This semester's PBL is a continuation of our garden unit from the Fall.
The driving question is "Can you design a theme-based tasting menu that features the product from The Bearcat Patch (the winning garden).
I have used the problem statement to expand the Driving Question: can you communicate nutritional information, budget, and marketing.
I loved the way the teachers at JL Mann created a space in their room to communicate the elements of the PBL and I have used that same concept for this PBL. It keeps everything in one place easy for everyone to see.
The Knows, Need-to-Know, and Not Certain area of the bulletin board immediately became a place for questions that would be discussed at a later date. This allowed my to facility more than being the keeper of all information.
The day Dawn visited was Day 3. On the two previous days, we had had the Entry Event and theme brain-storming.
The Entry Event was a tasting party. There are eight produce that will grow in the garden. Students described the taste of each produce in a blind taste test. It is interesting to me how different food tastes when you can't see it.
I was very proud of the students during Dawn's visit. They didn't let her presence change their behavior.
I really don't think I would change a thing if I had it to do over.
But the class has come up with a change. They want to include more information about the actual restaurant their tasting menu will represent. They are interested in the decor and set up and want to include that in the PBL. We will be working on a rubric for that sharing. I can't want to see their finished products.
How neat! I love the idea of the blind taste test as your entry event! What a cool way to tie it in to their senses! I'm glad to hear that this PBL went well for you. I felt much better about my spring PBL as compared to my fall PBL. I guess I have learned a lot during the time in between. It is interesting that your students want to work more with the decor and restaurant set-up in the future---seems like there would be a lot of cross-discplinary areas that they would cross over into. Great job@
ReplyDeleteI love that your two PBL units are connected. You have done so much with your school garden, which is fantastic! I like where you said that the project board allowed you to facilitate more and not be teh keeper of the information. I found that displaying this information helped keep the focus for my students. I find it great that your students want to do more than what you originally had planned. I think this shows how engaged and excited the students are about their project and how they want to make it as authentic as possible.
ReplyDeleteHi Marie,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you mentioned how one of your take aways from our Mann visit was their pbl project boards. I noticed how you had created that in your classroom and much of the information that I as well as students gathered from the unit came from the board. I appreciated how you encouraged students to add to their "Need to Know" chart and how all pertinent information related to their pbl was on that board. I read how students participated in a food tasting during their entry event of healthy fruits and vegetables and how this exposed students to healthy fruits and vegetables while also motivating them to want to take what they grow from their garden to create a menu for their restaurant. I know on the day I was there students were excited about their restaurant theme and decorations so I am glad that you provided them with the flexibility to expand that element into their pbl. Thanks, Dawn