Problem-Based Learning: Emergent Math PrBL Curriculum Maps

If you believe in a higher being than this is where the Hallelujah chorus would begin. Let me welcome you to the CCSS PrBL Curriculum maps for grades 4-12 with both Integrated and Traditional high school pathways brought to you by Emergent Math. Over at Emergent Math, they've compiled resources from bloggers and teachers all over  and aligned them with the various curriculum mappings provided by CCSS. If you are someone who wants to try out Problem-Based Learning in your classroom, and you already have a district- or school-provided curriculum to follow that is aligned with the CCSS, this is the resource for you!

Reasons why I LOVE the Curriculum Mappings:

• Mappings are available at all different grade levels, and standards are available at all different grade levels (in some cases at least), having all of these mappings allows for me to level-up or level-down the PrBL for my students on a more individualized basis: Hello Differentiation!
• Resources come from a variety of sources and have a wide-range of activities. Search out the ones you love and the ones you'll leave. 
• Also, with the plethora of resources, you're bound to find something that works for your given situation in your classroom, be it monetary or technology constraints, there is something for everyone. 
• The Mappings are constantly being updated with new resources, you can even submit your own!

Problem-Based Learning: Powerful Problem Solving from the Math Forum @ Drexel

The Math Forum @ Drexel sure know what they are talking about when it comes to teaching students Higher Order Thinking skills through engaging mathematics like Problem-Based Learning. Their book, written by Max Ray, Powerful Problem Solving, has been an interest of mine for the last few months as we are studying it in a graduate class I am taking. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to close-read the text and explore their online resources, which I am happy to share with you!

This book provides a novice Problem-Based Learning teacher with many tools to create a successful implementation of the strategy in their classroom. There are over-arching themes interwoven throughout the book focusing on areas of problem-solving strategies that have activities to accompany them. While these are great in and of themselves, you truly need some good rich tasks to use these practices with. Enter their companion website and my currently most frequently accessed link: Powerful Problem Solving.

Reasons that I love the PPS Online Resource Website:

• They have a multitude of videos linked to their strategies and Problems of the Week so that you can see what they look like in action. 
• You can also hunt them down on YouTube, but I like the layout of this version.
• The Chapter-By-Chapter resources, giving you access to activities and tasks relayed in the book, additional problems, supporting applets, student-hand outs, etc... 
• Links to their free Problems of the Week (though signing up for your class and receiving access to all of them may not be a bad idea!)
• Remember, the resources from the PPS website also give examples of the activities to use with these tasks!
• These are pre-designed Problem-Based problems for you to use in your classroom, which you can use whole-sale or use as models for designing your own Problem-Based problems!

For more information specifically about the Math Forum @ Drexel, check out a page by Terry, a classmate of mine, with links to other specific resources available from the Math Forum @ Drexel.

Project-Based Learning Math Resource: CurrikiGeometry

Curriki is an online host to free teaching and learning resources for educators everywhere. From lesson plans, to units, to entire curriculums, Curriki has something for everyone. For the Project-Based Learning math teacher, one resource available is a gold-mine: Curriki Geometry. Curriki Geometery is Curriki's own CCSS aligned Project-Based Learning math course designed around the principles of PBL. The site has both student and teacher access to it and contains 6 projects that can be used in any manner you choose.

Things I Love about CurrikiGeometry:

• The Comprehensive package of each project.
• Including lesson plans, pacing and differentiation ideas
• A list of websites and resources to use alongside the projects or as-is
• The materials available to help run a successful Project-Based Learning classroom
• The inclusion of technology tools
• Linking to other websites for engaging activities to support the projects

For those of you who may be just starting out or wanting to get your feet wet, taking an entire project may be beneficial to see how Project-Based Learning can work in your school. I always like to have a autonomy and ownership over my projects, so I don't love taking things wholesale, but if someone has a good idea, I'm always willing to tweak it and make it my own!

Project-Based Math Resource: Mathalicious

Every time I hear the name I get the "Fergalicious" song in my head, so thank you Mathalicious for offering me a weekly blast from the past. Mathalicious' tag line "Finally. Math class is awesome." is completely appropriate to describe the content of the site. Mathalicious offers educators the ability to browse through lessons designed to be real-world focused and engaging for students of all ages. Not to mention, they've aligned their content with the CCSS, just an extra bonus for those of us out there who have to make the transition!

Why we LOVE Mathalicious:

• They offer a wide variety of lessons that are sortable by topic, CCSS "grade level" and exact standards, making it easy for you to incorporate into your planning!
• They offer free and paid-for lessons depending on your financial abilities.
• This is also an awesome offer so you can see what the lessons are like before deciding to make a purchase!
• Lessons appeal to a variety of students through age-appropriate lesson topics, like this XBox lesson!
• Lessons come with handouts, guides and project extensions, making it easier to incorporate into your unique teaching situation. 
• They have a variety of payment plans and can work with you if your district isn't helping to foot the bill.

Mathalicious may not be Project-Based Learning projects per-se, but my colleagues and I have been known to use their lessons as part of our planning: either as project launches, components in guided projects, or standalone lessons to increase engagement. Enjoy the exploration!

Project-Based Math Resource: The Learning Network

While we may not all live in New York, the New York Times is helping educators everywhere with The Learning Network, their online resource for teachers that connects content to real-world events happening now. The lesson plans include nearly every content you could hope to teach, here are a few: art, history (foreign and domestic), health, science, technology, and yes, mathematics. While this may not be explicitly Project-Based Learning focused, it is easy to see how you could incorporate the elements available here either in part or in whole into your projects. This is a great place to find project ideas that are of high interest to students and are happening in their real lives!

Why I LOVE The Learning Network:

• The Learning Network covers one of the biggest components of Project-Based Learning: Real World Authenticity.
• It is constantly being updated and supplying you with right now events that are happening and relatable to students. Follow their site or sign up for their emails!
• Their link-able and like-able lesson plans, frequently integrating text and video into the mix.
• These are easily adaptable to fit into projects or to be launching points for projects!
• The interactiveness with students.
• Let your students access the site and you'll notice they start showing you interesting things they want to learn.... voice and choice!

Project-Based Math Resource: RealWorldMath

RealWorldMath is a website that can be used by students and teachers alike to find real world math applicable projects and lessons designed to show the usefulness of knowing the material. I typically view this website for teachers and have enjoyed looking at their various lesson resources, from Concept Lessons to help my students develop conceptual understanding about various subjects, to Exploratory Lessons designed to show off some of the more interesting and less frequently discussed topics, there is something there for every teacher.

RealWorldMath

Things I LOVE about RealWorldMath:

• The emphasis on developing concepts with the conceptual lessons. These can be forgotten in a Project-Based environment, but are so essential to a PBL math success.
• The tutorials on how to use the technology associated with their lessons and projects
• The lesson outlines available to teachers
• Make sure you sign up for a password to access! It's free, so no worries!
• The blog that you can follow to stay up to date on interesting math connections going on currently in our real world!