At both PFFS-University and PFFS-Downtown we design powerful units of project-based instruction so that our students come to understand deeply the ‘big ideas’ and important content in our curriculum. One such unit delivered this past school year was ‘The Holocaust: Heroes & Resisters’. Our ‘Driving Question’ for this 8th Grade WWII unit was “Why did some people become resisters during the Holocaust?” Students discussed this topic in Socratic discussions of books of their choice and honored a specific person they researched by writing obituaries and creating a Hero Altar to be displayed at our Holocaust Museum night.
Read 8 Essentials for Project-Based Learning (by BIE) to learn more about PBL.