Jacqueline+Szczerba

Add lesson plan here =Problem-based Learning Lesson Plan= Problem-Based Learning (PBL) enriches students’ understanding of content. PBL is the learning that results when students wrestle with a problem, try and understand it, and make recommendations for learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). The problem-based learning activity I will be implementing is for my fifth grade class. The subject areas it will address are social studies, math, and language arts. To introduce the lesson, I will be using the internet, SMART Board, and the projector to display articles about local house fires where people have died as a result of not having smoke detectors in their home. I am hoping this will stir emotion in the students to want to do something about it. We will discuss what we think are the reasons why this could happen. Using chart paper, I will write down their ideas to keep on display throughout the project. Next, the students will work in groups to research fatalities in house fires in our area, county, and state. We will research where the most fatalities have happened, why they have happened. We will also research the type of people killed, like senior citizens, low socio-economic people, college students, children, etc. After that, they will also do some research on the cost of smoke detectors, batteries, and where people can get them. Then, they will contact our local fire companies and the fire marshal through email and request a visit from them to discuss this problem. Before the visits from our fire marshal and fire companies, the students will compile a list of questions to ask to get some answers for their project. After our visits, the students will continue their research. They will be finding out where to get a large quantity of smoke detectors and batteries at a minimal price. Each group will be trying to find the most for their money and will need to report their findings with each other to see who has the best offer. Once the best offer is found, they will need to figure out how to purchase them and what to do with the smoke detectors and batteries when they get them. For example, will we have a free smoke detector and battery give away from the school, the local fire company, or will we go to the areas of our community that needs them the most and probably would not come out to get them, like senior citizens or low socio-economic areas. The students will decide the best way to distribute them using the results of their research. The first Delaware State standard addressed in this project is Economics Standard One: Students will analyze the potential costs and benefits of personal economic choices in a market economy [Microeconomics]. The second Delaware standard addressed is Math Standard 1 (5–8) – Numeric Reasoning: Students will develop Numeric Reasoning and an understanding of Number and Operations by solving problems in which there is a need to represent and model real numbers verbally, physically, and symbolically; to explain the relationship between numbers; to determine the relative magnitude of real numbers; to use operations with understanding; and to select appropriate methods of calculations from among mental math, paper-and-pencil, calculators, or computers. Another Delaware math standard that will be covered is Standard 2 (5–8) – Algebraic Reasoning: Students will develop Algebraic Reasoning and an understanding of Patterns and Functions by solving problems in which there is a need to recognize and extend a variety of patterns; to progress from the concrete to the abstract using physical models, equations, and graphs; to describe, represent, and analyze relationships among variable quantities; and to analyze, represent, model, and describe real-world functional relationships. The next standard covered is Writing Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Through this project, the students will be solving a real world problem while learning cross curricular standards in math, language arts, and social studies. The problem my students will be researching and making recommendations on is what can be done to insure that people in our community and surrounding areas have smoke detectors with batteries in their homes, how can we get the word out that working smoke detectors save lives and what can we do to help our community. The reason we chose this problem is first and foremost, I am a volunteer firefighter and have been to fires where there have not been smoke detectors and lives were lost. Also, recently in our community, there was a house fire, which my students knew about and knowing I am a fire fighter, they started asking me questions about fires, fatalities, smoke detectors, etc. Since the interest on this subject was so high, I prompted the question why they think people do not have smoke detectors and what are the factors that cause them to not have smoke detectors in their home. Furthermore, how can we help with this problem? The steps of this lesson are first, we will look at news clips from the internet on the SMART board of fires where people were killed because of smoke detectors. We will also look at news clips of house fires where there were no fatalities because they had working smoke detectors. This will stir with the students’ emotions to want to do something about the problem. Next, the students will work in groups researching through our fire marshal’s office and website the amount of fatalities there were in the last year and or last five years this will depend on our findings because we want to work with a lot of data. Next, we will be contacting our local fire companies and the fire marshal’s office through email to see if we can have a visit to discuss our problem with them and ask for advice and resources they may know of to help us. After our visit with the fire company and fire marshal, the students will continue their research on the internet of the number of fatalities versus non-fatality fires, where and how much smoke detectors and batteries are, ways we can get smoke detectors and batteries to the community, and also ways we can inform our community of the importance of working smoke detectors in the home. Throughout the project, some of the technology the students will be using is keeping e-journals for reflecting on their progress, and creating files in Microsoft on the computer to save their data, they will also need Microsoft Excel to chart their data, the internet for their research, email, Power Point to present their findings, and any other type of technology my students feel comfortable using to present their findings like Voice Thread, blogs, wikis, videos, etc. Furthermore, the above data collection tools will be used by me to assess learning and knowledge of the content. They will also be doing group debriefing sessions and exit tickets to demonstrate learning and make sure everyone is participating in the group. The summative assessment will be all of their research, data collected, solutions, and final presentations at the end of the PBL activity. During this project, I will make sure that I am assisting all of my diverse learners. I will be grouping my low students with high students, so that my high students will assist the low ones when they need it. Also, this will challenge my high students to be leaders in their groups. Furthermore, I will be reaching all of my learners by using technology throughout the entire PBL activity. Technology provides a venue to meet the needs of my diverse learners (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). This technology includes images, videos, sound, kinesthetic activities like using the computer, discussions, etc. By having auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learning tools, I will ensure that I am reaching all of my learners. The final product of this PBL activity is a presentation by each group there findings of data, their solution of the problem, and their recommendations. PBL is an individual or group project that lasts over a period of time, results in a product or presentation, has timelines, milestones, and other aspects of assessment along the way to assess learning (Moursund, 2012). = = = = =References= Laureate Education, Inc. (producer). (2010a). Meeting the Needs with Technology Part 1 [Video webcast]. Retrieved from [] Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive producer). (2010b). Spotlight on Technology: Problem-Based Learning Part 1. Author: Baltimore, MD. Delaware Department of Education. (2012). Common Core State Standards and Recommended Curriculum. Retrieved from []

Moursund, D., (2012). Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning. [website]. Retrieved from [].

Hi Jacqueline- This is what I love about PBL, that is covers many contents. As a reading teacher, this is what we want to encourage content area teachers, such as, social studies to teach. I really like the way you will have the students do their own research by contacting fire companies and the fire marshal, etc. This definitely makes the connection to the real world and gives them exposure on how to take the proper steps if they do need to find something out that they must contact a company or government official. This seems like a very engaging project that the students will enjoy. Nice job! Traci Lynn Reynolds

Thanks Traci !

Jacqueline,

Since I also teach 5th grade, your PBL intrigued me. We always have a lesson of fire safety, taught by a couple of firemen who show a video of how fast fires spead and offer basic fire safety tips. Honestly, in our need to cover curriculum, we have not done much more to follow up this whole group presentation. The math, langauge arts and social studies cross-curricular focus will help to engage your students and cover numerous standards with this PBL. You could also include a science tie-in, as the stduents could research what happens to the lungs due to smoke inhalation (and how people can die just from the smoke). In my district, respiration is taught to 5th graders as part of our science/health curriculum. This is just a thought, although you do have quite a lot going on already.

A suggestion I have is to look carefully at your student pairings. It may not be as engaging and challenging for the high students to work with very low students. Yes, they will assist the low students, but may not get as much out of the lesson if they do not have much of a challenge themselves. A possibility is to pair high with medium/high students, and then pair medium/low students with the lower students. Then, their range is not so diverse. Good luck on implementing your PBL. I may need to use some ideas for my students next year during and after our fire safety presentations. Sandy Thanks Sandy! I love your idea about researching what smoke does to your lungs. Respiration is not in our curriculum, but it would make for a good science component of this lesson! Jackie