What is Project Based Learning(PBL)? Project Based Learning is governed by questions that guide and direct student learning. Students will be completing projects throughout the course of this unit to accomplish the lessons’ goals. For this unit, students will learn vocabulary strategies to assist them in reading comprehension. Although some of the lessons will be paper-pencil work, students will explore language, and the words they encounter in their daily reading, by “playing” with them until they are able to use and understand them with confidence. 1

Why Project Based Learning (PBL)? Students learn 21 st Century Skills through Project Based Learning (PBL). Students create unique and original ways to demonstrate their learning throughout the year. Students “own” their learning by asking questions and seeking answers. 2

What are 21 st Century Skills? Three categories define 21 st Century Skills. They are: Life and Career Skills Learning and Innovation Information, Media, and Technology Skills What does this look like in the classroom? Collaborative work where students are responsible for their own learning Real world skills such as team work and problem solving in a group setting Self-reflection on their own learning and controlling the pace and amount of learning that takes place Use of technology to support and enhance the project 3

Unit Summary – Use of Vocabulary strategies to determine word meaning Welcome to the world of Word Wizards. You and your teammates are Word Wizards who will research tier 1 and tier 2 words through Literature. By using context clues when reading you will be able to determine the meaning of new words. This unit will help you communicate and collaborate as you discover new words through reading in context and developing a digital story or Newsmaker. Throughout this unit, you will utilize a variety of strategies to decipher the meaning of new or unfamiliar words and engage in analysis. 4

Project based learning unit created by Sandra Toovey June,

Essential Question (A broad, overarching question that can bridge several units or subject areas) How do you create meaning? 6

Unit Questions (Guiding questions for the unit) When should I use the various Vocabulary strategies to decide on the meaning of a word? 7

Content Questions (Content area or definitional questions) What do root words mean? What do prefixes and suffixes mean, and how do they change the meaning of the entire word? What are context clues and how can they be used to determine the meaning of a word? Is the author using the figurative or literal meaning of the word? Is the author using figurative language devices like: simile, personification or an idiom? Should I use a dictionary to determine the word’s meaning? Can I think of a synonym or antonym? fo8

Objectives for this project Teacher Students Teach and guide students to: work independently work with partners work in small groups Encourage students to be creative Ask open ended questions where students come up with their own answers Provide an opportunity to use technology in projects and presentations Work independently Collaborate with partner Collaborate in small groups Create original displays “Play” with language Discover answers on your own Enjoy being creative Use new words in writing Create projects with technology 9

Student Outcomes Vocabulary Box of individual student words Learn root word meanings Learn meanings of affixes Know how to use context clues Distinguish between figurative and literal word meanings Identify figurative language: simile, idiom, personification Be able to use a reference tool to look up the meaning of a word Be able to give synonym and/or antonym of the target word Develop a Vocabulary Notebook of new words 10

Assessments Students will complete a pre-assessment and post-assessment at the beginning and the end of the unit. Students will demonstrate comprehension of new words by using them in their writing. Students will present and teach words to classmates using a variety of technology applications including: Power Point, original stories, games, Smart Board presentations, Word-A-Day Blogs, etc. Online games to practice and see different forms of figurative language 11

Examples of assessments Click on the following to see an example of a different assessment. Vocabulary-assessment to gauge student needs.docx 12

Questions? Comments? Feel free to ask questions. Please give me feedback throughout your learning process and let me know how I can help you. 13