The Shift to White Pines
By:  Nick Tejchma

Project at a Glance :

This project is for incoming students to White Pines (5th grade). It will investigate or tour some ideas around making the move to a new building. 

Driving Question:

How might we support with all our worries with our building/grade shift?          

Standards:

• W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• SL.5.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. 

Team / Culture Building:

• Inner Heroes to build successful teams
• Use the Hopes, Fears, & Norms protocol to discover common strengths.​

Stakeholders:

• Parents
  
• Administration
  
• 4th grade and 5th grade teachers and students.

Empathy Building:

• Empathy Maps​

• Interview past students about the change from the elementary to intermediate school.
• Love letter/Break up letter for the transition from elementary to intermediate school.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Stakeholder Map
• Top Ten List- this list will help students figure out who to interview and what we want to ask them.
• Use the Talking Chips protocol to uncover what students have discovered so far.

Incubation:

• Use the Ideas Quota protocol partnered with the Rule of Thirds to brainstorm solution ideas.
• Use the Anti-problem activity asking the question - How might we make this transition the most uncomfortable  for stakeholders?
• Followed by, “How would ___ solve this?” This protocol will  help students gain empathy for other stakeholders specifically and then gain perspective on additional ideas.​

Checking in:

• Check ins will occur periodically during the project - especially after interviewing and narrowing down solution ideas.
• Pluses and Deltas- sharing pros and cons of each idea will help students determine ideas that best support the driving question.

---

Solution Building:

• Students will use the NUF test and Dot Voting to pick the solution that best supports the driving question.
  
• Next, students will participate in the Poster Session activity to display their ideas and get feedback.
  

 Critique and Revision: 

• Several stakeholders will be invited in to provide feedback in the form of I like and I wonders as students move forward with their ideas.

Authentic Audience:

• Elementary and Intermediate Administrators
• Students
• Teachers
• Parents/PTO potentially

​Final Presentation:

• Official presentation of ideas in front of stakeholders with created prototype and pitch.

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• The audience will use the “I like/I wonder” tool to give feedback because they will have already received feedback with the NUF test earlier in the process.
• Students will complete a Google form as a self assessment for the project standards.​​

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:
Nick Tejchma teaches 5th grade at White Pines Intermediate School, Grand Haven, MI.

“PBL & Design Thinking gives my students the opportunity to collaborate and think authentically. I like the chance to connect with community and for my students to be a part of something that inspires them to grow."