1. Cultivating Achievement through Project-Based Learning
Terri Butts, NBCT
Curriculum Effectivness Specialist
Richland Two Child Development Centers

2. Why Project-Based Learning?
“In the 21st century workplace, success requires more than basic knowledge and skills. In PBL, students not only understand content more deeply but also learn how to take responsibility and build confidence, solve problems, work collaboratively, communicate ideas, and be creative innovators.”

3. Benefits of PBL Provides students with a purpose for learning
Encourages integration of content areas and technology
Fosters collaboration and community
Better retention and application of content knowledge

4. Setting the Stage
The state of South Carolina has the potential for various types of severe weather, i.e. hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, hailstorms and possibly blizzards. Students need to know what conditions cause these types of severe weather and how to keep themselves safe.

5. Driving Question
How can we, as meteorologist, teach others about severe weather conditions, and ways to keep safe if it happens?

6. Launching Event
Students rotated through four stations (puzzles, books, Voice Thread, and Brain Pop) in order to activate prior knowledge and get students excited about severe weather.

7. Meteorologist Visit
A local meteorologist came and shared how she does her job as a meteorologist and as a weather broadcaster.
She also shared tools meteorologist use to measure weather conditions.

8. An Understanding of Concepts and Skills
South Carolina Science Academic Standards
English Language Arts Common Core State Standards

9. Science Skills and Concepts
Inquiry-based science kit
Recall weather terms
Explain the effects of moving air
Measure and record daily weather conditions using weather tools
Illustrate conditions of seasons
Identify safety precautions for severe weather

10. Reading and Writing Integration
Students read the leveled reader, “Severe Weather” to gain more insight and information on their specific storm. They used this book for the following tasks:
researching about their storm
using the “TWIST” strategy in practicing close reading
writing a nonfiction paragraph using the Step Up to Writing “Topic Sentence and Star Ideas” graphic organizer
developing and creating their Google Draw independent project
highlighting and identifying each storms safety tips
learning about the different nonfiction text features

11. Severe Weather Research
Students researched the 5W’s about their severe storm.
They used non-fiction texts and online search engines to find their information.

12. Checklist and Rubrics

13. Thunderstorm Google Draws
Thunderstorms by Fernand
Thunderstorms by
Victoria
Characteristics
Thunderstorms have lots of heavy rain, thunder, lightning, wind, and hail.
Weather Tools
I use a thermometer to measure temperature,
A raingauge is to measure precipitation, An anemometer is to measure wind speed.
Safety Tips
1. Do not stand on a hilltop or a open field.
2 Do not carry anything made of metal.
3 Do not use electrical appliances.
Safety Tips
1.Do not stand on a hilltop
or open field.
2.Do not carry anything
made of metal.
3.Never lie down on
the ground during a
storm.
4.If you are in or the
water get out or off.
Weather Tools
I used a thermometer
to measure
temperature. I used a
rain gauge to measure
precipitation.I used a
anemometer to measure
wind speed.
Characteristics
A thunderstorm has
lots of wind, rain, and
hail and it has
lightning.

14. Non-Fiction Big Books
We created non-fiction big books to give to a kindergarten or child development class. Our students recorded themselves reading their pages that they created. Each page included elements of nonfiction text features.

15. Classroom Rotations
Once the google draw and non-fiction big books were complete, students rotated to each classroom to learn about the other severe storms and see other student work.