Project-Based Learning Talent Show

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This project-based learning (PBL) talent show is designed to find hidden talents in third grade students by exposing them to learning opportunities they may not have had in the past. This PBL activity will tie into our social studies unit about the community we live in, Ballard, Seattle. I got this idea from a project on Edutopia called, "LivingLegends: Oral History Projects Bring Core Subjects to Life."

I want students to learn about Ballard, but it can't come from me lecturing. They need to learn for themselves and make meaning accordingly. Students will begin by creating guiding questions for their research. Some examples are: What makes Ballard unique? Why is Ballard a great place to live? What is some important history of Ballard? I will arrange for community members to visit the class over the course of a couple of days. Students will learn beforehand who the speakers will be, what they do, and why they were invited. Students will also have input into our guest choices. Students will work in small groups of two to three and will write open-ended interview questions for the guests of their choosing. The questions will relate back to their guiding question. Students will prepare and practice. When the time comes for the interviews, students will take on the roles of interviewer, videographer, and photographer.

After the interviews are complete, students will review footage to find the most important information. They will compile the information and create a storyline and presentation idea. Editing movies can be very complicated, so other types of presentations will be available, such as PowerPoint, digital storytelling, theatrical presentation, or any other appropriate student proposal. Once projects are complete, students in all four third grades will come together and present their final products, creating a vibrant, living history of Ballard. Families will be invited to the presentation and all digital files will be made available on our school sharing site. The final piece of the PBL activity will be a student reflection on his or her own learning and process. I like to use reflections as assessments for PBL activities because it helps me to know what each student learned form the experience.

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I believe that this PBL activity will effectively help third grade students learn important facts and history about our town, which they would have otherwise not known. The goal of this activity is not only that students learn about the town and city they live in, but also begin to feel a sense of larger community, understand more about communities, and hopefully discover a new interest in history and community issues. I also hope that students take away some new technological skills and become excited about fresh, creative ways to present information. This PBL activity provides multiple opportunities for students to try new things and develop new interests. Students will have opportunities to craft thoughtful questions, conduct interviews, record video, take photographs, synthesize information, learn one or more methods of digital or other presentation, collaborate and cooperate with group members, present to a group, and also watch others take this journey. It would be thrilling as a teacher and a student to watch someone shine in any of these areas and gain a new confidence or inspiration.

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