Collaboration Between Students and a Community

This article demonstrates how a letter from a member of the community turned into a PBL for high school students. Students enrolled in high school environmental science and biology did t... See More

This article demonstrates how a letter from a member of the community turned into a PBL for high school students. Students enrolled in high school environmental science and biology did traditional stream monitoring and tree mapping of an area that was close to their school over a period of time during the school year. Students gained experience monitoring water and learning about the trees. As described in the article, the site will be used by elementary students and the community will benefit from it as well.

Neighborhood Project-Based Learning

A local resident invited the school district to use a large plot of his land for science experiments. The land included a small forest, a stream, and a vacant field. Ms. Hayes' students firs... See More

A local resident invited the school district to use a large plot of his land for science experiments. The land included a small forest, a stream, and a vacant field. Ms. Hayes' students first concentrated on the water. Ms. Hayes took state-offered training for their River Watch program, and then her students were able to submit data to the state-wide database of streams. The students tested the water for pH, turbidity, nitrates, phosphates, and dissolved oxygen. They collected samples of macroinvertebrates, which they then tested for tolerance to pollution. Students mapped the area and identified trees and plants. The location was close to the school, which allowed students to visit repeatedly. This is an unusual situation, and might give others ideas to encourage neighbors of their own schools to consider allowing student access to wild areas.