Project-Based Learning I ensure each slide captures the audience's attention, makes my main points easy to understand, and addresses feedback to refine my presentation My communication engages my audience, encourages thoughtful dialogue, and showcases my understanding of how PBL impacts success.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with my classmates to thoughtfully include multimedia elements like images, videos, and sounds in our slideshow, helping us understand and share our ideas about why project-based learning is important.	I collaborate with my peers to organize and design a Google slideshow, incorporating multimedia elements like graphics, sounds, and videos to make our presentation more engaging I actively participate in feedback sessions, listening to my peers’ ideas and providing constructive suggestions to enhance our project.	I actively collaborate with my peers by contributing ideas and listening to theirs during group discussions I use feedback from my classmates and teachers to refine my presentation, ensuring it includes multimedia elements that clarify our findings and make the slideshow engaging for our audience I play a meaningful role in decision-making with my team, offering support and taking initiative to enhance our group's work.	I can work effectively with my peers to co-design our Google slideshow on Project-Based Learning by actively contributing ideas, integrating diverse multimedia elements that enhance our presentation, and strategically using digital media to make our slideshow engaging and easily understood I thoughtfully engage with feedback from both peers and our community partner, using it to refine our content, and confidently present our findings to our audience, emphasizing the key benefits of Project-Based Learning.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Self Directed Learning	I can independently gather and organize teacher and peer feedback to make changes that improve my slideshow, ensuring it is clear and engaging by thoughtfully including multimedia components like images, videos, or audio.	I can use feedback from my peers and teacher to make improvements to my slideshow, incorporating multimedia components like images and audio to highlight my main ideas I actively reflect on my progress and adjust my project plan when needed to ensure my presentation clearly showcases how Project-Based Learning helps me succeed.	I effectively use feedback from my peers and teacher to improve my slideshow I choose and integrate multimedia components such as images, audio, or video in my presentation to make my project-based learning claims clear and engaging I regularly monitor my progress and adjust my work to ensure my presentation is interesting to my audience and successfully communicates my ideas.	I can effectively use feedback from my peers, teacher, and community partners to independently enhance my multimedia slideshow, ensuring that my presentation includes clear and engaging elements like graphics and audio to communicate my understanding of project-based learning.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can use my creativity to include different types of media, like pictures, sounds, and videos, in my slideshow to make my ideas clearer and more interesting for people who are watching my presentation.	I can use digital media elements like graphics, audio, and video in my slideshow to make my ideas clearer and more engaging I regularly ask for feedback from peers and teachers to improve my presentation and make sure it shows how project-based learning helps students succeed.	I can effectively use multimedia elements in my presentation to highlight the key points of project-based learning My slideshow includes a variety of digital media like graphics, audio, and videos, making my ideas clearer and more engaging for the audience I demonstrate an understanding of how to use these components strategically to support my claims and enhance the audience's experience.	I can effectively create and present a Google slideshow using multimedia components like graphics, audio, and video to clearly communicate my understanding of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and its benefits I use feedback to improve my presentation, make strategic choices to engage my audience, and convey my ideas with confidence and clarity.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can identify at least one multimedia component for my presentation and explain how it connects to a main idea or theme in my slideshow.	I can use multimedia tools and elements, like images and sound, to help make my presentation more interesting and clarify my ideas about how project-based learning helps students succeed.	I can effectively use a variety of multimedia elements to enhance my presentation, ensuring clarity and engagement with my audience I thoughtfully incorporate feedback from peers and teachers to refine my slides, using digital tools strategically to support the main ideas and make my claims compelling and well-supported.	I can thoughtfully blend different media elements, like images, videos, and sounds, into my Google slideshow to clearly express my ideas and findings about project-based learning, ensuring my presentation is engaging and informative for my audience.

Learning Journey

Question

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5

Effective Communication

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Students will collaboratively brainstorm and select a compelling arguable question about how project-based learning makes them more successful, develop an initial position on the question, and outline their approach using input from Patti Hurley and their peers.

Days 1 - 2

Milestone Activities

PBL Debate Kickoff

Launch 45m

Students explore a real controversy about whether project-based learning (PBL) makes them more successful. Patti Hurley visits to share real-life examples and models a short three-position discussion: PBL is the strongest approach; Direct instruction is essential; A guided blend works best. In a whole-class session with quick partner work, students listen, note one reason to defend a position, and identify a question they want to investigate during the project.

Initial PBL Position

Deliverable 30m

Each student crafts an individual initial position statement on how PBL can support their success. The statement includes a simple claim, a personal connection to the issue, and the first reasoning step. Students share their statements with a partner to receive feedback and then briefly revise, laying groundwork for deeper argument work in later phases.

Investigate

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5

Collaboration

Students will collaborate with peers to gather credible sources, evaluate evidence, and identify key points that illustrate the benefits of project-based learning for their slides, while receiving feedback and guidance from community partner Patti Hurley.

Days 3 - 6

Milestone Activities

Source Sleuth Portfolio

Deliverable 90m

In small groups, students gather at least eight credible sources from varied types (articles, videos, interviews, reports) about how Project-Based Learning benefits student achievement and engagement. They evaluate each source using a credibility framework (CRAAP or similar), extract key evidence, and map perspectives (who is saying what and why). The work will support their upcoming slides and include notes on evidence quality and source bias. Students will receive feedback from Patti Hurley during a mid-point check.

Construct

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5

Self Directed Learning

Students will collaboratively construct and refine their Google slideshow, incorporating multimedia elements and peer feedback to strengthen their persuasive arguments about Project-Based Learning's impact on student success, while regularly receiving input from community partner Patti Hurley.

Days 7 - 11

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Defend

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5

Content Expertise

Students will publicly present their 40-slide Google slideshow on Project-Based Learning to an audience of parents, community members, and staff at ITHS, articulating their findings and defending their arguments through evidence-backed reasoning and constructive feedback integration from mid-project forums.

Days 12 - 16

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Plan

Week 1	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Phase	Question Investigate
Activities	PBL Debate Kickoff Launch 45m	Initial PBL Position Deliverable 30m	Source Sleuth Portfolio Deliverable 90m	No activities added	No activities added
Preparation

Week 2	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10
Phase	Investigate Construct
Activities	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added
Preparation

Week 3	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14	Day 15
Phase	Construct Defend
Activities	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added	No activities added
Preparation