Developing integrated units from commercial curriculum
Walking through what it looks like to take commercial curriculum and develop a vibrant, personalized integrated unit. One thing we
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Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning at home
It all started with a pandemic Dear reader, as you are well aware, back in March a global pandemic struck
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Connecting students to community in the Northeast Kingdom
How do we help students connect to their communities, and consider how to enrich community life? That’s the question Chrissy
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How to throw culminating events — online!
It is spring. I know, snow has fallen and it has been cold lately, but it’s officially May. And while
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Pivoting! to remote PBL
Oh, remember back when we had our project-based learning culminating events all mapped out? Students presenting at Dynamic Landscapes! A
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A critical lens on project-based learning
When we talk about a student in an intervention meeting, we often start with what is amazing about that student.
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Real World: Cabot
Rural life and project-based learning You might find students on the skating rink in front of the school, helping out
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PBL or PB&J?
How can you tell the difference between projects and project-based learning? Turns out, even though they both might involve snazzy
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Introducing: asset mapping
Starting with strengths Imagine you’re reading a written reflection from a student. This particular student writes so beautifully of the
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5 lessons learned from an integrated middle school PBL unit
Reflections from the Burke Town School At Burke Town School, in West Burke VT, students and teachers dove into integrated
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Evolving student roles in a big (BIG) PBL project
As Dorset’s coop dreams became a reality, students gathered new skills What does it look like to break one enormous project
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How to build up STEAM
Making time for making at Ottauquechee STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics — gives students the opportunity to
Read moreReflecting on your PBL
How did it go? It can be easy to end your project-based learning experiences with students in a big heap
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Developing empathy for your community
Meet the Humans of Burke So many schools operate in isolation from the very communities they are situated in. Do
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Using student TED Talks to showcase learning
TED Talks are short, personal powerful storytelling. Now: how can students use this medium as motivation to learn, to explore
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Should Vermont host the next Olympics?
Manchester’s 6th graders weigh in… to their Selectboard. Teams of 6th-grade students from Manchester Elementary Middle School researched this question
Read more4 times to connect students with an authentic audience
How soon is now? Looking for opportunities to make real-world connections or bring an authentic audience to your students? Typically,
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How to build a better (student-made) chicken coop
Applying NGSS to… chickens? At the Dorset School, in Dorset VT, the 8th graders know that fresh, farm-raised eggs taste
Read more6 ways teachers are using Padlet
Virtual bulletin boards to go! Staying organized as a teacher can be a major challenge. Between student work, teacher plans,
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Kick off project-based learning with a community event
Hope launches in the Northeast Kingdom As part of participating in the UN’s Global Goals, students at Burke Town School,
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Are you a “Learning Maximizer”?
How do you maximize student learning? What are the ways we can do this, and how might our roles and
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Introducing “Cabot Leads”
Use service learning to grow your community What do you do when you’re a 5th-through-8th middle school housed in two
Read moreGo global with your PBL
Tech tools, tips & inspiration The world is BIG. And overwhelming at times. Especially for our students, who hear bits
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Race Against Racism VT
It all starts with an idea. Races Against Racism have taken place around the country, and last spring, a community
Read moreHow to tell your PBL story
Cornwall students think global, build local, share both Last year the most amazing thing happened: my students at the Cornwall
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4 ways students are tackling the UN’s Global Goals in Vermont
The United Nations has kicked off a movement for the future. They’ve identified 17 goals for sustainability world-wide, and they’ve
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3 strategies to create supportive structures during project time
Why structure? One of the most intimidating things about starting to do service and project based learning in the classroom
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The student architects of Shelburne VT
Making math real-world relevant Would you tell the school board how to redesign your school? Students at Shelburne Community School,
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4 ways to make math more relevant
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
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Sharing STEAM projects with families
Proctor’s STEAM Family Night The sleepy little town of Proctor VT, is making some big waves when it comes to
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Take project-based learning to the next level
3 ways to plan for PBL 2.0 You’ve dipped your toe into project based learning. You’ve planned an entry event, shared
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4 ideas for using a makerspace to support PBL
How do project-based learning and makerspaces fit together? Making and PBL may look like two completely different educational movements, but in
Read more4 Project-Based Learning resources for parents
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read moreRestorative Justice at Randolph Union
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read more4 ways to use Virtual Reality in project-based learning
VR’s real world impact on students Virtual reality is exciting and many of our students are already using this technology in gaming
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The great Brian Eno-powered STEAM PBL caper
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Wondering how to blend project-based learning with STEAM? Yes, STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Earlier this year we
Read moreAdventures in #realworldPBL: The Field Trip
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
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Student TED Talks, sound sculptures and a funk band
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Student exhibitions of project-based learning At this point we all know how important it is for students to share project-based
Read moreProject-based learning: Extreme weather PBL unit
This is Real World PBL Now we’ve been down the PBL highway, looking at PBL planning, entry events, supports for
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Culminating Events for Project-Based Learning
Honor scholars with an authentic audience for their work The culminating event! It’s the lovely finish line of a Project-Based
Read moreAssessment in Project-Based Learning
Signs along the way Assessments can be hard to create and manage, but they are a necessary part of PBL.
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8 methods for reflection in project-based learning
It’s where the learning is It is easy to not plan time for reflection in project-based learning (PBL) because there
Read moreScaffolds to support PBL learners
Ways to support project-based learning Some people have the mistaken idea that PBL is just when you point students in
Read moreBrainstorming and Research in PBL
You’ve done an engaging entry event. You have a plan for your PBL unit with a focused driving question. Sweet!
Read moreEntry events for project-based learning
Start with the dramatic, unexpected & memorable Q: What do we really want from project-based learning? A: We want students
Read morePlanning a PBL unit
Resources to tackle project-based learning Welcome to the PBL Highway, my new series aimed at helping you on the road
Read moreProject-Based Learning in the primary grades
8 great ways to approach PBL in the primary grades Picture this: you have a class of primary-grade students. Say
Read moreService Learning 101: a guide for busy teachers
How to get started with service learning Service learning can play a key role in middle level curriculum, yet it
Read moreCreating a PBL culture from Day One
Build a community to support project-based learning I bet you have big dreams of creative, innovative projects and engaged students
Read moreLearn Like a Pirate: Key takeaways
Katy’s 2016 Summer Reading Something about this book title and summer reading fits perfectly. The open ocean, pirates, and fierce
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Project-based learning and math
How much do you want to change the world? As project-based learning gives students a way to tackle authentic problems
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Real-world problems and project-based learning
Adapting big science for a middle school classroom One of the keys of the Project-Based Learning approach is to engage
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Robotics, PBL, and collaboration
At TechJam this past autumn I was fortunate to run into a number of student groups who were there to
Read moreProject-based learning at Essex Middle School: algebra and songwriting
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Making math and music at The Edge We were lucky enough to get to sit down with three groups of
Read more“See America”: Cabot students share their PBL research
Project-based learning is alive and well in rural Vermont As part of The Cabot School‘s Exhibition of Learning earlier this
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