Throw Your Hands in the Air For the Ride of the Summer

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning, PBL, promotes use of 21 Century Skills: problem solving, critical thinking, collaborating, thinking creatively, and communicating clearly. Teachers encourage inquiry-based learning which motivates students who are learning needed skills while creating something fun. In the model shown at http://labellemigrantsummerprogram.weebly.com/ students use reading, writing and STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math- skills to complete rollercoaster projects and design websites about their teams rollercoaster and the science behind roller coasters.
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Using Weebly for Education

https://education.weebly.com/ is an excellent resource for teachers and students. Weebly is easy to use and manage student accounts. Assignments can be submitted in a Weebly Educators account and p arents can see the work progress as students build their own website. From the Weeblys login page, there are step by step directions on how to get started under the support tab. In our program, we set up a web-quest style teacher page. Students visit the site each day to see their assignment. Our program lasts for 15 days so we designed the assignments accordingly. A typical web-quest has an introduction, the task and process, an evaluation and conclusion. In our site we have added the student web pages tab so that students can review and read their classmates blogs. We also added a resource page so students could go back to sites we used to re-read or research ideas. Students each had a laptop to research and create their personal webpage. They would do the research on laws of motion needed to help construct their rollercoaster. Daily students would blog or create a new page for their personal website. Weebly for Education makes it easy to set up student sites and apply a password to their site to make it safe.

Supplies Needed
Pipe insulation and masking tape Paper Roller Coaster Kitshttp://www.paperrollercoasters.com Marbles Large cardboard for base of paper rollercoaster Lots of Tape (Masking and Scotch), markers, poster board, rulers, scissors One to one computing (laptop, tablet, desktop) Cameras Stopwatches
PLACE PHOTO HERE, OTHERWISE DELETE BOX

Common Core: Throw Your Hands in the Air

Language Arts
Students had to hone in on their research, writing and communication skills. Students researched and read about roller coaster science daily. Writing occurred everyday and because it was related to the project the students were creating. LACC.4.L.1.1 (2013-2014): Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. LACC.4.L.1.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. LACC.4.L.2.3 Use knowledge of Language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading or listening. LACC.4Rl.1.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. LACC4.RI.3.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. LACC.K12.W.3.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. LACC.K12.W.2.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Math and Science

Science laws of motion were applied everyday while building the roller coasters. Math was incorporated by measuring time, height and solving word problems that related to the building of the coasters. MACC.4.MD.1.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems. For example, find the width of a rectangular room given the area of the flooring and the length, by viewing the area formula as a multiplication equation with an unknown factor. MACC.4.MD.1.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36), ... MACC.K12.MP.5.1 Use appropriate tolls strategically. MACC.K12.MP.4.1 Model with mathematics.

Engineering and Technology

Students learn about creating websites and basic design. Choosing their own elements of design and images and text allow students to be creative and apply their knowledge. Building the coasters really helped develop problem solving skills needed to engineer a working coaster. Applying physical science and having the experiences to better understand physics will hopefully inspire our migrant students to consider STEM related careers.

THE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS ARE A SET OF ABILITIES THAT STUDENTS NEED TO DEVELOP IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THE INFORMATION AGE.
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Stella Luckey Hendry County, FL Teacher

Country Oaks Elementary 2052 Eucalyptus Blvd. LaBelle, FL 33935