Crawfordsville PBL Activity

Investigating a Local Problem

Welcome!

Our Activity

• We are going to spend today and the next two weeks investigating an issue of importance to the community here in Crawfordsville.

• You will work as part of a team to conduct a specific investigation.

Activity Steps

• As part of this process, each team will:– Develop a specific investigative question– Plan how to conduct the investigation– Collect data (from field sites as needed) and

organize it– Do background research – Prepare a 10-minute multimedia presentation to

share your results with others

Using Technology

• Gather background information

• Organize and present data

• Produce artifacts of the activity

• Create a presentation to share with others

• Internet and World Wide Web

• Excel spreadsheet and graph

• Digital camera, word processor

• Powerpoint

These are only ideas; you may have others.

Our Activity

• Schedule– this week: develop an investigation– next week: complete it and make a presentation– the following week: show the presentations

• Be prepared…– For hands-on activity (possibly outside).– To use your skills and expertise to help your

group.– To have some fun while learning!

What are some of the issues that confront Crawfordsville and

the surrounding areas?

Our Driving Question

• What’s in our water, why is it there, and what does it mean to us?

Journal-Review Headlines

• Recent issues of the Crawfordsville Journal-Review suggest that water quality is an issue in the local community.

Contaminated Sites

Discharge in Shelly Ditch

Chemical Spill in Sugar Creek

Miracle Whip Spill in Sugar Creek

Lead in School Drinking Water

E. Coli Found in Water

Let’s Get Started!

Brainstorming

• In your group, brainstorm the issues / topics that might be investigated with regard to our driving question…

What’s in our water, why is it there, and what does it mean to us?

Your Investigation

Developing Your Investigation

• In your group, consider the possible topics that have been discussed.

• Decide on one investigative question you would like to address during the PBL activities.

Investigation Considerations

• Does it address the driving question?

• Is it understandable and clearly stated?

• Is it testable? Can you gather data?

• Are the equipment/supplies needed available?

• Can it be done in our time frame?

Planning

Planning Considerations

• What background information do you need? Where can you find it?

• What data will you collect? How? Where?

• How will you document what you do?

• What kind of artifacts will you produce?

• How will you present your results?

Safety First!

• Be careful!

• Obey all laws.

• Follow the time schedule.

End Product

Presentation

• Prepare a 10-minute presentation about your investigation, to be shared with everyone, using Powerpoint.

Presentation Components

• What was your investigative question?

• Who worked on your team?

• How did you conduct your investigation?

• What did you discover?

• What does it mean? How does it relate back to our driving question?

• What action steps might follow?

Go to it!

and have fun!