With so many amazing things coming together I think a little bit of fun and celebration is in due order. Our living walls have come together and are beautifully hung up around our QAE garden. Go check them out! They are a physical representation of our hard work and growth this year and the class has due reason to be proud!
A preview of the hard work going on this week where we are making our ideas a wonderful reality. More photos, updates and some interviews to come! (Hopefully tomorrow!) Today was a day of hands on, get messy, I-got-paint-on-my-clothes kind of day! We received a generous donation of 5 wood pallets last week and have successfully adapted our initial ideas to the exact measurements and dimensions of our smaller Living Wall frames. Taking advantage of the beautiful past few days, they planned, sanded and painted their pallets with primer! Truly some hands on learning and exploring! I can't wait until we continue to work on these for the next few days and hopefully finish painting by Friday!
It is reaching that point in the year where I find myself less and less useful as my students step up as leaders and directors of their learning. I have always believed in the necessity and power of social-emotional learning and in such an amazing way, see it embodied in how this PBL has evolved. Group work and collaboration is difficult. Effective collaboration skills are learned through the opportunities provided by our Living Wall Project and through our reflections and frustrations, I really am proud of how far each student has come. I hope they feel the same sense of "This is what it is all about!" that I feel right now. Connecting, building, and sharing an experience with a class that I hope will shape them into stronger and happier individuals. Below, in the form of multiple posts, is the culmination of many months of hard work for our class' 5 PBL groups! The process was sometimes frustrating, sometimes fruitful, and definitely rewarding and we would like to share with everyone our Final Blueprints and Videos! Enjoy!
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