1st Edition

DIY Project Based Learning for Math and Science

By Heather Wolpert-Gawron Copyright 2016
    156 Pages
    by Eye On Education

    156 Pages
    by Eye On Education

    Are you interested in using Project Based Learning to revamp your lessons, but aren’t sure how to get started? In DIY Project Based Learning for Math and Science, award-winning teacher and Edutopia blogger Heather Wolpert-Gawron makes it fun and easy! Project Based Learning encourages students and teachers alike to abandon their dusty textbooks, and instead embrace a form of curriculum design focused on student engagement, innovation, and creative problem-solving. A leading name in this field, Heather Wolpert-Gawron shares some of her most popular units for Math and Science in this exciting new collection. This book is an essential resource for teachers looking to:

    • Create their own project-based learning units.
    • Engage student in their education by grounding lessons in real-world problems and encouraging them to develop creative solutions.
    • Incorporate role-playing into everyday learning.
    • Develop real-world lessons to get students to understand the life-long relevance of what they are learning.
    • Assess multiple skills and subject areas in an integrated way.
    • Collaborate with teachers across subject areas.
    • Test authentic skills and set authentic goals for their students to grow as individuals.

    Part I of the book features five full units, complete with student samples, targeted rubrics, a checklist to keep students on track, and even "Homework Hints." Part II is a mix-and-match section of tools you can use to create your own PBL-aligned lessons. The tools are available as eResources on our website, www.routledge.com/9781138891609, so you can print and use them in your classroom immediately.

    eResources

    Meet the Author

    Foreword by Suzie Boss

    Introduction

    Project Based Learning, the Common Core, and the 4Cs

    Experts Weigh In

    A Teacher’s Maker Movement

    How to Create Your Own PBL UNIT Focusing on Math or Science

    How This Book is Different Than Other PBL Books

    PART I: PBL Lessons

    THE GENIUS UNIT: A unit based on informational reading and scientific lab reports

    Facts

    Overview

    Step-by-Step Lessons

    Tip on How to Assess Writing Quickly #1

    Student Exemplars

    INVENTION UNIT: A unit based on inventing solutions to common, everyday problems using persuasive pitch writing, crowdsourcing, 3D printing, and digital commercial production

    Facts

    Overview

    Step-by-Step Lessons

    Tip on How to Assess Writing Quickly #2

    Student Exemplars

    GALAPAGOS UNIT – A unit committed to funding a mission to save the endangered and unique species of the Galapagos Islands based on student research, role-playing, writing an executive summary of recommendations, and an oral pitch to the "board" of a major institute.

    Facts

    Overview

    Step-by-Step Lessons

    Tip on How to Assess Writing Quickly #3

    Student Exemplars

     

    THE THEME PARK UNIT: A unit based on the engineering of building a theme park focused on mathematical trial-and-error and various thematic reading genres

    Facts

    Overview

    Step-by-Step Lessons

    Tip on How to Assess Writing Quickly #4

    Student Exemplars

     

    THE TEACH THEM TO BE TEACHERS UNIT: A unit based on the highest level of communication of all…the ability to teach

    Facts

    Overview

    Step-by-Step Lessons

    Tip on How to Assess Writing Quickly #5

    Student Exemplars

    PART II – Mix and Match Lessons

    Cornell Notes

    QRF (Question-Response Format)

    Norms for Video Conferencing

    How to Conduct an Interview

    Writing with Numeracy Lesson

    The Problem Statement

    Collaboration Constitution Assignment

    Tips on How to Reach Consensus

    Oral Presentation Rubric

    Understanding Infographics Lesson

    Break-Even Analysis

    How to Comment on a Blog

    Cover Letter Outline

    Executive Summary Outline

    Oral Conference Feedback Sheet

    Google Advanced Search

    Six Steps of Being an Internet Detective

    Internet Literacy: Verifying the Evidence Lesson

    Developing a Student-Created Assessment

    Oral Presentation Timing Sheet

    How to Annotate Text

    Tips for Choosing a Book

    Visual Presentation (PowerPoint) Guidelines

    Norms for Backchanneling and Using Twitter

    Biography

    Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher and a popular blogger through Tweenteacher.com and Edutopia.org. She is also author of DIY Project Based Learning in ELA and History, as well as two other books with Routledge Eye On Education.

    "With her DIY Project Based Learning books, Heather opens up her extensive toolkit and invites fellow teachers to take a look—and borrow liberally. It’s a generous move by a teacher who has worked hard to develop her own, deep understanding of PBL and to design projects that resonate with students." --From the Foreword by Suzie Boss, Education Consultant and National Faculty Member for the Buck Institute for Education, Portland, Oregon

    "This book is worth your time. Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s conversational writing style and step-by-step guidance take you on a magical journey, energize you, and fill your head with new possibilities. These innovative teaching units, mix-and-match lessons, and ready-to-use tools provide a rich array of material to bring your classroom to life. Heather is a truly talented curriculum designer with a gift for inspiring and connecting with her readers." --Anne Jolly, PLC Consultant with Learning Forward and author of STEM by Design (Routledge, 2016)

    "Heather Wolpert-Gawron is that rare teacher that will go to any length to bring a subject to life. I know so, because as a quantum physicist at Caltech, I am invited to her classroom every year to help her students create powerful superhero origin stories that incorporate real science into their chosen superpowers. In this book, you will find Heather's philosophy on teaching math and science effectively, as well as fully developed lessons from which any teacher can draw to create their own Project Based Learning modules. Perhaps, most importantly, teachers will find here the inspiration and tools they need to unlock their very own superpowers, the ones that make students say years later, 'I had this one math teacher that made me fall in love with math.'" --Spyridon Michalakis, Research Scientist and Manager of Outreach, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology

    "...this text would be beneficial for a teacher looking for alternate ways to assess their students in a meaningful way. I would also recommend this book to preservice teachers as it encompasses the NCTM Process Standards that are addressed in some state curricula." -- Katelyn Devine,Virginia Beach City Public Schools