In the spring, my 4th grade students embarked on a PBL project to help the public library. The public library needed help advertising their B.A.R.K. program (Bismarck Animals Read with Kids). In this program, students are able to read to therapy dogs, making a less threatening environment for reading practice. To get started, we Skyped with head librarian, Traci Juhala, to find out the details of the program.
Then, I brought in my own therapy dog, Lax, and students took turns reading to her. They used these experiences to come up with advertising strategies.
Students were given roles, and divided into groups. Many mini-lessons were given to support the students in understanding advertisements, technology being used, and working with a group. Each groups created an advertisement for the public library to use. Groups were able to choose the type of advertisement they wanted to make (brochure, video, flyer, etc.).
The class also worked with graphic designer, Lisa Roberson, who happened to have a child attending this school. She came in to talk with the students at the beginning of the project to help them understand the basics of graphic design (of course, I forgot to snap a photo). About mid-project, she came back and looked over all the projects. She provided specific feedback to each group about revisions they could make. What a powerful experience for students to have an expert assisting them!
At the end of the project, we sent the advertisements to the public library for their use! We also distributed flyers and the video to other school libraries to help get the word out on this fabulous program. Below are some of the final projects:
The class also worked with graphic designer, Lisa Roberson, who happened to have a child attending this school. She came in to talk with the students at the beginning of the project to help them understand the basics of graphic design (of course, I forgot to snap a photo). About mid-project, she came back and looked over all the projects. She provided specific feedback to each group about revisions they could make. What a powerful experience for students to have an expert assisting them!
At the end of the project, we sent the advertisements to the public library for their use! We also distributed flyers and the video to other school libraries to help get the word out on this fabulous program. Below are some of the final projects:
This was a great experience for the students and for me. I was able to practice many of the tips and tricks I've learned about PBL, and through the Buck Institute. I was able to assess students on their collaboration, technology skills, and persuasive writing. Below is more information about this project.
bark_overview.doc |
What kind of PBL projects have you used in your library? Please share in the comments below!