Rebekah Schroetlin

Project Based Instruction

11-8-16

PBI Stem Grant

Contact information:
Name: Rebekah Schroetlin
School: Jenkins Middle School
Address: 6410 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
E-Mail: rschroe2@uccs.edu

Tell your story:

Jenkins Middle School is in the heart of Colorado Springs, with about
950 students. Approximately 30% of these students qualify for free or
reduced lunch. Jenkins is a little better than Colorado Springs Schools
academically, but still only shows 33% proficiency in math and 44%
proficiency in reading and language arts.
The seventh period math class is made up of fourteen students, a
majority of which are below or significantly below grade level. They dont like
math, but get excited by hands-on projects and activities, and are much
more willing to learn math concepts through activities than normal classroom
instruction.

How can we help?:

*Materials:

3000 popsicle sticks ($25.20 on Amazon)

7200 toothpicks ($31.96 on Amazon)
Mini hot glue gun with 25 sticks (x3) (a total of $32.97 on Amazon)
Cotton twine (x2) (a total of $9.42 on Amazon)
Self-hardening clay (10 pounds, a total of $60.9 on Amazon)
Aluminum foil (60 sq ft, $9.08 on Amazon)
Cardboard (10 sheets, 42x40, $16.00 on Amazon)
Cardstock (one package, $7.89 on Amazon)
Poster-board (pack of 10, 22x28, $6.49 on Amazon)

(All prices include shipping, total cost: $199.91)

*Project description
Students will be given a problem to solve how to span a river (using a
bridge or dam) that is 50 feet wide. They will research real-world examples of
bridges and dams, determine reasonable costs for a project of this scale, and
make scale models of their bridge or dam using a variety of materials
(including those described above). They will have the opportunity to test
their initial design and rebuild if their first attempt does not work. In the
process, they will deal with area, forces, negative numbers, the concept of
debt, and budgeting. Everything but the poster-board will be used to build
the bridges/dams, while the students will use the poster-board to present
their design process and results to the class. This project will take three full
weeks of class.
*How will these materials make a difference?:

By giving students a project that requires mathematics, this lesson

block will show students practical applications for math. This will give them a
reason for math beyond rote memorization, and allow them to see how
mathematical concepts relate to the real world. These are students who
struggle with math, but who show a significant increase in interest in
mathematical concepts when presented with the opportunity to do a handson activity.
These materials are central to this hands-on activity. This project
requires students to work to overcome real-world design challenges and to
think through and adjust their design process. If they only research examples
of these concepts, these ideas will not be as poignantly communicated as
they are through real experience. Without outside funding, the cost for these
materials would fall on the teacher. This would require scaling down on the
project significantly, limiting the solutions that the students would be able to
pursue, and keeping them from being able to rebuild their projects if they
encounter significant difficulty with their first attempt.
Pay it forward: How will this project help others?
This project will pay it forward firstly by giving the students the
ability to present their projects before their peers. The purpose of this is
twofold to build the confidence of the students, and to foster an interest in
engineering and problem-solving in their peers. If students throughout the
school see that mathematics has practical applications, they may be less
resistant to learning and more interested in this kind of project, which would

make it easier for other teachers to pursue project-based lessons in their

classrooms.
Another way that this project will help others is by making the lesson
plan, project calendar, and reflections on the lessons available to teachers,
students, and the community through a website. This website will be created
after the project is complete, and will not only make the lesson plans
available to other teachers, but also make them aware of some of the
challenges and pitfalls the teachers encountered during the project. This will
help teachers who wish to replicate this project plan for and avoid these
challenges. In addition, this website will help give parents a real connection
to the material that their students are learning. Parents will be able to see
exactly what their children are learning and why.