Standard Overview:

The teacher displays a deep knowledge of content that, when combined with the knowledge of teaching and knowledge of the learner and the learning environment, enables the development of instructional experiences that create and support the best possible opportunities for students to learn.

The teacher delivers instruction to motivate and engage students in a deep understanding of the content.

The problem based activity presented to the students was designed to engage them in many different facets of social studies. The activity centered around building a new type of airplane to support the war effort. I have two classes on an alternating schedule that were working through WWI and two classes that meet everyday working through WWII. I presented both classes with the new technologies of war, the WWI students realized that flight was new and the introduction of the airplane to the battlefield changed warfare, but not as dramatic as the new airplanes of WWII. The task was to design and build a paper airplane prototype, then replicate five more planes that needed to meet rigid standards of accuracy, account for materials, and ultimately perform. The classes were divided into groups and group members were given specific tasks: leader, graphic designer, drafter, and tester. The materials list was provided to each group and the cost of those materials, the prototype could be made from a different material, but the replicas had to within the designated perimeters including the graphics. The goals of the lesson were designed to help students make civic connections to the war effort both at home and aboard, help students to make connections and enhance understandings of economics related to design and manufacturing of products, and the historic significance new technology played in the devastation of war.

Reflective Analysis:

The goals of the project seemed to fall a bit secondary to the actual fun the students had in making their airplanes. It was rather ironic to note that not one group of the so called "digital natives" did an online search for the best paper airplane designs, even the groups that struggled with designing a prototype that would fly more than five feet when tested in the hallway. When asked during the debriefing of the project I produced two airplanes I downloaded from the internet and asked how many students relied on their own prior knowledge and experience to create their designs. Overwhelmingly the response was all groups relied on their own experience or tried to replicate a design they were seeing tested by their classmates. These types of activities are essential to help students make deeper connections, by problem solving from a first-hand, hand-ons, point of view students have instant ownership in the outcomes, good and bad. This activity also provided a venue for creativity and mixing historic facts with "if then" or "what if" scenarios that allow for assessing student learning at a much higher level (synthesize and evaluate).

Plans for Improvement:

The biggest thing to manage with a project this size is time. I tried to provide ample amount of time for groups to design their prototype and build their replicas, while also giving direct instruction on the unit / chapter material. I planned for three 30-minute segments for the project work and testing. The actual time spent was closer to three 45-minute segments, which included the testing but left little time for debriefing the project. I know this project will need more time when implemented in the future. I also need to devise a better rubric for grading purposes. Many of the groups worked very hard on their designs, but not on the graphics or vice versa, the criteria sheet outlining the project requirements needs to reflect the expectations better as well.