Protocol Overview and Instructions: 
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Having a truly authentic audience (someone who cares about the solution or product that the students will produce) within a project-based learning unit can make a huge difference in terms of the level of motivation and effort that students put into what they do and the level of product that they produce at the end.
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Authentic Audience Protocol Instructions

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Educator Thoughts:
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The Elevator Pitch - Students were able to invite Elementary Academy 5th graders to hear our pitch for both solutions we created. Our pitch went a bit longer than expected, but we were able to receive honest feedback. I could tell my kids were nervous, but they spoke clearly and explained each stage of our PBL journey. They were so proud!

"It is always an extra bonus when you see your students speak so articulately about the Driving question and you can feel the strong impact the work had on them personally."

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Student Quote:
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​"It felt really good to hear the members of the Elementary Academy team say they thought our podcast was going to really cool to listen to from their homes."

Meet the Educator:

Amy is an educator at West Ottawa Public Schools. She teaches 4th grade at Lakewood Elementary.

     "Integrating curriculum through PBL experiences has sparked a passion for authentic, real world problem solving in my students. My 4th graders are more actively engaged and enthusiastic about the learning process since I began using the Creative Sequence and Design Thinking protocols. They are gaining empathy for those around them and building employability skills along the way. It is thrilling to witness their excitement!"​