The project is the learning

Some fourth graders are considering this question: How do challenges and changes impact my thoughts, actions and feelings? They’ll answer the question through their project work in English Language Arts, math, humanities and more as they are led on a journey from Mount Everest to their own life experiences.

The idea behind project-based learning is that the project is the learning. The fourth-grade team at Park Terrace has gone deep with project-based learning this year as they explore ways to engage students and make learning more relevant and meaningful. They aren’t alone. At each elementary school, students are making connections between subjects – reading and science, science and art, and more.

An interdisciplinary approach is making a difference for learning and engagement.

Answering essential questions

At Park Terrace, each project in the fourth grade centers around an essential question – a big idea –and starts with a project launch. The launch is a shared experience that generates excitement and interest in the topic. Students see the essential question and how all the core subject areas will work toward answering the question.

For this question, the project launch included students building model camping shelters with a variety of supplies (blocks, paper, craft supplies, etc.). They simulated challenges and changes that could occur or that they would read about. For example, while they were building, teachers darkened the room and gave each student a glowstick. They had to hold their light and build with one hand.

The launch experience set the stage for learning. Students reflected on their thoughts, feelings and actions during each challenge.

Coming out of the launch, students read Hatchet, a story of survival. They examined the main character’s thoughts, actions and feelings. They learned about survival on Mount Everest and created visual representations of the mountain using nonfiction texts. They used mountains and other real-world examples to explore the metric system and angles.

Each project comes to a close with a celebration or exhibition of learning. Students share their learning with an audience.

For this project, students examined themselves and created a visual representation of themselves. They paired the visual with a short, written narrative – what they called “an exploded moment” – that included descriptive language and sensory details. Students then chose what they wanted to share in an exhibition for their classmates, other teachers, and families.

“One of the big things our team has done is moved from the idea of ‘this is my homeroom’ to ‘these are our kids’ and ‘this is my home base,’” says Carly Oto, teacher on the fourth grade team at Park Terrace.

Students don't stay in their home base all day. They are grouped based on some of the things teachers looked at in the learner profiles – their strengths, interests and needs.

“At the beginning of the year, we talked to the students,” says Carly. “We talked to their families. One group really likes technology and another group really needs movement in their learning.”

The way they are grouped sets them up for success. In each of their classes, the teachers design experiences that guide students toward answering the essential question. Along the way, students engage in work to deepen their understanding. They go through cycles of reflection, feedback and revision.

“The project is the learning; it's not an add on at the end of the unit or the trimester but rather the process by which students grow and demonstrate their knowledge,” explains Aaron Chretien, another teacher on the fourth grade team.

During the first trimester, students answered the question, “What actions can I take to demonstrate that I have a great heart by staying healthy and showing I care about those around me?”

They performed a poetry slam, created podcasts about change makers and collected and analyzed data to showcase examples of great hearts. For the exhibition, students put on a heart fair for the school and their families to share what they had learned.

“These exhibitions create powerful moments for students to take ownership of their learning and share their growth with a wider audience,” says Aaron.

Making connections

Over at Centerview, Des Gillis, Science Specialist, works to make interdisciplinary connections between science and other subjects. As kindergarteners wrap up learning around habitats, they make connections to geography. In third grade, the reading unit on space and the experiences of travelers to the moon connects to science learning about the moon and light and shadows.

In One Giant Leap, the young readers are introduced to the non-fiction story of the first moon landing and the experience of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The book focuses on those recognizable words, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

As students read Starry Messenger, they meet another explorer and discoverer as they learn about the life of Galileo. He looked to the sky and was the first to map the stars leading to the discovery that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. In science class, students are inspired to make their own discoveries as they learn about the phases of the moon and shadows.

“I make ties to what they learned previously and build upon that knowledge,” says Des.

Third graders in Kiah Love-Latzke’s room have shown a lot of interest in space and the science behind it and making connections between subject areas.

“We discuss what's being learned in science and make connections back to what we covered in our reading module,” she says. “Des discusses Galileo in science, which ties in nicely since he’s the main character in Starry Messenger. Students really benefit from the connections and are excited about it.”

Making an impact

At Northpoint, the third grade Sun and Moon learning led to a different collaboration and interdisciplinary experiences designed by Bethany Rodeck, art teacher, and Katrina Davis, science specialist.

Students explored concepts such as the phases of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, and how light travels through transparent, translucent and opaque materials in science class.

“After a week of science instruction, students transitioned into art, where I built upon the scientific vocabulary and concepts Katrina introduced,” shares Bethany.

Through hands-on art projects, students created moon phase sliders, expressive moon paintings and contrasting sun-and-moon artworks.

“We integrated five elements and principles of art into the work, blending art and science vocabulary seamlessly,” says Bethany. “It was an engaging and meaningful experience for the students—they loved making connections between the two subjects while deepening their understanding in both.”

The Park Terrace fourth grade team has seen similarly high engagement and remarkable growth through their approach to project-based learning. It’s not just academic growth but the development of career and life skills like collaboration, communication and critical thinking.

“Students are making more connections across subjects and seeing how their learning is interwoven rather than isolated,” says Aaron. “They have become strong reflectors - able to identify both their successes and areas for improvement.”

The team has seen progress in key skills, more cooperation and application of learning, and more joy and enthusiasm.

“Our students are becoming more engaged, confident and independent learners,” says Aaron. “They're seeing their work as meaningful beyond the classroom, and that's what makes this so powerful.”

At the end of the year, as they prepare to take their next steps as fifth graders at Westwood, this group of fourth graders is exploring one last question: How do stories, written and lived, help us understand ourselves, others, and the world? It’s an essential question they’re exploring deeply, the answers to which they will carry with them – along with academic and life skills – to the fifth grade and beyond.