PBL Unit

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PBL Unit

• Social Studies

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This unit is designed to.

• Be a problem based learning unit in which the
  students are forced to use critical thinking to
  solve the problem.
• These lesson plans can be easily altered to fit
  any problem.
• They are made to be supplements to our problem
  about how to control the mosquito population in
  Augusta in such a way that it is cost effective
  and agreeable with the community.
• The unit will also integrate different forms of
  technology in the classroom.

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Here are the lesson plans

• Note These can take different amounts of time.
  They can be used for a one day lesson or a weeks
  lesson its up to you.

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Subject Social Studies Grade Level 8 Theme
History QCC Objectives -Students will be able
to make predictions and comparisons based on
factual information. -Locates ideas in multiple
types of sources. -Analyzes interpretations of
the same event from multiple types of
sources. -Collect evidence using appropriate,
reliable data. Lesson Objective Students will
be able to research a problem to find possible
answers. Learner Outcomes Students will be able
to learn from mistakes and mirror
success. Assessment Students will right up a
brief paragraph summarizing what they found from
their articles and share it with the rest of the
class. This will serve two purposes (1) It will
show the teacher that the student read and
understood the article (2) It will also show the
rest of the class the same common problem from
many different angles. Introduction Introduce
the lesson by sharing with the class a common
problem in their community. Procedure 1.
Have articles prepared for the students to use
when researching. 2. Tell the students they need
to get one article a piece and they need to write
a brief summary of their articles. They will be
told to us the Internet or additional
research. 3. Make sure you set a time limit so
they will be prepared to give their presentation
in class. 4. Do assessment by letting them share
their articles in class. Closure Discuss with
the class when else will they need these kinds of
skills Materials and resources - magazine and
newspaper articles - Internet
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Subject Social Studies Grade Level 8 Theme
Map Skills QCC Objectives - Make
generalizations about human activities in a
geographic region using map information. -
Analyzes and uses a variety of maps and globes
for information about an area. - Translate
information derived from maps and globes into
line and circle graphs Lesson objective
Students will be able to prepare a plan of action
by looking at maps and gathering information from
them. Learner Outcomes Students will be able to
find out more practical ways to use
maps. Assessment Students will prepare a Power
Point presentation explaining what their plan of
attack is and why? Introduction Students will
meet the mosquito problem in Augusta. Procedure
1. Students will be introduced to a series of
aerial pictures and various maps of the Augusta
area. 2. They will be asked to show where the
mosquito population will be the greatest in
Augusta. 3. They will then think of ways to
handle the problem based on what they found out
from 1. Where will they start? Why? 2. What
part of the city is the least of their worries?
Why? 3. What are the high traffic
areas? Closure Ask students what they have
learned about maps and how they can use
information like this in their everyday
lives. Materials and Resources -Several kinds
of maps -Real aerial pictures of the Augusta
area -Computers
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Subject Social Studies Grade Level 8 Theme
Community Government QCC Objectives -Examines
the organization and powers of local government,
including cities, counties and special
districts. -Identify and defines a
problem. -Formulate possible alternatives or
solutions to a given problem. -Choose a
reasonable solution from among the various
alternatives. -Formulates and defends positions
on an issue. -Participates in planning for
effective civic actions. Lesson Objectives
Students will learn by a hands on activity how
the community government works Learner Outcomes
Student will have a better understanding of how
to get things done in their community and also
have better problem solving skills. Assessment
The assessment will primarily come from
participation. This is meant to be an
introduction lesson to be expanded upon.
However, another way you could put a grade on
this would be to have the students type up a
small paper about how efficient they thought he
local government process was. IntroductionA
problem will be introduced to the class. For
example A tiger has escaped from the zoo and the
local citizens and animal rights groups are
upset. Procedures 1. After a teacher lead
study of the city manager form of government, the
students will have a mayoral city council
election(six councilmen and one mayor). 2. After
the election has taken place in the classroom, a
city council meeting will convene. At this time,
the teacher will assign positions to the
students(those not elected to the city council).
Some examples of the positions might be one city
manager, two PETA members, one zoo director, one
zoo keeper, one vet, one police chief, two t.v.
reporters, one newspaper reporter, two hunt club
members, and three civic league members.
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Lesson 3 continued...
3. The city council listens actively to all sides
of the issue as to how the tiger can be taken off
the city streets. The PETA members do not want
the tiger harmed and the civic league wants the
citizens protected. All points of view should be
addressed. 4. The problem of the tiger is
discussed at the council meeting. All present
know the action must be swift. All the students
playing their roles will use problem solving
skills learned in class and information learned
about community government to solve the problem.
Each group is given an opportunity to speak
before the mayor and council on how to safely
solve this problem. Resolution of the problem
All participants summarize their points of view
before the city council. The council will then
vote on the matter. Closure Ask the the
students to write a paragraph saying if they
think the local government system is efficient
and effective in getting things done in a quick,
democratic manner. Materials and resources none

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Summary Of QCCs Covered

• Students will be able to make predictions and
  comparisons based on factual information
• Formulate possible alternatives or solutions to a
  given problem
• Formulate and defend a position on an issue
• Analyze and use a variety of maps and globes for
  information about an area.
• Make generalizations about human activities in a
  geographic region using map information
• Translate information derived from maps and
  globes into line and circle graphs.
• Locate ideas in multiple types of sources.
• Analyze interpretations of the same event from
  multiple types of sources.
• Identify and define a problem
• Collect evidence using appropriate, reliable
  data.
• Choose a reasonable solution from among the
  various alternatives.
• Participate in planning for effective civic
  actions.
• Examine the organization and powers of the local
  government, including cities, counties, and
  special districts.

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Created byJason Winge