1. Christina Rubbino April 15, 2012
EdSE 604 Professor Gura
Final PBL Unit Lesson Plan
Theme of PBL Unit: Communities in Our World
Grade Level: 3rd grade
Product: The students will collaborate to develop their choice of a travel
brochure, a virtual tour or collage that will represent their assigned country or
region that is part of the continent they are representing. Each student’s work will
be combined in a multimedia presentation which will be published as well as
presented to their class.
Objective: Students will demonstrate knowledge of geography, the ability to
identify valid resources for information on the internet, and an understanding of
different cultures. They will also effectively collaborate with their group using
time management and interpersonal communication skills. They will participate in
and complete any activities related to the PBL unit as well as follow the timeline of
tasks geared toward the final product of the PBL unit of study.
Focus/Driving Question: What characteristics define people of a community,
contributing to our cultural diversity?
Time Frame: 3 weeks
Standards:
 SOCIAL STUDIES
Standard 2-World History
Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history
and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

2. Standard 3-Geography
Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the
geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and
global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over
the Earth’s surface.
Standard 4-Economics
use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how
the United States and other societies develop economic systems and
associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-
making units function in the U.S. and other national economies, and how an
economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket
mechanisms.
Standard 5-Civics, Citizenship and Government
Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the
necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S.
and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American
constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of
citizenship, including avenues of participation.
 ART
Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts
Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces
that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse
cultures of past and present society.
 MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
Standard 5: Technology
Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct,
use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.

3.  ELA: Standards for Literature (RL)
Standard (RL.3.2)
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures;
determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is
conveyed through key details in the text.
Assessment: Assessment will occur throughout the process of the PBL unit during
each session as well as for the final product. The use of various assessment forms
will be implemented such as a checklist for the project, a project grading rubric, a
collaboration rubric, peer review forms for the project presentations as well as a
teacher assessment form.
Procedure:
WEEK 1:
Session 1
Students will be given an outline of PBL unit in the form of a checklist along
with a rubric for the final product.
The teacher will explain the process of the project and what is expected of the
final project, reviewing any rubrics, checklists or forms.
The class will be shown a sample student project, both good and poor examples.
The students will then have an opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
The class will be divided into seven groups to represent each continent through
random selection. This will be done by having the students pick an index card
from a hat. There will be three index cards labeled for each continent, which
will determine the members for each respective group.
Session 2
Students will meet with their groups.
On the Smart Board, using one of the online interactive map software sites, the
teacher will do a mini lesson on map concepts, which are vital to understanding
geography. This will entail demonstrating ways that the students can make the
maps their own using markers and drawing tools. Students will also be shown
other information that may be contained on these sites such as population,
climate and distance from one country to another (in kilometers or miles).

4. Each group will practice on these sites collaboratively and identify where their
continent is on a world map using the computer, an atlas or blank map delineating
each region or country.
Students will identify as many regions or countries within their assigned
continent in the time allotted on a blank sheet of paper. From that list, they
will choose a region or country they will research.
Session 3
Once each member of the group has established the region or country they are
responsible for, they will draw on prior knowledge they have for each country
and begin brainstorming what information they need and want to investigate
further.
Each group will create their own map for their continent, clearly identifying the
countries or regions they are researching.
They will also create individual maps for the countries or regions within that
continent.
(Student created maps can be computer generated or printed and personalized,
scanned or imported from a digital photo taken with the camera.)
Session 4
Class will go to their scheduled Computer Lab special where students will be
seated next to members of their group but will concentrate on researching
their own country or region.
They will explore sites that they were suggested and learn to use other reliable
resources they come across to gather information.
Students will document sites they visited when they use information from a
site.
They will also print or save images that will be used for their project.
Session 5
As an art lesson, students will identify their country or region’s flag and create
their own flag digitally or by decorating one that has been printed.
The flags will be saved to a file or scanned or imported from a digital camera.

5. WEEK 2
Session 1
Students will be taken on a virtual field trip to reinforce the presence of
cultural differences and similarities in our world using YouTube.
This will be followed by reading a story such as Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
to demonstrate different traditions that exist from culture to culture even if
cultures celebrate the same holidays. During this session, the focus is on
Mexican traditions during the Christmas holiday.
Students will write about a holiday tradition they celebrate and compare and
contrast it to what they have learned about Mexican traditions.
Session 2
Students will create a “Flat ____”, either online or using a printed template, to
represent their country or region, illustrating traditional clothing worn.
Their finished product will be saved on the computer or scanned and saved. The
students will be able to copy and paste or insert their “Flat ____” into their
presentation. Students will be able to crop and resize the image when
necessary.
The original artwork for the “Flat ___” will be made into puppets using popsicle
sticks, which will be used for the presentation.
The teacher will crop the saved copies and print miniature versions for each
student to use as markers on the world map that will be displayed on the
bulletin board.
Session 4
Class will go to their scheduled Computer Lab special and continue working on
their projects to finalize.
Session 3 and 5
One class period on each of these days will be dedicated to the groups
collaborating to work on, finalize and upload their projects to
www.slideshare.net.
They will also practice their presentations.

6. WEEK 3
Sessions 1 through 4
Students will present their final project as tour guides using their “Flat ____”
puppets to guide their classmates, the tour group, on a sightseeing expedition
across the countries or regions through their continent.
Teacher will videotape presentations.
There will be two groups presenting on the first three sessions and one group
presenting on the fourth session.
After each group presentation, the remaining students will make entries in their
individual travel journals noting two interesting pieces of information.
After each group’s presentation, the students (the tour group members) will
complete anonymous Peer Feedback forms.
At the end of each day’s presentation(s), the student’s will take their mini “Flat
___” markers and place them in the appropriate location on the world map on
the class bulletin board. The bulletin board will display the class’ travels around
the world, from the first destination to the final destination.
Session 5
The class will have a “World Culture Day”, where each student will share an
artifact, food, music and/or dance representing their country or region.
Family members will be invited to participate in this event.
Materials:
laptop computers for each group
atlases and other reference guide books
art supplies i.e. crayons, paints, fabrics and other craft materials, markers,
glue, buttons, google eyes, etc.
scanner
camera
video camera
Resources:
Websites with interactive maps, map quizzes, map puzzle games, map printables
plus country and region information:

7. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/interactive-map
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps.htm
http://www.imapbuilder.net
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps
Other sites for exploring the countries and regions in more detail:
www.nationsonline.org
www.everyculture.com
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Flat Stanley template
http://www.flatstanley.com/user/home
Flag websites
http://www.printableworldflags.com/country/UnitedNations
http://www.coloringcastle.com/flag_coloring_pages.html
PBL Rubrics and Forms:

8. Communities in Our World Project Checklist
The final presentation may include items suggested in the list below and must
include those marked with an *:
a world map*
map of the group’s continent*
map of the country or region*
capital of the country or region*
a student created flag*
climate
language
2 to 3 landmarks
currency
time zone
religion
government body or leader
food
art
music
dance
traditional clothing
famous people
natural resources
transportation
Flat ____ to represent country or region*
holidays
any other interesting fact(s) that is (are) not listed above
You may use sound clips, video and narrations but they are not required.

9. Name:
Research Log
Date Website Address Facts and Ideas
Accessed

10. Name:
Collaboration Rubric
4 3 2 1
I contribute I contribute to the group I contribute I choose not to
consistently and discussions inconsistently to the participate
actively to the group group
discussions I complete my assigned I do not complete my
tasks I complete my assigned assigned tasks
I accept and perform tasks with encouragement
Contribution to all of the tasks I take I contribute to setting I get in the way of the
Group on our goals I contribute sporadically goal setting process
in setting our goals
I help the group set I contribute to meeting I delay the group from
goals our goals I have trouble in meeting meeting goals
goals
I help direct the group
in meeting our goals
I share many ideas and I share ideas when I share ideas occasionally I don’t like to share
contribute relevant encouraged when encouraged my ideas
information
I allow all members to I allow sharing by most I do not contribute to
I encourage other share group members group discussions
members to share their
Cooperation with
ideas I can listen to others I listen to others I interrupt when
group
sometimes others are sharing
I balance my listening I show sensitivity to
and speaking other people’s feelings I consider other people’s I do not listen to
and ideas feelings and ideas others
I’m concerned about sometimes
others’ feelings and I’m not considerate of
ideas others' feelings and
ideas
I ask the group to I consider how well we Sometimes I help the I discourage us
consider how well we are working together group work together thinking about how well
are working together we are working
I help the group make Sometimes I help the together
I help the group make decisions group in making decisions
fair decisions I choose not to get
I offer suggestions to Sometimes I’ll offer involved in making
I work actively with solve problems suggestions to solve decisions
Group Dynamics the group to solve problems
problems I participate in the I choose not to
changes needed to help I do not impede the participate in problem-
I help the group work the group work better group’s efforts solving and sometimes
together better together cause problems for the
group
I get us off task some
of the time

11. Name:
Project Rubric

12. Teacher Reflection
1. What worked:
Entry Event:
Research:
Role-play:
Written work:
2. What didn’t:
Entry Event
Research
Role-play
Written work:
3. What changes need to be made, what things need to be added or deleted,
revamped?