Wood Hill 7th Graders Blend Science, Mythology, Art, and Technology in PBL Projects

One of the distinguishing characteristics of PBL (project-based learning) is the integration of student study in multiple disciplines within a single project.  Wood Hill 7th graders on the east team recently presented projects that brought together their scientific study of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, thunder, and volcanos with their research on mythological explanations for these phenomena from around the world.  Each student team produced a video presenting the myth they had researched and included original artwork visually depicting scenes from the myth story.

Scientific explanation paired with mythical explanations were presented using StoryMap presentation software

 Each student group presentation was presented using the StoryMap presentation application available for free online (http://storymap.knightlab.com).  The program allows students to indicate where in the world the myth originated by adding buttons to specific locations on the interactive map.  When a location with a button is selected, the viewer is presented with a brief student-narrated slide show telling the story of the myth and offering a scientific explanation for the natural phenomenon on which the myth is based.

Parents and students view the final presentations

Many parents and relatives visited Wood Hill just before the December break to view the final draft of the program.  The project was truly unique in its design by bringing together social studies, science, art, and technology - a combination not frequently found blended together with such creativity and integration.  Congratulations to the the 7 East students and teachers Tina Kelly (math/science), Kathryn Conti (social studies/language arts), and Lisa Miller (special education) for an original presentation and learning experience.

You can check out all of the projects online at http://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/storymapjs/latest/embed/?url=https://6fdf67b1173b2fe9809d7fc8f439c5caf5e5ae6c.googledrive.com/host/0B2T0QOVlQiztelFUUFZWYlpUTlk/published.json .