Projects
Ready, Set, Design is a quick group activity. It uses simple, inexpensive materials and is an effective tool for problem solving, creative thinking and team building. Ready, Set, Design is not just for designers but can be used by any audience as a way to engage in design thinking.
Real-World STEM Problems
More Real-World STEM Problems
Global SchoolNet’s Online Registry Coming up with new projects is not always easy, especially for teachers new to PBL. This site offers 3,000 annotated projects, which are searchable by date, age level, geographic location, collaboration type, technology tools or keyword, and created by educators and youth from around the world.
Design Challenge Learning? It’s a combination of project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process that develops the innovator’s mindset through iteration.
The lessons on this page, developed over the years by educators at The Tech, will help teachers lead their students through science and engineering challenges. They also make fun and effective team-building activities for groups of teachers.
FIVE BEST STEM CHALLENGES according to a teacher includes mystery build, pipeline, and rescue devices
STEAM Event Ideas
NextLesson offers Common Core aligned projects and performance tasks for K-12 students in math, science, social studies, and English language arts.
BIE’s website has project planning forms as well as an online project planner
CIESE Online – CIESE (Center for Innovation and Science Education) sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet. Each project has a brief description and links to the National Science Standards and NCTM math standards it supports
InterestID The basis of their coaching comes from an understanding of each student’s strengths, weakness, and interests. NextLesson makes it easy for teachers find out what interests students. K-12 students can share their likes and dislikes for interests in over 30 categories, ranging from careers to amusement parks. Teachers can determine student interests as a class and find interest-aligned projects in NextLesson’s bank of projects.
Educurious This is a non-profit organization that provides training and support tailored to the needs of teachers and students. The courses it offered to students are PBL-based and are geared towards empowering them to develop solutions to challenges they care about.
Trello visual platform that allows you to organize and manage your projects the way you like. You can create and add as many projects as you want and then organize them on Trello’s visual board so you can easily keep track of everything you are working on. You can invite friends and colleagues to your boards and start working collaboratively. ‘Post comments for instant feedback. Upload files from your computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. Add checklists, labels, due dates, and more. Notifications make sure you always know when important stuff happens.’ Troll works across different devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web) and is supported by the four major browsers (IE, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari).
PBL and STEAM Education: A Natural Fit Miller looks at the enhanced possibilities of using 21st-century skills to engage students with real-world challenges through combining the pedagogical model of PBL with the rich content area of STEAM.
Connect, Communicate, and Collaborate Around the Globe
How do the traits of hummingbirds, geckos, and other animals help scientists design robots? What does bird’s nest soup tell about Chinese culture? How do images, color, and text work together to communicate ideas that can change the world? These are just a few examples of the high-interest Experiences, or explorations, that students can work on collaboratively with peers in Afghanistan, Greece, Iceland, India, Italy, and other countries around the world through the free ePals Global Community. STEAM, English language arts, and social studies are among the core curricular skills students practice within the larger context of cultural investigations on topics such as growing up in Turkey or Cambodia, the causes and effects of poverty globally, and recipes from Spain, Russia, Holland, and the American South that reflect regional beliefs and customs. Teacher materials include Experience descriptions, standards-aligned objectives, step-by-step tasks, thought questions, collaborative activities, and homework suggestions. Marginal notes provide tips on grouping students and setting goals, and suggest ways students can contribute their ideas and solutions to charities and other real-world organizations.
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Planners and Trackers set up and monitor projects.
KidsThinkDesign Visit Website: http://www.kidsthinkdesign.org/index.html
Projects inspire creativity; a place for kids' sharing would boost fun
West Virginia PBL Project Data Base – This is a wonderful site where teachers can search through the subjects of reading, language arts, math, science, social studies, dance, visual arts, theater, and music. You can select from grade two all the way through grade twelve.
Learning Reviews – This website claims to connect kids to learning on the web. It really connects kids to awesome, engaging, rigorous, and relevant projects. Be sure to check out all of the subjects and grade levels.
PBL Language Arts Projects by grade level
PBL Science Lesson Ideas by topic
PBL Math Project Ideas by topic
PBL Social Studies Project Ideas by grade level
Remind Using this web-based tool, teachers can send messages to individuals and groups about project updates and deadlines using instant messaging with photo and document sharing features.
The Edible Schoolyard project can be a great way to introduce agriculture and its complexities to students. You don't have to plant a garden to participate; the site has many lessons and ideas for all grade levels. There are similar, local programs you may be able to find in your area.
Roots and Shoots –Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots is a youth-led community action and learning program of the Jane Goodall Institute. This amazing website builds on the power and responsibility for creating community-based solutions to big challenges. Through the program, young people map their community to identify specific challenges their neighborhoods face. From there, they prioritize the problems, develop a plan for a solution, and take action which engages students in authentic learning.
Too Noisy is an iPad app (free and pro versions available) designed to help students learn to recognize the appropriate volume for conversations. The app measures the volume of the noise in a room and displays a meter indicating whether or not the the room is too noisy. Too Noisy has four situation settings that you can use in your classroom; silent, quiet, group, and class. You can adjust the sensitivity of the meter for each situation.
Teach 21 - The educators in the state of West Virginia at Global 21 have provided this amazing PBL site. Just pick a grade level and subject area. You will find projects that encompass the STEM areas.
Imagination Playground 3D Builder, children can build, stack, channel and connect blue building blocks. Build endlessly in the Quick Builder mode, and then flip on the Gravity button to watch your blocks take on physical properties. Imagination Playground 3D Builder encourages open ended, unstructured free play. The benefits of this kind of play include creativity, self-expression, communication, collaboration, problem solving, motor-skills development.
WeLearnedIt is an easy to use project-based learning platform that allows teachers to create and share dynamic assignments, leave meaningful feedback on student work, and allows learners to capture and track their academic growth and achievement over time in digital learning portfolios.
Science Buddies It “ empowers K-12 students, parents, and teachers to quickly and easily find free project ideas and help in all areas of science from physics to food science and music to microbiology. Whether your goal is to find a fun science activity for your kids or win the international science fair, Science Buddies puts comprehensive, scientist-authored tools, tips, and techniques at your fingertips.”
Paper Toys and Video Creation Use Foldify and Paper Toys site
BIE.org - The people at the BUCK Institute For Education have a great area where you can search for activities and projects already made. Note how many projects include both math and science. Want an extra bonus? Include the arts and make STEAM
National Service Learning Clearing House - Hundreds of ideas. While not all may be PBL… they could sure be remixed to have all the components!
iEarn - Projects based on contemporary issues with an emphasis towards collaboration beyond your district, state, and country.community of high schools
DIY.org Students find dozens of DIY projects to do on their own or with their parents. DIY.org provides videos and instructions on how to do the projects. After going through the directions kids then try to complete the project. When they've completed the project they can take a picture and upload it to their DIY.org portfolios. Kids can share examples of their projects through DIY.org. Kids cannot register on DIY.org without a parent's permission. Parents have their own DIY.org dashboards that they can use to track the activities of their children. Children registered on DIY.org have aliases and cartoon avatar pictures.
Real Wold Math PBL - Small selection of projects based on math skills.
Math Matter Geometry - Selection of 10 Geometry projects developed in Indiana and hosted by Indiana University.
Math Matter Algebra 1 - Selection of about 20 Algebra 1 Projects from Math Matters at Indiana University designed for middle school.
Math Matters Algebra 2 - Selection of over 20 Algebra 2 Projects from Math Matters at Indiana University designed for high school..
The Catapult Project
Grades 5-12 | Video | Engineering Design
IDEA ALERT: This 6-week catapult design project introduces students to engineering design, probability, and the laws of motion and forces. Watch how it unfolds!
BIE.org – The people at the BUCK Institute For Education have a great area where you can search for activities and projects already made. Note how many projects include both math and science. Want an extra bonus? Include the arts and make STEAM!
Teach 21 – The educators in the state of West Virginia at Global 21 have provided this amazing PBL site. Just pick a grade level and subject area. You will find projects that encompass the STEM area
Advertising Project gr. 4- 6
Brochure Project gr. 4-6
West Point Bridge Project - Whether it be math, science, or engineering... students will enjoy this free program from the West Point Academy. Watch students compete in collaborative groups as they learn valuable content and understand the world of math and science through simulations and modeling.
CuriositySchool focuses on solving engineering problems, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics all in one, simple to use app.
High Tech High School - Seven projects that have been successful at this PBL based school.
National Service Learning Clearing House - Hundreds of ideas. While not all may be PBL... they could sure be remixed to have all the components!
Exemplary Projects - While there are not a lot of projects... there are some cool ideas.
The Science of Cooking Explore recipes, activities, and Webcasts that will enhance your understanding of the science behind food and cooking
The Accidental Scientist: Science of Cooking from Exploratorium provides recipes, activities and webcasts that will enhance students’ understanding of the science behind food and cooking. The cooking categories are candy, bread, eggs, pickles, meat and seasoning. Each category includes a Kitchen Lab for exploring recipes and activities, the Science behind each food topic, a Share & Discuss feature and an interactive learning game. Check out Live@Exploratorium, a series of live webcasts that explore the science and culture of cooking. The guests include noted chefs, food chemists and nutritionists. Web: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/-