Our Safe Playground 
​               By: Mary Larson, Amy Schriber, and Valerie Watson

Project at a Glance :

This project begins with first graders investigating the social/emotional issues on an elementary playground.  Project duration:  2 weeks.

Driving Question:

How can we make our playground safe?             

Standards:

• CCSS.ELA - Literacy.SL1.1.A, 1.1.B, 1.1C, & 1.5 

Team / Culture Building:

• Using Creative DNA protocol and puzzles to create effective teams.​​

Entry Event:

• Tour playground together with a focus on What it means to be safe

Stakeholders:

• Principal
• Teachers
• Students
•  Playground staff

Empathy Building:

• Students will create Empathy Maps for the following stakeholders- students, principal, and teachers
• Chalk Talk - Good/bad experience on playground
• Pains and Gains t-chart to document specific playground experiences

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Interview playground supervisors--pains and gains
• Interview students from various grades on the playground
•  Investigations on the playground--What you notice? What you wonder? What you hear? Things that are safe/not safe, problems noticed, etc.

Incubation:

• Use the Rule of Thirds protocol: expected, crazy, and breakthrough ideas​​

• Idea Mapping-In small groups or as a whole w/teacher scribe
•  Introduce the Anti-Problem strategy when hit a lull. (ie, what would a very unsafe playground look like?)
• Use Jamboard or Stormboard to document 100 Ideas ​for creating a safer playground.​

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Solution Building:

• Narrow 100 ideas (post-it notes) into categories or 4 groups- label the categories, use Dot Voting to determine the best solution ideas.
• Reference Empathy Maps created earlier and use the NUF Test to determine final solution ideas.

Critique and Revision: 

• Use Talking Chips Check in - giving glows and grows feedback
• Survey  stakeholders-ie, older students, business partners, etc. get feedback-get First Graders to explain the What and the Why of their solution ideas
• Gallery walk, sharing their ideas and getting feedback in the form of I like.. because, I wonder.
•  Present ideas to stakeholders (Ex:  4th grade class and  recess aids)
• Show Austin’s butterfly video, and take students through the process​

Authentic Audience:

• Principal
• Teachers
• Students
•  Playground staff
• Parents

Final Presentation:

• Students will have the power in deciding what how they will share out their solution. They will have dot voted, brainstormed, and revised to come to their final solution. Their solution may include a presentation, demonstration, poster, video, pamphlet, etc.​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Whole group (norms) and/or team reflection rubric
• Self assessment reflection (“Inner Heroes” survey? or Creative DNA post assessment
• Rubric on speaking and listening standards for Grade 1.

Click here for M. Larson's class journey through PBL on Padlet.

Click here for A.  Schriber's  class journey through PBL on Padlet.

Click here for V. Watson's class journey through PBL on Padlet.

Meet the Educators:
​
 Amy Schriber, Mary Larson, and Valerie Watson teach first grade at Robinson Elementary in Grand Haven MI.  
​     "PBL and Design Thinking is new to me this year! It's exciting to see that some of the things I already do in the classroom are integrated in PBL. Offering students voice, nudging them towards collaborative work and problem solving for real world problems, such as school related or community issues, and collaborating to build solutions and prototypes helps them to see themselves as thinkers, investigators, creators, engineers, and leaders. The idea of partnering with area businesses and building a stronger school-community relationship is also at the heart of PBL." ~ M. Larson

     "PBL and Design Thinking brings extra energy, excitement, and ownership to our learning in the classroom!" ~ A. Schriber

     "PBL is the most authentic process I  have encountered, in my 29 years of teaching, to actively engage students in solving real life problems. Students work in teams to explore and undertake numerous options to produce authentic solutions. What better way to prepare them for the real world? Wish  I had tried this years ago!" ~ V. Watson