A Memo about the Final Part of 4th Quarter PBL
This quarter, our second and third grade students were grouped into teams and
given a scenario where all of the adults in the town suddenly became small
children, and our students had to take over the town.
First, they researched laws and rules from our country and other countries
around the world. Then they created their own laws and rules, based on what
they learned.
Our students were given challenges to solve. An example of a challenge was:
What would you do if the adults started destroying the
town with graffiti? Are there any laws that they broke? Will
they have consequences? Why is it important to take action?
Through this exercise, the students came to understand the importance and
role of laws and rules to keep citizens safe and happy.
***
We all know the story of how our country came to be. We understand that
important figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson fought for
our independence. We also know the important events that led to the creation
of our nation, like the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War.
Now it’s our students’ turn! If they were to tell the story of how their town was
created, who were the leaders in their team? Who helped create the laws? Why
were those laws chosen (The United States doesn’t have kings because of King
George)? What were the important events/challenges?
Sarah might decide to tell the story of her town in writing, like in a history book.
Jason might tell the story of how his town was created through art or poetry.
This PBL has required a lot of imagination, and this final project is no
different! =)
STEPS AND HINTS FOR PARENTS:
1. Ask your student about the in-class project:
a. Who was on your team? (these are the important people that
helped create the town that should be included in the story)
b. What big decisions had to be made? (Did everyone in the group
agree all the time? What happened when people broke the laws?)
2. Have your student create a storyline:
What happened in the beginning? Middle? End?
3. Decide on how you want to communicate that story.
a. Write it?
b. Draw it?
c. Record it? (video)
d. Sculpt it?
e. ________ it?
The purpose is to summarize their work, but also to reflect on what it was
like to work on a team to create something that wasn’t there before.