Products & Performance:
The “Choose Your Own Adventure" Project Based Learning project will encompass four major parts:
Mini-lessons on Immigration in Idaho teaching key concepts and vocabulary (this is considered front-loading Idaho History and risk-taking literacy information using activities to give students content needed to explore, question, and form opinions needed to make connections).
Inquiry and Research - Using our driving question of "Why do people take risks & immigrate to a different place?", students will form sub questions throughout the process of gaining understanding in the first week-sub questions are also provided to help guide students. Students will explore various scenarios of people immigrating in Idaho History and in different places in the world at different points in time. Some of this information will be provided in textbook and small readers and there will also be opportunities for students to explore various sites (in resources section). Appropriate note-taking of material will be directly taught during this time. Then students will explore immigration within their own family by conducting an interview of a family member or family friend if necessary. The information from their research and interviews will assist in the creation of their final project.
Culminating Activity - The culminating activity will be the group's "Choose Your Own Adventure" website. This site will be drafted and revised several times with teacher provided forms. In this activity students will combine their research about the risks Idaho and worldwide immigrants took and their family interviews, specifically focused on choices, outcomes, and probability of those outcomes. Students will be creating a website that has the scenario, various choices and different outcomes that the students created after synthesizing the information they learned. These "Choose Your Own Adventure" websites will be showcased on the final day of the project to parents and peers in the building. Students will be facilitating these presentations and providing background information for the participants.
Mini-lessons on Immigration in Idaho teaching key concepts and vocabulary (this is considered front-loading Idaho History and risk-taking literacy information using activities to give students content needed to explore, question, and form opinions needed to make connections).
Inquiry and Research - Using our driving question of "Why do people take risks & immigrate to a different place?", students will form sub questions throughout the process of gaining understanding in the first week-sub questions are also provided to help guide students. Students will explore various scenarios of people immigrating in Idaho History and in different places in the world at different points in time. Some of this information will be provided in textbook and small readers and there will also be opportunities for students to explore various sites (in resources section). Appropriate note-taking of material will be directly taught during this time. Then students will explore immigration within their own family by conducting an interview of a family member or family friend if necessary. The information from their research and interviews will assist in the creation of their final project.
Culminating Activity - The culminating activity will be the group's "Choose Your Own Adventure" website. This site will be drafted and revised several times with teacher provided forms. In this activity students will combine their research about the risks Idaho and worldwide immigrants took and their family interviews, specifically focused on choices, outcomes, and probability of those outcomes. Students will be creating a website that has the scenario, various choices and different outcomes that the students created after synthesizing the information they learned. These "Choose Your Own Adventure" websites will be showcased on the final day of the project to parents and peers in the building. Students will be facilitating these presentations and providing background information for the participants.
Culminating Activity Rubric-
See more information on Assessments used on the Assessment page here
Reflection Methods:
- Journal/Learning Log (Risk Journal)
- Reflection Questions (provided)
- Kagan Structures like: Think-Pair-Share -This type of activity first asks students to consider a question on their own, and then provides an opportunity for students to discuss it in pairs, and finally together with the whole class. The success of these activities depend on the nature of the questions posed. This activity works ideally with questions to encourage deeper thinking, problem-solving, and/or critical analysis. The group discussions are critical as they allow students to articulate their thought processes.The procedure is as follows:
- Pose a question, usually by writing it on the board or projecting it.
- Have students consider the question on their own (1 – 2 min).
- Then allow the students form groups of 2-3 people.
- Next, have students discuss the question with their partner and share their ideas and/or contrasting opinions (3 min).
- Re-group as a whole class and solicit responses from some or all of the pairs (3 min).
- Whole-Class Discussions
- Mini-lessons
- Focus Groups
- Risk Story Writing-Partner Feedback Form