Leann Rerko Orris

Field Trip PBL Activity

Content/Subject Area: English, communication Grade Level: 10th Grade Standards Addressed: 1.4.10.C: Write persuasive pieces... 1.5.10.A-F: Quality of writing... 1.6.10.A: Listen critically and respond to others in small/large group situations... 1.6.10.B: Demonstrate awareness of audience using appropriate volume and clarity in formal speaking presentations. 1.9.10.A: Use media and technology resources for research and problem solving in content learning... How will you assign students into groups? Students will be assigned by the teacher. The teacher will keep in mind the students abilities, learning styles, and intelligences in order to create diverse groups. The project will include researching, planning, writing a one page informative letter and a five minute powerpoint presentation. Therefore, the teacher will try to assign to each group a student who enjoys writing, math, research, and/or designing Powerpoints. Since each group will be given a different budget, the teacher must consider the abilities of the group. It may be necessary to give the more challenging budgets to those with higher abilities. All students will work together to research and choose a destination. However, students will be assigned roles that will dictate how they approach the assignment. Roles will be assigned according to the teachers knowledge of students preferences and learnings styles. Roles include: -Navigator will control the computer during initial research. He/she will use the resources given, and the input of his/her companions to decide and research a destination. -Accountant will be in charge of the costs handout. He/she will make sure that the trip does not go over budget. He/she must consider travel, food, and entrance/rental fees. -Writer will be in control of the keyboard to write the informative letter to the parents. He/she will begin by keeping notes on the trip planning. Then he/she, with the help of the group members, will write the letter including information about the destination. -Presenter will have control of the keyboard for the Powerpoint presentation. He/she will create an outline of slides while the group is researching the destination. He/she will then use the information gathered by the others to persuade the principal to choose their destination. He/she will design the Powerpoint, will introduce the class to the destination, and will introduce the other group members to the class.

-Each group member will present his/her part of the project to the class. (Navigator will go in depth about the destination, accountant will talk about costs, and the writer will talk about the educational/cultural benefits of the destination). What is the Problem they are trying to solve? A local school district is facing budget cuts and must rethink the yearly spring field trip. Now that there is less money, the trip must remain relatively local. The field trip must be within 150 miles and must fit with a predetermined budget (each group will receive a different budget; some will have more money to spend than others). The students are acting as chaperones and must research local attractions, museums, etc. and persuade the schools principal to use their destination. Students must keep in mind the educational/cultural value of the trip, the costs, the appropriateness, etc. Then, the students must write a one to two page paper to persuade parents to support the field trip and they must create a five minute powerpoint presentation for the principal. The students will face some obstacles including budget restraints, educational requirements, etc. How will you build background knowledge of the problem? Southwest PA is an area rich with history and culture. The students will begin by discussing previous field trips they have taken and family trips they may have taken with their families to local attractions. Some examples of attractions include Fallingwater, Carnegie Science Center, etc. Afterwards, students will have a chance to discuss what made the trip fun and educational. They will explain what they learned from the trip and if there were things that they wish had been different. Afterwards, students will research and then create a one page informative letter for parents and a five minute persuasive presentation for the principal. Students should already understand how to create Powerpoints, how to write informatively, and how to write persuasively. However, it may be necessary to review persuasive and informative writing techniques. What are the resources you will provide for the students to gather the information necessary to solve the problem? Students will be given information and websites that they will use for planning and to meet the requirements of persuasive letter/Powerpoint. Some resourcs include: www.mapquest.com http://www.swpenna.com/ Powerpoint Microsoft Word A handout including costs of school lunches and travel. This is so that the students have different options for their budgets. Perhaps they have enough money to eat at a restaurant or maybe they do not have enough money for a bus to go 100 miles away. This handout may help them to decide on whether its more important to stay close to home and eat a fancy lunch or if it is more prudent to go further from home and eat a school packed lunch. A worksheet to fill out about the destination An outline of slides to be filled out What is the product they will produce to show the problem/solution they developed?

Students will create a one page letter to be sent to parents of students. The students must inform about the field trip and how it will benefit their children. Students will also create a five minute Powerpoint presentation that they will present in front of their classmates. This Powerpoint is to persuade the principal why the proposed field trip is a good idea. Students will be given a rubric and guide. Each of the following must be described by a slide: costs (including but not limited to food, travel, entrance fees, rentals, etc.), distance (including a mapquest map), a brief description of how science, English, and math teachers may use the field trip to discuss their subjects, a picture of the destination, and any obstacles that may ruin the trip such as poor weather during an outdoor field trip or handicap inaccessibility. How will the problem/solution be shared with the rest of the class? The group must create a persuasive Powerpoint presentation to share with the rest of the class. Each member will discuss the destination, but only one student will have physical control over the creation of the Powerpoint. How will you assess the project? How will you assess each student's individual performance? -The students will be graded as a group on several different aspects: the creation of a satisfactorily informative letter, the creation of a satisfactorily persuasive Powerpoint, and the solution of the problems which meets two main requirements (it fits within the budget and distance restraints and the field trip can be used to teach science, math, and English.) -Individually, students will be graded on how well they complete their assigned roles. Each role will have its own rubric. Students may be graded on communication (oral or written), team work, completion of worksheet, budget, letter, or Powerpoint, and so on. What are the steps that the students must do in order to complete the project? 1. Review previous field trips or family trips a. Likes/dislikes, pros/cons, etc. 2. Begin research. Navigator will have control of computer and worksheet, Accountant will have control of costs handout, Writer will be taking notes, and Designer will be planning slides with outline worksheet. Students will decide on a location together. 3. After researching, students will have to plan the trip using the Navigators worksheet. They will have to fill in where they are eating lunch (is there enough money for a restaurant or will they have to eat school packed lunches?), how math, science, and English teachers can use the trip to talk about their subjects, and what sort of activities are available. The Accountant will have to take note of how much each aspect will cost. The plan must fit the budget. 4. Once worksheets are filled out and the budget is balanced, the Writer will take control of the computer. He/she will write a one page letter to parents informing them about the benefits of the field trip and what is planned. 5. After writing the letter, the Designer will take control of the computer. Using the outline and input from other members, the Designer will create a Powerpoint presentation. The students will then organize a presentation in which each member will discuss a portion of the trip. The presentation is to be persuasive in nature. 6. Students will answer questions from the principal (the teacher and fellow classmates). They may have to justify their budget, explain some choices, or defend omissions.

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After everyone has presented, students will have a group discussion about the process. What were some of the challenges? How did the informative letter differ from the persuasive Powerpoint? What was it like being limited by a budget? Or, what was it like knowing that other groups had looser/tighter budgets than others? What was it like communicating with team members, etc. Communication will be a large focus of this project, but students will also have a chance to discuss how a budget is used in communication (negotiating what can be paid for, how it affects the quality of a field trip, etc.)