Hey there, Matt from Digital: Divide & Conquer, and I just wanted to share why you should be pushing project based learning with your students and in your classroom. I’m sure you’ve seen or read plenty of articles about it, but I felt like a little first hand knowledge would go a long way with this. In fact -I’m going to let you know five of my favorite double-secret probation reasons why PBL needs to be in your classroom ASAP. Secret ONE: Picture Books Kick Butt! You know those love affairs you have with books...well, you get to continue them with PBL. Picture books are perfect (for almost every single grade level). No matter the topic or idea, there’s a book for the topic. Books are the "easy button" of PBL. They’ll pull in your learners, give them ideas, and expand their knowledge of subjects. You use picture books for every subject, so why not continue that when there’s project based learning involved. Secret TWO: Pop Culture Happy Hour! Pop culture isn’t just something I have to read about on magazine covers while waiting in line at the grocery store. Nope. Pop culture can be a driving force because nowadays EVERYTHING becomes sensationalized (this is good and bad, don’t get me started). Find those pop culturally relevant moments and turn them into projects and problems for kids to solve. Some of my favorites involve zombies, food trucks, and lost islands in the Pacific that might have dinosaurs. Photo by @shammanaj One of my all-time favorite PBL activities is seeing if students can design their own tiny house. The past couple of years has been a tiny home explosion on television and in cities around the world. If you want your students to understand area, perimeter, and design a house, this is it. Not to mention -you can throw in real-world pop culture from HGTV shows and even have home builders come to school. Secret THREE: BFFs with STE(A)M Science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics....if there was only a way to weave them all together...wait a second... Project based learning extends to this STEM realm because it is the constant force for problem solving. Rather than just hitting each of the identified content areas in STEM, adding PBL portions helps take it to the next level. If you’re already implementing STEM go further and target more than one area of content. This could take a little time, but it’s worth the effort. Secret FOUR: Attack of the Arts Quite possibly my favorite part, the arts play such an important role in PBL because so much of it relies on students using their creativity, imagination, willingness to explore, and opportunities to take chances. I highly encourage my students to draw and design throughout all the stages of PBL (maybe more than most) but I feel it’s necessary and allows students to really get into what they’re working on and learning. When I say "the arts" I'm not just talking about drawing. I'm including visual design, storytelling, music, technology, and so much more. The arts are a crucial and under appreciated part of PBL. Secret FIVE: It Is For All Learners If someone tells you that PBL is just for the talented and gifted, (take a deep breath) and feel free to laugh at them. But maybe not too much. Seriously though, if we’re only giving “top” students a chance at PBL we’re missing out. All kids need opportunities to show off their own differentiated sets of skills. And the chances are pretty great that many kids are craving opportunities to show that they think differently. Give them that chance. As a special education teacher, PBL gives me unlimited abilities to engage my students with the material and concepts AND give them space to create and solve problems in ways I never even imagined. PBL is worth it. So if you're looking to unlock double-secret probation reasons of project based learning that no one ever told you about check out some of my PBL resources to get you started. It's easier than you think. You can find more from me at Digital: Divide & Conquer where I tackle project based learning, technology, and the space in between. SaveSave
Erin Endicott is a contemporary American artist working in textiles.
World Geography can be boring for students but you can make it FUN! Your kiddos will LOVE creating their own globe using a balloon and cut-outs. This set includes: Student materials list and directions, detailed continent shapes, more broad continent shapes (easier cutting), compass graphic, continent labels, ocean labels, North Pole labels, reference map of the world. Balloon Suggestion (affiliate link): 12"latex balloons (100 count), Royal Blue Don't want to use a balloon? Some teachers have told me they've used paper mache, pumpkins, and posters. If you happen to take pictures of your completed projects, I would LOVE to see them! You can tag me on Instagram (@Learning_Lab) or email them to me at [email protected].
How do you decide which darning/mending technique to use? Some questions to consider: -is the patch going to be visible or will it blend in? -what type of garment are you repairing? -how much time do you want to spend mending? When it comes to mending, there is never an exact yes or no answer. It is (almost) always th
By Fausto Gilberti A clever, quirky picture-book biography of one of the most important figures of modern and contemporary art. Louise Bourgeois was a world-famous artist who told stories of her life through her art until she was 98 years old. She drew, wove, and sculpted pieces inspired by her experiences, often using
free crochet pattern to make your own giant, cuddly snorlax
Inject a bit of mischief into your projects with this "I Told Ya!" SVG file. Perfect for crafters and design aficionados seeking to infuse a cheeky, playful vibe into their creations. INSTANT DOWNLOAD 1 PDF file 2 PNG file 3 SVG file All vector files (PDF, PNG, SVG) are fully resizable without sacrificing image quality. They remain sharp and clear, no matter the size. This is a digital download. No physical items will be shipped. The files will be available for download immediately after payment. Customization is available! Swap out the text to make it your own.
Remember when you were a kid how magical it was when the summer sun finally set at the end of the day and the fireflies came out and you never wanted to come inside even though your older sister told you your house was built on a graveyard and the zombies would come out at night? Well, here’s a super quick craft to help your kids feel a little bit of that magic. These fireflies are super easy to make. Just pop a flameless LED tealight into a plastic Easter egg.
To bring an air of sanity to the equation we have developed an industry standard for knots. The following knots are highly recommended;
Truth be told, I was hoping this would be a good way of using my fabric scraps... if I was making hundreds of sheets of paper every week it undoubtedly would be. Since I'm not, it isn't exactly the most effective way to use scraps. But that said, it's still a really neat process and the tex
Why is a scroll important? This one is important because of the words it contains! This color by number Bible activity doesn’t show any written words on the scroll, but even preschoolers and children can understand the scroll represents God’s promises in the Old Testament to send the Messiah, Jesus, to earth. Your children will love this color by number activity!
A collection of awesome creative techniques, mixed media approaches and compositional ideas to inspire Photography students.
John Coltrane
After receiving criticism that my space was not a "real makerspace", I decided to draft my own definition & take a look at how research defines makerspaces.
My sweet friend Chrissy of Sew Lux Fabric sent me these new Mochi Dots. They’re made by Moda and are a linen/cotton blend. They’re delicious! She told me to make something awesome, so here’s a (hopef
The last two weeks were filled with fun mini inquiries and projects during their play. I told the class that I would bring my tortoise Steven to class for a visit, but first they would need to create a safe and fun area to keep him in! This would be our last project. The kids worked in teams to draw and label plans and we took the elements from their plans to create this fun habitat for Steven! We had a maze team, nature maze team and Lego maze team. We also had a wall team to create the enclosure, a ramp team, a quiet place team, and a beautification committee. The wall team made sure that the area was totally enclosed so that Steven could not get out. All the maze teams worked hard to create mazes that Steven could travel through. They were careful to make them wide enough for him to fit through them. The beautification committee did a great job of making his habitat beautiful! They choose to use colorful glass beads. Can you see all the math happening here!? Measuring, patterning, grouping, symmetry. It is amazing how much math there is in art! This stuffed turtle was close to Steven's size so they used him as a model to make sure the maze walls and cave were all tall and wide enough. I put out materials for the kids to document what they noticed about tortoises. Paints at the easels, oil and chalk pastels... and clay for my sculptures. Their attention to detail amazed me! When we researched Russian Tortoises we found out they are vegetarians. They were curious what his favorite food would be. It ended up being the apple, which most of them predicted! We did observational drawings of Steven as he crawled around visiting them. Writing was also used to predict and record what his favorite food was. Of coarse he spent a lot of time in the special area they created for him! The measurements for his "quiet area" we're perfect! Steven had a lovely time interacting with all of the kids! They are more social than you would imagine! He is a really great pet! Another interest evolved in the last week with creating sound again! They started using recyclables to create instruments. We had a ton of performances. Each band had to write down who was in it, what instruments they needed, and the name of their band! They were all very good! They loved watching the group STOMP for inspiration! One STOMP video created a new interest in our sound exploration area created for our outdoor area by one of my previous classes. I had set out this provocation. I thought they would enjoy drawing these peacock feathers but they grabbed our microscope and took it in another direction so I added some other feathers. They became very good at focusing the microscope. This had been difficult for them before! The loved using my iPhone to take pictures through the microscope and became quite good at it! We would display their pictures on the promethium board and the class would guess which feather it was. I added some giant feathers to use as quills and liquid watercolor to our writing area and was amazed at the writing that happened here! This friend is creating a program listing all the songs his band is going to play. We also created these math beads as a gift for next years Kindergartners, along with a book of what they can expect in Kindergarten! We had a Field Day that the kids LOVED! It was so much fun! These kids hold such a special place in my heart! I really had a hard time on the last day knowing they would all be leaving to start their new journey at their new elementary schools. I know they are well prepared with 21st Century Skills that they have learned and that they will be able to apply them in all of their subjects, but I always wish their early childhood journey could last a bit longer! Here is our final journey out to the busses on our last day! We had a hug/cry fest in our room just before so we could leave with smiles and happy memories! Good luck my little friends on your new grade school adventure. Don't ever stop playing, wondering, creating and looking closer! Don't let go of your childhood so easily! I will miss you all always!
When she told us she spent just 3 hours on this floor makeover we weren’t expecting the gorgeous result:They'll be amazed when you tell them how little it cost. #diy #budget #flooring
Full DIY Tutorial: how to make a tote bag
My wonderful friend Mrs. Peterson came up with this lesson when she used to teach at Brimfield. Be sure to check out her blog at her new home with middle school art at Perry Local Schools. Before starting these life-sized artworks, we read I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow. In the book, a little boy, who is told by his mother to stop painting the insides of the house, covers himself in paint; from head to toe. The kids love the story and then have an absolute blast tracing each other on kraft roll paper. We used crayola Slick Stix to draw patterns all over the sillhouettes and then used Biggie Cakes to paint the patterns. We had to get creative with our classroom space, but most of the kids really enjoyed working on the floor!
The Un-told basic tank is just as basic as you want it to be! Work the shirt in your favourite colour, striped or just as you like. It is designed with a waisted, shaped and cropped fit. As it is knitted top down, it can be tried on and adjusted at any time while you work on it. INFORMATION Gauge: 21 sts x 29 rows in stockinette stitch on needle 4 mm = 10 x 10 cm Needle size: 3,5 and 4 mm Sizes: 1 (2) 3 (4) 5 (6) 7 (8) AMOUNT OF YARN SINGLE-COLOURED VERSION 200 (200) 200 (250) 250 (300) 350 (400) g Cotton Merino by Un-told AMOUNT OF YARN STRIPED VERSION COLOUR A 100 (100) 150 (150) 200 (200) 200 (250) g Cotton Merino by Un-told COLOUR B 100 (100) 100 (100) 150 (150) 150 (200) g Cotton Merino by Un-told Sizes: 1 (2) 3 (4) 5 (6) 7 (8) Fits a chest circumference: 80-85 (85-90) 90-95 (95-100) 100-110 (110-120) 120-130 (130-140) cm Chest circumference: 77 (82) 88 (93) 99 (108) 116 (126) cm Total length: 43 (44) 45 (51) 56 (57) 59 (61) cm
Have you fallen in love with a pattern, only to find that it doesn’t come in your size? A few ladies told me that Itch to Stitch’s patterns don’t come in their sizes – some are smaller and some are larger than the measurements. Perhaps you have a tween who is not quite big enough to […]
Even though I loved it last year, I told myself I wasn’tgoing to participate in the 100-Day Project this year. My schedule is quite busy over the next few months andfitting in another project is the last thing I need to do. But…I woke up thismorning and couldn’t get the idea […]
Your students will love learning about motion, speed, design and staying on budget with this race car themed STEM Challenge called Test Track. This STEAM project integrates math, science, art, and engineering in an engaging and fun way to incorporate project based learning in your classroom! Studen...
Finger painting is for toddlers, right? Wrong! Finger painting is for adults too. What if I told you, that you can actually make a living out of finger painting? Iris Scott is a Seattle-based paint…
These are DOWNLOADABLE PATTERNS, not the finished toys. Crochet level: You should know the basic terms of crochet to making these baby animals. This item includes: - Pdf file 31 pages long with detailed instructions of seven animals. - Many pictures to help you by working. - The pattern is available in English (US terms). You can use the same pattern to make smaller or larger toys by using finer or bulkier yarn. I used size #6 super bulky yarn, 100% polyester with 4.5mm crochet hook. Color codes for each pattern are included in the patterns. Finished size: about 10 to 11 cm if made with indicated yarn. Please reload the page when you finished your check out to download the patterns. Instant digital download – ready to download immediately after the payment. You will see the download link in the details of your order.
