Grade 5 Math Project Based Learning
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In the technology and knowledge
driven 21st century world today, there is very little or no room for
teaching and instruction to be driven just by one person namely the teacher. A
teacher today, is largely the facilitator who gives direction to students and
exposes them to all the information and experiences which help them to gain
academic knowledge in a real life context. This is where the role of Project
Based Learning (PBL) comes in. By bringing real-life context and technology to the
curriculum through a PBL approach, students are encouraged to become
independent workers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners. Teachers can
communicate with administrators, exchange ideas with other teachers and
subject-area experts and communicate with parents while breaking down invisible
barriers such as isolation of the classroom, fear of embarking on an unfamiliar
process and lack of confidence. (Edutopia 2007, October 19). PBL is an
effective and interesting way to learn because students are at a high level of
engagement. Using a hands on approach to a problem, students not only develop a
deeper understanding of concepts but they are also able to retain information
longer and apply their learning to different situations.
While many teachers believe in PBL and work hard to
implement it in their teaching scenarios, it is essential to remember that
Project based learning demands excellent assessment practices to ensure that
all learners are supported in the learning process. This is where rubrics play
a key role. Rubrics are great for students as they let students know what is
expected of them and demystify grades by clearly stating, in age-appropriate
vocabulary, the expectations for a project. They also help students see that
learning is about gaining specific skills (both in academic subjects and in
problem-solving and life skills), and they give students the opportunity to do
self-assessment to reflect on the learning process.(Edutopia,
2008). As Susan M. Brookhart (2013) has written in her book “How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative
Assessment and Grading”- “The genius of rubrics
is that they are descriptive and not evaluative. Of course, rubrics can be used
to evaluate, but the operating principle is you match the performance to the
description rather than "judge" it.” Telling students that your
project was very good or I like what you have done is more of a judgement than
an accurate assessment of performance. Instead if students are told that they meet
or do not meet the following criteria, they are better able to understand their
shortcomings. Rubrics also enable teachers to lay out expectations clearly and in
a timely manner. When the project is being introduced there should be clarity
on the final product to be delivered. This is called the work product which
could be a presentation, an infographic, a skit or video. The areas that will
be assessed and the time frame for each formative assessment should also be
defined at the beginning itself. There should always be room for reflection,
feedback and rectification. When this is done effectively the final product and
the summative assessment, both become meaningful. While assessing PBL it would
be helpful to remember the 10 tips of PBL as listed out by Buck Institute of
Education (bie.org).
I have designed below a Math project for Grade 5 with specific
objectives and an assessment plan.
Project Name
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Vacation Planner (Vacation Multiplication – Math, nextlesson.org)
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Time frame
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1 week
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Work product
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A report
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Project Description
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Students will choose a destination for their family vacation during summer.
They will then plan their travel to their destination, accommodation,
sightseeing and food expenditure. They will use multiplication, estimation
and rounding to make calculations.
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Content Standard
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Common Core Standard 5 - Perform operations with
multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.5 - Fluently multiply multi-digit
whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
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Specific
Objectives
- Students will learn that in the real world we use multiplication and estimation to compare costs.
- They will practice their skills in multiplication and use rounding where necessary.
- They will learn to organize information methodically.
- They will gain insight into the factors that need to be considered before a vacation is planned.
- The teacher will provide a report template or format in which the report has to be presented.
- A list of websites that can be used to gather information.
You are a travel agent helping your family to plan a
vacation to a holiday destination. You will choose two destinations and compare
costs of travel from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to your destination, accommodation,
sightseeing and food expenditure to help your family choose the more affordable
option.
Stage 1 Assessment
The first assessment will be conducted on Day 2 of the
project. The areas that the students and the teacher will assess are as
follows:
Criteria
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3 - Exceptional
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2- Satisfactory
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1- Needs more work
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Detail
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All factors for the
vacation have been considered.
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Some factors have been
considered and others left out.
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No thought has been
given to the factors that need to be considered for the purpose of planning.
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Destinations
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Chosen
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Some destinations
shortlisted and are being considered.
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Possible destination
list has not yet been prepared.
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Organization
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Student has a clear
idea of the format in which the information will be collected and the format
is ready to be used.
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Student has an idea of
the format to be used but is unsure of the information that needs to be
collected.
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Student has not
thought about the format to be used for collection of information.
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This rubric can be viewed at:
https://www.quickrubric.com/r#
Stage 1
Monitoring and Feedback
During the last 15 minutes of the class on Day 2, the
teacher will review the rubric above with the students and recommend changes if
required. The teacher will provide guidelines to the students who require more
work. For example - The teacher can help the student brainstorm about the
possible destinations and have him/her prepare a list of 5. The student can go
back home and check on which 2 the family would like to visit. The teacher or a
peer can also help a student who needs help with the format by discussing
various sources of information and the format which can be used for easy and
quick data collection.
Stage 2 Assessments
The second assessment will be conducted on Day 3 at which
time the teacher will review the following:
Criteria
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3 - Exceptional
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2- Satisfactory
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1-Needs more work
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Sources of Information
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The student has
identified all the sources from where data will be collected, spoken to
people concerned and made appointments for interviews.
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The student has
identified sources but is unsure if information will be available from this
source.
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The student does not
know where he /she will collect data from.
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Questions
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The student has listed
out all the questions that will be looked into.
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The student has listed
out some basic questions and needs to cover some more factors.
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The student has not
formulated the questions that need to be asked or information sought.
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Critical Thinking
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The student has made
room for alternatives if the desired activity is not available.
For example – An open
air show that may be cancelled due to rain and an alternative plan for that
day.
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The student has
considered the fact that things may not work out as planned but does not have
alternatives in place.
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The student has not
given any thought to the possibility that things may not work out as planned.
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This rubric can be viewed at:
https://www.quickrubric.com/r# /qr/sangeetalama/vacation- planner-stage-2-assessment
Stage 2 Monitoring and Feedback
Stage 2 Monitoring and Feedback
The review and feedback on the project will again be done
during the last 15 minutes of the class on Day 3. During this assessment the
teacher will have a group discussion where students who are at the Exceptional
level at this stage will brainstorm ideas with the rest of the class to help
students identify sources of information. The teacher will also provide
guidance to the students with respect to the travel websites they could look
at. The class will also share ideas on what are the areas that need to be
covered for data gathering and draft questions. For example – How many members
will go on this vacation? What will be the mode of travel from origin to
destination? What category of hotel will the family stay in? What are the top
five or ten tourist spots they would like to visit? Which of these have free
entry and which of these require tickets?
Stage 3 Assessments
The third assessment will be conducted on Day 5 at which
time the teacher will review the following:
Criteria
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3 - Exceptional
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2- Satisfactory
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1-Needs more work
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Collection of Data
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The student has a
complete list of travel, accommodation, sightseeing and restaurant data. This
includes the price for each component.
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The student has a list
of some components but has not completed an exhaustive list.
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The student has a list
of components but has not included the cost aspect.
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Organization
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The data collected is
organized methodically for final entry into the report template.
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The data collected is
organized but some areas need to be altered so that it is presented
methodically.
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The data collected is
incomplete and haphazard.
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Technology
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The student has used
various websites to collect information.
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The student has used
information from travel agents and has made some use of technology.
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The student has used
conversations and brochures as a source of data and has not made use of
technology.
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Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
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The student has accounted
for problems or obstacles that may be caused by weather related issues or due
to members of the group falling sick. Example- Cancellation costs or
refundable versus non refundable tickets
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The student has accounted
for problems or obstacles that may be caused but does not have a clear list
with related costs.
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The student has not accounted
for obstacles or problem during the trip.
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Multiplication
techniques used
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Data has been
organized methodically to facilitate multiplication and calculation of total
cost.
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Data has been
organized methodically but does not facilitate multiplication and calculation
of total cost.
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The data collected has
been added instead of the use of multiplication.
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This rubric can be viewed at:
https://www.quickrubric.com/r#
Stage 3 Monitoring and Feedback
The
assessments and feedback at this stage will be critical because this is the
last opportunity students have to make rectifications before the final
submission and summative assessment. During this stage the teacher will
allocate the full 45 minutes of instruction time to discuss the project and
evaluate various components of the rubric. The teacher will share an exemplary
piece of work with the class. Following the teacher’s discussion, the students
will be divided into groups of three for peer evaluation feedback and
suggestions. The teacher will spend time with each group going over their discussions
and feedback. The students will choose a speaker from their group who will
reflect on the group’s learning from the project. Finally, the teacher will review
the report template or format in which the report needs to be presented. The
students will go over the specific objectives once again and ensure that all
criteria have been met.
Final
Assessment
Following the
submission of the project, it will be assessed on the following criteria:
Criteria
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3 - Exceptional
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2- Satisfactory
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1-Needs more work
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Presentation and Organization
of data
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The student has presented
the data collected in a methodical and easy to understand manner.
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The data is presented
neatly but lacks a methodical flow.
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The data presented is
haphazard which makes it difficult to understand.
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Use of Technology
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The student has used
different websites to obtain information and carry out comparisons.
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The student has used
one website to collect information and compare data.
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The student has not
made use of websites to collect data and has relied entirely on information
from one travel agent.
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Multiplication
strategies used with rounding where required
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The student has used multiplication
strategies to make calculations and has used estimation by rounding where
required.
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The student has used
multiplication strategies but has made exact calculations everywhere instead
of using rounding wisely.
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The student has used a
combination of multiplication and addition methods without rounding off
numbers.
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Comparative Analysis
of Costs
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The student has
carried out a detailed cost comparison to arrive at the more affordable
destination of travel.
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The student’s
comparison of data is not exhaustive because of the limited sources of data
collection.
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The student’s data
does not show comparison of costs.
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Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
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The student has
accounted for problems or obstacles that may be caused by weather related
issues or due to members of the group falling sick and has suggested
alternatives.
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The student has
accounted for problems and cancellations but has not presented alternative
activities for the rest of the group.
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The student has made
no considerations for changes in the plan due to any obstacle or problem.
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https://www.quickrubric.com/r#
At the end of the summative assessment, it is important to give feedback to the students which should be specific and address each component of the rubric. This will help students to improve their understanding of what is expected of them and will enable them to raise their own standards of research, presentation and demonstration of their learning.
References:
Edutopia.org.
(2007,October 19). Why Is Project-Based Learning Important? The
many merits of using project-based learning in the classroom. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance
Edutopia.org. (2008, July 15). How Do Rubrics Help? How students and teachers understand the
standards against which work will be measured. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-rubrics
Brookhart , Susan
M. (2013, January). How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and
Grading. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/112001/chapters/What-Are-Rubrics-and-Why-Are-They-Important%C2%A2.aspx
Larmer, John.(2016, February 18). Gold Standard PBL: Assessing Student Learning. Retrieved
from http://www.bie.org/blog/gold_standard_pbl_assessing_student_learning
Vacation Multiplication Math. Retrieved from https://www.nextlesson.org/project_details/vacation-multiplication-math/56b14608acf7890003627a63
Wow, Sangeeta! Very comprehensive. Great job!
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