PBL+Samples

Sample PBL Units
The following videos are first-hand accounts of Problem Based Learning in action in three schools across the United States. The videos summarize PBL projects, and in these videos, the dialogue between teachers, the dialogue between students, and teacher and student reflections are highlighted. It is our vision that the instructional approach of PBL will become more prevalent in the schools of the future.

**//5th Grade PBL Example from Madison, Wisconsin://** In this PBL unit, students designed a courtyard for an empty space at their school. They began with a drawing of their courtyard and then created a model of their courtyard. Students presented their designs to architects and explained why they included the aspects that they did. media type="youtube" key="kMIslolwzCs" height="315" width="420" align="center"

**//8th Grade PBL Example from Portland, Maine://** In this PBL example, students visited and researched local artwork, made connections between the art and various subjects, created their own art structures, and created a virtual tour for the local artwork. media type="youtube" key="sqziXTTjrtY" height="315" width="420" align="center"

**//High School Biology PBL Example from San Diego, California://** For this PBL unit, students studied the water quality at local beaches and through various forms, educated others about the water quality of the beaches and how to keep the water clean and safe. media type="youtube" key="cJ5Z53JAivE" height="315" width="420" align="center"

Click [|here] for a complete sample PBL activity with documents and artifacts. This unit on the 'Lunar Outpost' is designed for middle school students who will explore the challenges of establishing an outpost on the moon and it was retrieved from the Illinois Math and Science Academy's PBLNetwork Web site (Gerdes, 2011).