Maple Mastery: Learning Outside the Box!

High School Grade Lesson 45 minutes

Maple Mastery: Learning Outside the Box!

Laurel C

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Purpose

This six-week interdisciplinary project empowers high school students to explore their unique learning identities in a Big Picture environment, fostering autonomy and lifelong learning skills. Through community-based projects and reflective practices, students will identify their strengths, craft personalized learning roadmaps, and effectively present their journey. The purpose is to cultivate self-directed learners capable of tackling real-world problems, while clearly demonstrating progress towards individualized goals through dynamic portfolios and public exhibitions.

Learning goals

Students will develop a deeper understanding of Maple’s core learning goals and competencies by actively engaging in project-based activities that integrate personal narratives and community issues. By exploring self-reflection and identity within a Big Picture learning environment, they will practice the essential steps of high-quality projects, gaining skills requisite to succeed in advisory, internships, exhibitions, and independent work. Additionally, students will refine their ability to set personalized goals and design their education according to individual strengths and career aspirations, facilitating growth as autonomous, lifelong learners.

Products

Students will create a community action proposal by researching and addressing local issues with multimedia presentations that combine literacy and social studies. Upon completing their projects, each student will develop a digital portfolio showcasing their work, reflections, and personal learning goals. Additionally, an interactive digital timeline will be crafted, visually mapping the student's learning journey, milestones, and aspirations realized throughout the project. Finally, the symposium will serve as a culminating product where students present their findings and growth narratives to an engaged audience.

Launch

Kick off the learning experience with an "Identity Expedition," where students participate in a series of interactive workshops designed to explore their personal stories through creative arts and storytelling. During this launch event, students will articulate their learning goals and preferences while forming connections with peers through collaborative activities. Following the storytelling workshops, guide students into a "Project Blueprint Workshop," where they begin drafting their project roadmaps with insights from visiting professionals. Wrap up the launch with a "Reflection Rally," engaging students in outdoor activities that foster self-reflection and mutual support as they set collective and individual learning goals.

Exhibition

Students will host a dynamic showcase, inviting peers, family, and community members to engage with interactive displays featuring their digital portfolios and multimedia presentations of community-based project findings. They will lead structured dialogues, sharing insights into their personal learning journeys while facilitating open feedback sessions. The exhibition will incorporate creative arts and storytelling elements, providing a platform for students to demonstrate their progress and articulate future goals effectively.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Communication Skills	Effective Communication through Storytelling - Students will effectively communicate their personal narratives and project insights through multimedia storytelling that engages and informs their audience.	I can clearly and confidently share my personal story using multimedia elements that capture my audience's attention and convey my learning journey, demonstrating thoughtful engagement with my identity and project insights.	I can share my personal story and project insights using multimedia tools, clearly explaining my ideas to others, and responding thoughtfully to questions or feedback during presentations.	I can communicate my personal story and project insights through engaging multimedia presentations that clearly inform my audience, while incorporating storytelling techniques learned during workshops to connect my narrative to community issues.	I can confidently share my personal story and project insights using multimedia tools that captivate and educate my audience, ensuring that my message is clear and impactful.
Collaboration and Problem Solving	Collaborative Community Problem Solving - Students will collaboratively research and propose actionable solutions to local community issues, demonstrating critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.	I can work effectively with my peers during the workshops to explore my personal story through creative arts and storytelling, and I am beginning to articulate my learning goals and preferences by asking questions and listening actively to others' ideas.	I can contribute to my team's research on local community issues by sharing ideas and participating in discussions, and I can help our group develop a proposal that reflects some understanding of potential solutions.	I can effectively collaborate with my peers to identify a local community issue by contributing my ideas and listening to others, and I can draft a detailed proposal that outlines a creative and realistic solution, demonstrating my problem-solving skills and understanding of the community needs.	I can collaborate with my peers to identify a local community issue, conduct thorough research, and develop a creative and well-reasoned proposal that offers actionable solutions During the process, I effectively contribute ideas, listen actively, and incorporate feedback to enhance our project, demonstrating my ability to think critically and work as part of a team.
Self-Directed Learning	Personal Learning Roadmap Development - Students will craft a personalized learning roadmap that outlines their goals, strengths, and strategies for achieving their academic and career aspirations.	I can identify and articulate my personal learning goals and preferences with enthusiasm during the "Identity Expedition" and begin drafting my project roadmap with guidance from visiting professionals, demonstrating an initial understanding of my strengths and strategies.	I can successfully identify some of my strengths and set initial learning goals that support my academic and career aspirations I am able to draft a basic roadmap that includes steps and strategies to achieve these goals, drawing on advice from professionals and input from peers.	I can articulate my personal learning goals clearly and connect them to my strengths and future career aspirations, demonstrating this by crafting a comprehensive roadmap that includes specific, achievable strategies for growth and lifelong learning.	I can effectively articulate my personal learning goals and strengths, using insights gained from the Identity Expedition workshops to create a detailed and meaningful learning roadmap that clearly connects my individual interests and career aspirations with actionable strategies.
Digital Literacy and Reflection	Reflective Portfolio Creation - Students will build a comprehensive digital portfolio that showcases their project milestones, reflections, and personal growth throughout the learning journey.	I can create a basic digital portfolio by organizing my project milestones and personal reflections, demonstrating some growth throughout my learning journey.	I can organize and present parts of my digital portfolio, including at least two project milestones and one personal reflection, showing basic understanding of how these elements connect to my overall learning goals.	I can effectively create a digital portfolio that highlights my project milestones, personal reflections, and growth journey, using engaging multimedia elements to communicate my learning story clearly and attractively.	I can create a detailed digital portfolio that effectively showcases my individual project milestones, reflections, and insights gained, clearly illustrating my personal growth and understanding of project-based learning Through this portfolio, I highlight my use of multimedia elements to communicate my learning journey, ensuring all content is well-organized and visually engaging.
Public Speaking and Leadership	Engaging Public Exhibition and Dialogue - Students will lead structured dialogues during the public exhibition, effectively facilitating feedback sessions and articulating their learning experiences and future goals.	I can confidently lead dialogues during the public exhibition by clearly sharing my learning experiences and future goals, while engaging the audience in constructive feedback sessions that highlight my journey and insights gained through the project.	I can confidently lead a dialogue during the exhibition by introducing my project, sharing my learning journey, and encouraging peers and audience members to participate in constructive feedback discussions.	I can confidently lead conversations and feedback sessions during the exhibition, clearly sharing my learning experiences and future goals while engaging my audience through insightful dialogue and active listening.	I can confidently present my project findings to an audience, using multimedia elements to enhance my storytelling I facilitate engaging discussions by asking open-ended questions and welcome diverse perspectives while clearly sharing my personal learning journey and outlining my future goals.

Learning Journey

Empathize

Students will conduct interviews with community members to gather insights and experiences related to local issues, actively listening to develop a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives and needs.

Milestone Activities

Meet Local Voices

Launch 20m

Students interview 2–3 community members and observe a local setting to begin building an understanding of lived experiences related to the issue. They capture initial notes to inform later analysis.

Meet Local Users

Launch 25m

Students connect with community members affected by local issues through brief interviews or observations, practicing active listening and capturing initial empathy data such as notes, quotes, or quick empathy maps.

Define

Students will conduct field research to identify local community challenges and synthesize their findings into a concise problem statement that serves as the foundation for their community-based project, preparing presentations for peer feedback to refine their understanding.

Milestone Activities

Field Research Problem Definition

Deliverable

Students conduct field research in the local community to identify real challenges faced by residents. They interview at least two community members, gather empathy artifacts (quotes, photos, observations), and begin assembling a problem-definition pack that includes a Point-of-View (POV) statement, How Might We (HMW) questions, user persona profiles, and a basic systems map or problem tree. Outputs will be shared in a peer feedback session to refine understanding and scope for the project.

Articulate Local Challenge

Deliverable

Students engage in a quick field outreach to a local community member or stakeholder to gather direct input on a local challenge. They capture an empathy artifact—such as a quote, image, or quick sketch—and draft a concise Point-of-View (POV) statement focused on the user’s needs. Working in small groups, they formulate How Might We (HMW) questions, build a user persona profile from the interview, and outline a simple problem tree or systems map showing root causes. Students share their draft POV and artifacts with a peer or user for feedback (user testing) and perform a rapid prototype iteration by revising the POV, HMWs, and personas in response to feedback. By the end, each group will produce a POV statement, HMW questions, persona profiles, and a problem tree or systems map ready for peer feedback in the next phase.

Ideate

Students will participate in brainstorming sessions to generate diverse and innovative solutions to the identified community issue, collaborate to refine ideas through peer discussions, and document these solutions in their reflection journals for further exploration and development in future phases.

Milestone Activities

Top Concept Proposals

Deliverable

Students document a compact brainstorm of diverse ideas to address the identified community issue, including concept sketches or storyboards, a simple feasibility/impact view, and a rationale for their top three options.

Prototype

Students will develop and present a prototype of their solutions for a local community issue, integrating feedback from peers and advisors to iterate and refine their approaches within the digital portfolio, while documenting their project journey and insights in their reflection journals.

Milestone Activities

Prototype Kickoff Empathy

Launch 25m

Introduce the prototype phase by engaging with community users to surface needs and opportunities. Students conduct quick empathy activities (short interviews, observations) and capture insights, then sketch initial ideas to seed early prototype iterations.

Testing Feedback Documentation

Deliverable

Students compile a concise testing package that includes a protocol, synthesis of user feedback, and clear revision decisions with rationale to guide iteration.

Test/Present

Students will present their multimedia project outcomes to stakeholders in a community symposium, showcasing their solutions to local issues and receiving live feedback to refine their learning paths and connect academic competencies with real-world impacts.

Milestone Activities

Community Symposium Presentation

Assessment 20m

Groups showcase their multimedia project outcomes to a live audience of users, stakeholders, and domain experts. Presentations highlight user insights, design decisions, prototyping iterations, and how feedback shaped the final solution. Each group demonstrates a working artifact, provides evidence of user testing, and engages in a guided Q&A with stakeholders.

Plan

Activities	Community Symposium Presentation Assessment 20m Top Concept Proposals Deliverable Prototype Kickoff Empathy Launch 25m Meet Local Voices Launch 20m Field Research Problem Definition Deliverable Meet Local Users Launch 25m Testing Feedback Documentation Deliverable Articulate Local Challenge Deliverable
Preparation