This is a PBL project used at the beginning of an Integrated Math course and is intended to help students identify gaps in their foundational knowledge and then fill those gaps by relating the topics to a real-world application in the context of what they want to do for their eventual career. Note that the project was designed and delivered per the North Carolina Math 2 curriculum and also references the North Carolina College Foundation website - both of these items can be customized to meet your own specific curriculum and college/career resources.

This problem-based learning module is students will be collecting their personal health numbers in a station rotation format.  After choosing their health numbers to compare, the students will create a scatter plot and line of best fit using class data. Students will do a gallery walk to compare their health numbers with their peers. The students will then create a presentation for a health fair to bring awareness to health numbers based on their personal findings and facts.

The growing number of electronics that are becoming obsolete is staggering. The responsible disposal of these materials remains to be a highly debated topic and is one that does not have an easy answer. In this problem-based learning module, students will research this growing issue and provide them opportunities to determine what actions to take. Students will then take their findings and use their research data as evidence to support their position. Groups will create a finished product in the form of a speech, radio broadcast, presentation or persuasive essay to help solve this problem.

In this problem-based learning module students will connect these standards to their personal life by completing a random sample from their environment in the area of careers to investigate to see if their own career is environmentally challenged.  Students will work independently as well as with a partner. Students will also complete a reflection in the form of a final product to make an inference and draw a conclusion about the population of their area in relation to careers.  The final product will be presented to their peers and teachers, but also can be exhibited to their families.    This blended module includes teacher-led instruction, student-led stations, partner comparisons and technology integrated investigations.

Geospatial data analysis is a growing field in science with practical applications in government and industry.   This problem-based learning module guides learners through exploring the relationship between the amount of trash found relative to the location of waste receptacles in their community. Recording the location of identified items of trash/recyclables and placing them on a map allows students to identify if there is a correlation between the amount of trash and the distance away from waste receptacles.  While this module uses trash, almost any item can be tracked and plotted for analysis.  Some other ideas were: locations of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, animal migration, safety devices, various plant species, texting and driving are just a few examples.  

This problem-based learning module is designed to bring “Awareness” to students about being judgemental and pre-judging people.  Students will become aware of their own judgmental issues and develop a presentation that will bring awareness to their audience on the topic.    This module is developed with instruction based on whole group discussions, station rotations, partner research as well as final presentation. This module is created with the ELA standards of W.7.6, W.7.2 , SL.7.1 and the history standard of 7.16 as the focus.

In this problem-based learning module, students will investigate the following question: Does the state of Ohio suffer from “Brain Drain?”If so why is this, where are people going, & what can be done to stop it?If not, what is keeping/bringing people here?After researching and learning about some of the push-pull factors that drove 19th century European immigration to the United States, student groups will be formed in order research, create, and share their findings to determine whether or not Ohio is a “push” or “pull” state.After the launch activity, students will spend the first two days gaining background knowledge on the historical components and content related to the topic.  Beginning on Day 4, students will be grouped into teams to begin research and development of the “BIG IDEA” question of: Does the state of Ohio suffer from “Brain Drain?”If so why is this, where are people going, & what can be done to stop it?If not, what is keeping/bringing people here?Once the groups have determined their position on the problem, they will begin researching information to be able to share out their findings.The final products will be presented to an authentic audience consisting of District Administration (i.e., media relations), Local Administration (elected officials), and possibly, local Chamber of Commerce members

In this problem-based learning module, students will raise awareness about the amount of excess food wasted each day in America’s schools highlights the consumptive mindset that our county has.  Each day in third world countries, as well as our own, children go without the proper nutrition needed to focus on other activities. This module will raise student awareness about the amount of food taken from the service line and then placed in waste receptacles.  Students will gather and analyze data regarding wasted food in an attempt to design a solution to reduce food waste. Sation rotation will allow to conduct research into the global problems associated with the lack of food and malnutrition. Mathematical skills will be required to calculate rates and percentages of consumption which will be used for analysis.  

This is a PBL project that used the "Lord of the Rings" book/film as the basis for a study of kinematics. It was specifically designed to help students increase their depth of knowledge for one-dimensional motion and two-dimensional projectile motion so that they could successfully fend off a hypothetical attack of the ork army. The project also allowed students to build a working catapult or trebuchet. Note that the project was designed and delivered per the North Carolina honors Physics curriculum and it can be customized to meet your own specific curriculum needs and resources.

After researching and learning about the possible devastation that would ensue if the Supervolcano at Yellowstone National Park were to erupt, students will work together in this problem-based learning module to use the information to create a news report to inform American citizens of the effects that would ensure in the event of an eruption. When creating the news report, students will be asked to think of a way to capture their audience attention about the topic while still explaining the science behind what is happening at this site. Students will also take the role of a number of different characters (i.e. experts in the field, scientists, concerned citizens, news caster etc.), and show at least one powerful image to aid in telling the story. After the Launch of the activity, students will take time to explore a variety of resources about this topic that will aid them in answering the “need to know” questions needed to create their News. These items should be shared with the students electronically in a collective folder,  and students will be asked to gather the information at their own pace.Once students have completed their news story, students will present their final products to an authentic audience consisting of district Administration, and building staff members.

A park ranger needs to build a zipline to drop food supplies to her mentor park ranger at the bottom of a gorge. Unfortunately, she does not have the instructions to build the zipline according to the proper specifications. Without directions, she is unsure of the correct angles to attach her zipline to each tree. Additionally, she needs to figure out how to open the chute to drop the food supplies.  Challenge: Create a zip line that will release from her bucket (paper cup) the food supplies (represented by a marble) onto the target (placed 5/8 of the way down the zipline)  before the gear reaches the opposite end of the zip line.