Project-Based Learning UNIT PLAN Non-Grade
Name of PBL: School and Team Branding for Possibilities Course
Grade Level of Students: Middle School grades 6-8 (mixed grades)
Subject: Design, Engineer, and Create (Possibilities) Building a Portable Backdrop:
Standards: There are no course SOL’s, this course is an elective at an Independent School
PROJECT OVERVIEW: students present/persuade others that their design of a portable backdrop that suits the needs of a traveling theater and then the team builds the agreed upon design. The backdrop must be able to be taken down and put together quickly and must be able to fit through a classroom door.
CONTENT: design and engineering concepts (scale, form, and function), theater production and stage crew responsibilities, safe use of various power and hand tools, measuring, budgeting, collaboration, creativity, repurposed materials, and presentation (persuasion).
Occupations: Architect, Engineer, Stage crew, Theater Director, Roadie, Carpenter, Builder, Artist
Students will be able to: continue to build upon their teamwork skills (collaboration, reflection, revision) learn to use power and hand tools safely and practice their presentation skills to an authentic audience.
Cross curriculum: science (accurate measuring and using repurposed materials), engineering (design and engineering process), mathematics (scale), language arts (research and presentation), and arts (design, theater production and stage crew responsibilities).
DRIVING QUESTION: Could you as a stage crew create a portable/changeable backdrop made from repurposed materials is the best fit for your traveling theater troupe.
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE SKILLS:
Which will be focused on? creativity (innovation) is the focus; however, collaboration and communication are equally important skills students will utilize.
What strategies will you use to explicitly model and assess them? (ex. Gallery Walk, Critical Friends, collaborative groups, etc.) critical friends, gallery walk, PMI (plus, minus, interesting), shoulder partner
STUDENT GROUPING:
How will they be grouped? between four and eight members and by student interests (mechanical, structural, scientific theatrical, service). After several weeks of working on various assignments, students will commit to working with a particular group for the next four months based on the above interests.
What roles will students have in groups? leader, designer, engineer, secretary, technology support, materials support and treasurer.
ENTRY EVENT:
What will excite students and introduce the project? Short video of children playing with regular sized toys. Then brought into a room with shrunken toys. The children try to fit into the small toys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtngSHtz-cc
Plan to find some other videos (perhaps America’s Funniest Videos of people trying to move large objects into spaces they do not fit.
This is a possibilities class and we will be putting ourselves and our school out there in the public for a number of competitions both locally and nationally demonstrating that all of us utilize 21st Century Skills. We will need to transport our materials in a school van to and from these competitions. How can we ensure that our materials can be easily moved and fit in our school van?
SUPPLIES AND RESOURCES:
What special supplies will be needed? graph paper, pencils, markers and rulers for initial sketches and final sketches will be created with Sketch Up for presentation. Students should utilize materials found around the house or in the MS/US Makerspace to build a small scale model for presentation (students may not purchase materials for the model). The final design will be built with repurposed materials obtained by the team.
Additional Resources: Upper School production class and theater director to explain theater and stage crew requirements, Upper School CAD class graduates to aid in Sketch UP, art teachers and students’ iPAD for online research. Additional outside guests to guide the students: Engineer and architect (alumni, parents, outside resources)
What technology will be needed? computer lab (b/c Sketch Up does not always work well on iPADs)
CALENDAR/TIMELINE:
How many sessions will the project take to complete? (17) 40 minute class periods
Engineering and Design Concepts:
(3) 40 minute class periods for introduction and guest lectures/explanations: students will have time to work through questions (reflect and revise) after guest speaks (guest will also stay for entire bell to offer additional assistance
(3) 40 minute class periods for each student to design their portable back drop, build a small scale model (students should submit at least three designs including a sentence or two explaining why changes were made for each design), and transfer their hand drawn sketches to Sketch UP or CAD for final presentation. Model will be included in presentation
Presentation Reflections
(2) 40 minute class periods to create and revise presentation (students should reflect on progress after the first day
(1) 40 minute class period for practice presentations (in front team members only) and reflection (critical friends) and revision
(1) 40 minute class period for authentic presentations, Q&A and personal reflection
Collaboration and Construction
(3) 40 minute class periods for teams collaborate and agree to final design and build their collaborative design
(1) 40 minute class period to try design and reflect as a group and individually
(2) 40 minute class periods to revise and polish final design
(1) 40 minute class period to place portable storyboards around school displaying various Possibility class projects until needed for competitions
What do you have to do before to make this fit into your class time?
Students will work for five weeks prior to this project forming, storming, and norming their team using Exploravision (sponsored by Toshiba and promoted by the National Science Teacher Association) and the American Water Works Water Tower Competition held at Old Dominion University
PUBLIC PRESENTATION/AUDIENCE:
How will students share? Students will have three minutes to present their ideas and persuade their team and audience through a number of formats. Standing in front of the audience or a movie or other digital presentation formats or a written report or a poster board. Students may also suggest another format.
Who will students present to (real-world connection)? members of the theater production class, theater director, various teachers, parents, and community members (engineer, architect, theatrical organizations in our area) and members of their class.
What do you have to schedule in advance? time and location of presentation possibly board room, classroom, or explore room (class size dependent) and school van to try to fit design into van.
What will other students do during presentations? they will reflect upon their classmates presentations and their own design. exemplary
ASSESSMENT RUBRICS:
Developing / Proficient / ExemplaryEngineering and Design / explains and applies engineering and design concepts in the reflection of one of the three sketches / explains and applies engineering and design concepts in the reflection of two of the three sketches / explains and applies engineering and design concepts in the reflection of three of the three sketches
Sketch UP or CAD / small difficult to visualize design and missing measurements and units / design is easy to visualize, but measurements are missing units / design is easy to visualize and measurements include units
Engineering and Design Concepts:
Presentation Reflections:
Developing / Proficient / ExemplaryPractice / recognizes one area of improvement / recognizes at least one area of improvement and puts together a plan for improvement / recognizes at least one area of improvement and puts together a detailed plan for improvement
Critical Friends / commented on whether or not revisions were made / explains why they either made revisions or did not make revisions based on peer questions or observations, or suggestions / makes notes of peer reflection and explains why they either made revisions or not based on peer questions, observations, and suggestions
Authentic Presentation / design was mentioned made eye contact with panel and appropriate diction and volume (could be heard and understood) / explained design, made eye contact with panel and appropriate diction and volume (could be heard and understood) / explained design using appropriate vocabulary, made eye contact with panel and appropriate diction and volume (could be heard and understood)
Q&A / the audience asked questions and the student was unable to answer / the audience asked questions that the student was able to answer / presentation engaged the audience and the audience asked questions that the student was able to answer
Individual Reflection / student mentions questions audience asked, but did not reflect upon them / student reflected on audience questions / student reflected on audience questions and their responses
Collaboration and Construction
Developing / Proficient / ExemplaryCollaboration / student respects others designs, / student respects others designs, is honest in their evaluations / student respects others designs, is honest in their evaluations and is willing to compromise
Construction / student works with team members to build the design the team chose / student works cooperatively with team members to build the design the team chose / student works diligently and cooperatively with team members to build the design the team chose
Collaboration and Revision / student agrees with team, / student agrees with team after hearing other members suggestions / student collaborates with team members to revise design
Reflection / student mentions collaboration or construction or revision processes / student describes collaboration or construction or revision processes / student reflects on collaboration, construction and revision process and includes details