Problem Based Learning Activities

Constitution Day projects & Essays resources es/ms/hs Actively seek out alternative information ADA - assessment and action project Alternative Energy Sources and Conservation Attendance Improvement Campaign Benjamin Franklin Extraordinary Biodiversity Exploration Investigation ms/hs Birds - examine status of local species Bird Species List for FeederWatch - make one Biomes - learn about biomes as you select a new home Bloggez- vous? Bonus Army treatment and veterans today Bridges or earmarks what is the national priority? Cars - Event recording device - privacy, safety & justice Charity begins at Home Civil Rights - What are yours? Clean Coal Technology fact or fiction Club or School Presentation Project Collaboration Online and Social Networking - Web 2.0 Collaboration online and Social Networking - using it to do work Colonial American PowerPoint project ppt download Community's History through its names Community Green Infrastructure Project Competition of Birds on Wade Island - updated 3/2013

School Attendance Campaign - PBL An article in yesterday's newspaper was shocking. Twenty percent of the kids who enter the 9th grade, in your school district, drop out before graduating. US High School Dropout Rate. | High School Drop-out Rates Rise Education and income | Occupation Outlook Quarterly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics On the other hand - Student's perfect attendance results in a new car Everyone agrees that something must be done to improve attendance and reduce the dropout rate. What is an "OK" number of days to miss school in a week? Take Action - develop a program to improve attendance. Your campaign must state the problem. Resources: Only action produces change. - Basic Social Marketing - Marketing Lite Writing to persuade | Program buy in Your America: Take action resources What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools?

America's mood - Examine and Comment What should be America's Mood? What is yours? Read Adrian Woolridge's Opinion piece: Unhappy America, The Economist. July 2008. Watch the interview on CSPAN Washington Journal - Adrian Woolridge The Economist, Washington Bureau Chief, July 28, 2008. Staggering US Debt Could Hit Us In The Long Run, The Tampa Tribune 7/29/2008 Evaluate: What are the issues the author cites for why America is feeling negative? Investigate: How are these issues impacting your state? Is income rising? Are these issues impacting your community? Respond to the author: I'm feeling optimistic because ... or I'm feeling pessimistic because ... As Individuals: CBS News - Who's Happier, Women Or Men? Your America: Take action resources Other Projects: What should be the Nation's priority? Earmarks | Bridges or Earmarks | Government Travel | Global Warming Bonus Army treatment and Veterans benefits today | Community Development , Symbol, or . Proof your responses. Make Your Own Printed answer sheet.

Scientific Studies: Scientific Method Learning about the scientific method is almost like saying that you are learning how to learn. The scientific method is a process used by scientists to study the world around them. It can also be used to test whether any statement is accurate. You can use the scientific method to study a leaf, a dog, an ocean, or the entire Universe. We all have questions about the world. Just about everything starts with a question. So you've got a scientist. As more questions are asked, scientists build a foundation of answers. The whole process allows the world to advance, evolve, and grow. Experimental evidence is used to confirm the answers in science. Scientists start with general observations and then make a hypothesis. Once you have a scientific hypothesis, the fun can begin. It is very important that the experiment is objective. So what about that first hypothesis? There are different terms used to describe scientific ideas based on the amount of confirmed experimental evidence.