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A Butterfly Garden
In this task, students will design a butterfly garden that someone in the community could plant and that they could plant at the school to attract butterflies and help them thrive. Students will spread the word and educate others about the threat to the butterfly population.
PBLA New Kind of Literacy for a 21st Century World
Students learn to be critical consumers of online information.
PBLA Place for Robots
This unit is aligned with both the Next Generation Science and CCSS standards for fourth to fifth grade.
PBLA World Without Butterflies?
Students will learn about butterflies – their life cycle and why they are important – as they write to inform others how to protect these special creatures. In addition to learning about the life cycle of a butterfly, students gain an understanding of how to read and interpret informational texts.
PBLAirport Problem
Air travel has become a vital part of our transportation infrastructure. Cities and suburbs are growing, and additional airports may help reduce waiting times at ticket counters and security checkpoints. Students will learn and apply geometry and geography as they determine where to build an airport for their community.
PBLArtistic Persuasion
Persuasive writing isn't the only way to convince someone to support an issue or cause. Artists use their talents to persuade others through murals, sculptures, paintings, photographs, and more.
PBLAuthor's Choice
Wouldn't it be special to see your community featured in a children's book? Primary students learn the basics of story elements and letter writing to convince a favorite author to use their community as the setting for his/her next publication!
PBLCan a Frog, Turtle, and Fish Help Us?
Funny Frog, Terrific Turtle, and Fast Fish live in a pond. They spend their time playing, eating, breathing, moving, sleeping, and more. Human beings live their lives in much the same way, but in a different place from a pond. Could Funny Frog, Terrific Turtle, and Fast Fish help us in our lives? Students have an opportunity to be innovative while learning science content. They are challenged to create an invention to help humans based on how frogs, turtles, and fish live.
PBLColony on the Moon
Students explore the engineering challenges with sustaining human life on a moon.
PBLDesign a Sustainable City
Inspired by UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, students will research the climate change issues in a particular area and design an aspect to improve the sustainability of the town or city using IDE Corp.'s Design Process.
PBLDesigner Genes
Students investigate the importance of genetics and the impact of genetic testing on the world community.
PBLDesigner Pizza
What if you wanted a larger piece of everything pizza and smaller pieces of cheese pizza and buffalo chicken pizza? Maybe pizza shops should consider more customization of pizza purchases! In this PBL, students develop a high-quality menu plan and present it to a local pizza shop to innovate pizza purchases.
PBLDigital Serfs?
Students explore feudalism in the Middle Ages as they consider the possibility of an emerging digital feudalism.
PBLEat Local and End Hunger!
Eat Local and End Hunger! challenges students to use their math and research skills to build and maintain a community garden to address UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 about ending hunger around the world. Students will then promote the garden with a community cookbook and website of the produce their weather zone can grow.
PBLEconomists for Equity
This economics PBL challenges students to look at the factors that make up the American economy: taxes, government programs, subsidies, etc., and closely examine what is working and what is not to make a fairer economic vision for this country.
PBLEquitable Education for All!
The goal of this unit is to create empathy with other children/students around the world and strive to create an awareness of inequity. In this unit, students will develop an understanding of how other children are, or are not, educated around the world. Students will realize that they have the power and the ability to make a change in the world.
PBLEvery Vote Counts
Does every vote count? This unit capitalizes on burgeoning voters' felt need to understand the presidential process and their civic duty to make informed decisions about the United States of America as it forms "a more perfect union."
PBLExtreme Weather: Are You Prepared?
You may be prepared for the typical severe weather in your region, but what about weather that is out of the norm? In this PBL, students research past atypical, extreme weather. As they learn about the hazards of such weather, they collaborate to create resources to support families in planning for possible extreme weather.
PBLFood for Thought
In this unit, students will be engaged in finding solutions to ending world hunger. Plus, through a felt need, they will learn multiplication facts that will become contributions of rice donations. Students will realize that they do have the power and ability to make a difference in the world.
PBLGardens of the Future
Hunger is a global problem that affects 9 percent of the world's population. Although that may not seem like much, it is actually about 820 million people. There are a variety of reasons why a particular region may not have enough food to feed its people. In this PBL, students explore the causes and effects of hunger and use the IDE Corp. Design Process to create a solution using an alternative farming method.
PBLGlobalized Patient Care
There are a variety of small businesses throughout the world, but certain types have better success rates than others. Among the most successful small business industries are dentist and doctor's offices. However, because these small businesses have less money and manpower than larger corporations, they are not always able to provide patient services in foreign languages. In this PBL, students will develop a set of resources for those working in dentist and doctor's offices as well as for the patients who use their services. These tools will be offered to local medical offices within the community.
PBLGreetings in a Card
In this unit, students explore the purpose of a greeting. They will then create a greeting card and send it to the person of their choice. Content and skills addressed include reading informational text, writing, letter writing, and addressing an envelope.
PBLHow Do You Celebrate Pi?
How well do you know pi? Students learn about pi in geometry. They practice finding the area of circles and the volume of cylinders using this constant. But why is pi so important? There are even holidays dedicated to celebrating pi! In this PBL, students research, learn, and apply the various uses of pi. They will use their knowledge to design a display to share with their school or community, inspiring others to celebrate pi!
PBLHydro-Electric Power Source
Through the development of a novel proposal for a hydro-electric power source, high school students will be able to explore the economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical benefits and risks to this natural energy source.Using the IDE Corp. Design Process to evaluate their proposed solution, students will use mathematical, scientific, and engineering concepts to persuade their chosen audience. The students will discover the importance of suitability and devise a solution to responsibly manage our natural resources!
PBLImprove, Don't Move
This PBL allows students in carpentry courses to hone their communication, design, and drafting skills. Each student is asked to propose a home improvement project from the perspective of a homeowner and to be ready to verbally present their ideas to a “contractor” (another student in the class).
PBLMarch Madness Selection: Calculation or Conjecture?
Understanding statistics and probability is an important skill to have in life. You are able to read and analyze studies and reports with a critical eye, compare data to make informed decisions, and persuade others using your knowledge of mathematical concepts. In this unit, students will explore the mathematics behind the NCAA March Madness selection process. They will compare NET, RPI, and their own methods for selecting teams.
PBLMedusa's Myth
Low self-esteem and negative body image are concerns that plague many teens. In this PBL, students examine the issue of body image write original myths to convey a message of the importance of positive self-esteem and inner beauty to their peers. Although students will write myths individually, they will work together to analyze the elements of a myth and development of themes myths. Their original myths will contain themes of inner beauty, kindness, and acceptance.
PBLMirrors, Windows, and Doors
This equity-based unit is designed to have students understand the importance of having authentic representation within the books that are present in the classroom library. Students will conduct surveys and use those results to make recommendations of books for their classroom/school library.
PBLModern-Day Enslavement
Enslavement still exists in today's society.
PBLOh, the Places We Can Go!
Students learn math content, map skills, and opinion writing in this transdisciplinary unit as they create a proposal for their dream vacation. Students have a choice in audience between their families and the chamber of commerce of their proposed locations. Throughout the unit, students also build executive function skills as the prioritize and plan their itineraries!
PBLSpotlight on Ancient India
Is it possible that ancient India is underrepresented with regards to recognition and understanding of its impact on today's society? 6th-8th grade students use the IDE Corp. Design Process to explore this possibility and advocate for the integration of ancient India in the ancient civilization narrative.
PBLTeen Activists: Making a Difference
Students will learn about the role of teen activists in history and today and have the opportunity to take a stand on a current issue. In doing so, they will develop and strengthen skills in research, argument writing, and creating an authentic platform to share their passion.
PBLTelling Our Story
Sharing personal stories is an important part of building classroom community. In this Priming Plan, students engage in self-discovery and share their stories to inform and enlighten the classroom community. This unit can be used during the first week or two of school to introduce students to the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom™ and engage them in co-creating a learning environment that fosters student responsibility for learning and respect for all individuals. Although intended for grade 3 through 5, the complexity of the task statement can be increased for grades 6 through 8. An additional row of the analytic rubric describes the writing sample for middle grades.
PBLTo Live One's Art
"To Live One's Art" is a PBL that integrates CCSS literacy standards for grades 9-10 with any area of the performing and visual arts.
PBLTurning Our School Green
Protecting and conserving our Earth's natural resources are activities in which anyone can participate, no matter how young!
PBLVirtual Visit to the Zoo
The zoo is a great place to visit to learn about and appreciate wild animals. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to visit the zoo. Some people may live far away from the zoo; others may not have the financial ability to visit the zoo. Primary students are challenged with providing a virtual zoo experience for those who cannot visit a zoo themselves. In the process, students learn about animal life cycles, classification, and habitats.
PBLWhat Makes a Social Network Strong?
"What Makes a Social Network Strong?" is a unit designed for 8th-grade math students. They will gather data to compare the value of various social networks using both Metcalfe's law and the Pythagorean theorem.
PBLWhere Did All of Our Animals Go?
Often, we hear about the possible extinction of specific types of animals, but do we ever stop to think about why this is happening? This unit will encourage students to bring awareness about the impact of human behavior on animals and their environment. Students will use their research skills to identify the characteristics of animals, their habitats, and the causes of the destruction to their environment.
PBLYour Next Great Adventure
How often do your students have the opportunity to make important decisions in school? What about in their everyday life?