I fell in love with project-based learning this past week! I was certainly hesitant to start, but the dive in was totally worth it. Now, planning a 6 week PBL unit on your first big go is not recommended for everyone, but I am a "do it all or do nothing" kind of girl!
I fell in love with my students' engagement, interest, and excitement for a long-term project. We have been basing our project around human rights. Our driving question is "How do we build a society that promotes and protects human rights?" And you know what?? My students fell in love with the idea that we are going to make a difference. We are going to learn new information, research real-world problems, and dive into current issues in our world. To keep up to date with our progress over the next several weeks, subscribe to the blog for more information on our PBL!
I have never had quite the engagement I had last week in our learning and I think it was due to a few different factors:
The content was new, so the students were interested from the start.
We did a lot (I mean a LOT) of partner and small group work. What student doesn't love to work with others to help lighten the load a little?
We did several mini projects (some independently for those more independent learners)! We created Google Slides presentations, colored maps of regions we were studying, did several cut-and-paste activities, and completed writing prompts.
The hands-on element was out the roof! We did more creative work, which allowed us to have deeper conversations and think more critically about our work.
I couldn't be happier with the results of our first week and I am so excited to keep sharing our journey through project-based learning over the next several weeks.
Do you want more updates on the progress of our PBL unit?? Subscribe to the blog and follow me on Facebook or Instagram at Upper Elementary Made Simple.
Want to try out a similar PBL in your classroom? Get the materials to jumpstart your work. The following resource includes graphic organizers, worksheets, and other supplemental resources for you to adapt this Human Rights PBL unit to fit your needs in your classroom! Click HERE or the image below to check out and download the resource.
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