I love Projects. Geometrocity, the City Made of Math



I'm just going to throw this out there, "I love projects".  It doesn't matter if it's reading, math, science, whatever--I just love projects and project based learning.  Giving students a large scale (or long-scale) project, seeing them attack problems, deciding where to start, and/or working within a group is one of the best things we can do as teachers (I don't have any data to back that last statement up).  Yes, it takes a lot of work to make sure students are progressing and making appropriate progress--but it's what we do.

Let me clarify this a little more:  I love projects that take place in the classroom.

I don't always trust projects that go home then come back a little too perfect.  Yes, your parents can get an "A" but did the kid even do anything?

"We also need to bring back science fairs," I scream as a step of my soapbox.

Before you get mad and tell me projects are a hassle let me tell you the positives that happen when they're done correctly:
  • Collaboration and Cooperation (two completely different ideas, both equally important)
  • Stirs creativity and imagination
  • Creates problem solvers
  • Allows for immediate feedback from peers and their own self-reflection/assessment
  • It integrates technology more efficiently
  • Connections to the real-world

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I create project based learning activities for my students because I've seen the positive impact in their engagement levels and also allows for multiple modalities of their own learning to be used.  Some of these projects are shorter single day events while others may take a month.  It doesn't matter which kind I use, just that my students stretch their learning potential.


If you're looking to incorporate more project based learning opportunities in your class, might I suggest trying out Geometrocity: A City Made of Math.  This can be completed individually, within a group, or even as a class project.  Your students will literally be designing, planning, and building a city using geometry.



A great luxury of having a daughter in elementary school is that she always wants to try out what I create. She is my quality control.  So her and a friend spent an afternoon creating buildings, using nets, to design 3D models of their city.




Geometrocity is broken down into Phases (which the teacher has total control over) and students work through them with each step building on the next incorporating geometry skills to build sections of their city.  

One of my favorite aspects is you can differentiate this immediately to students whether it's choosing lower level sections (less vocabulary) or pushing kids to make it to the challenge section.


If you're interested in learning more about PROJECT BASED LEARNING check out my post on ten tips to make PBL a success in your classroom.


Still need more?  Stop by and see all the PBL's I've created.  They range from designing a zoo to surviving on deserted islands, or even creating colonies in outer space

                           

And is it really a surprise that the first building my daughter made was Target?  
Nope.  We love Target.
                       



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Tune Into Technology: ThingLink & Literacy Skills

Time for another Tune Into Technology, the perfect summer link-up because I have time to try out everyone's ideas for and then steal 'em and say I did it all myself.  Seriously Learning to the Core and iTeach 1:1 have a great thing going--so jump in this and share your tips too.

A few months ago I wrote about ThingLink (which is a pretty amazing website) that allows users to annotate images and digitally "write" on them with links, images, and quotes, and/or your own typing.  It's really easy to use and I was jazzed up when Jen at Tech With Jen  wrote about and shared some of the uses with it.  So of course, I had to go and check it out.  Then I knew I'd need to find a way to use it..and I did.
Then in April, Jeanette from Third Grade Galore (who I teach with) and I got together to figure out a culmination project  for her students after they read the book Charlette's Web.  We discussed it for a while and I share the idea of using ThingLink with her (and she ran with it).  It would be a good use of technology and reading skills intertwining with one another.

For their final project (and I hope I'm getting all the details correct) were going to create an interactive ThingLink with three of the most important parts from the book.  

Here is what a finished one looked like:


Here were the steps students took:
  1. Pick three important plot points from the book.  Students could decide which ones they picked and why.
  2. They had to draw what those scenes were (using those inference skills).
  3. Jeanette and students took photos of each set of three pictures.
  4. Upload to ThingLink.
  5. Students then typed in what was happening in each scene.
  6. BOOM!  All Done (but this actually took the kids a little more time)

Students could then access each other's work and even leave comments (which is probably the coolest part).  The chance to receive immediate feedback from your peers is awesome --just like blogging.



I love seeing the combination of art, reading, and technology all coming together (and pretty seamlessly too).  This is a project that allows students at all different learning levels to differentiate for themselves as they work.  Some kids only wrote one detail per image, while others wrote almost a paragraph and had multiple links on images.  This isn't even including the peer review where students could leave comments.
  • ThingLink is free, they also have an educator portion too.
  • It can be used on computers and mobile devices.
  • You can use images from the inter webs  or upload your own.
  • Almost all ThingLink creations are public and easy to access.
  • All can be embedded in sites (much like I've done with these)


 


In closing..if you get a chance check out ThingLink and give it a try.  
You will love it and be happier than a bear in a swimming pool.



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