Teacher Tip: Super Starter Projects and PBL
Renzulli Learning provides your students with many outstanding “Type I” experiences – activities designed to expose students to a wide variety of disciplines, topics, occupations, hobbies, persons, places, and events that would not ordinarily be covered in the regular curriculum – as detailed in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) by Dr. Joseph Renzulli and Dr. Sally Reis.
Type I experiences are general exploratory activities that help students develop or pursue an interest. Type II are critical and creative thinking activities that extend and challenge students. The most advanced part of the SEM are Type III activities, that enable students to pursue Problem Based Learning in their areas of interest. Once an interest is developed, Type III studies provide a unique opportunity to enable students to participate in authentic learning experiences and Project Based Learning. Many of your students will enjoy the opportunity to peak their interests, develop their creative and critical problem solving skills, and start a project that may choose to pursue in more depth. The Renzulli Learning Project Wizard enables students to independently embark on Type III Investigations.
Renzulli Learning’s Super Starter Projects helps support your students in Project Based Learning at home. The Renzulli Learning Project Wizard is student driven and can be utilized for students working both independently and in collaborative groups. Super Starter Projects are available for all subject areas and grade levels.
Below are some of the most popular Type III Super Starter Projects students can access in Renzulli Learning.
For more inspiration, check out the Super Starter Projects available in the Student site under “Projects” and the Teacher site under “Teach.”
Click here for tips on getting started with Project Based Learning.
Student Project Wizard Tutorial
Type III Project Examples
Grades K-2 Activities
Cool Characters:
In this project you will learn about characters in stories. You will discover that a character can be a person, animal, or other creature. You will keep notes in a journal as you learn to pick out the characters in stories and to describe them with adjectives. Your final product will challenge you to choose two characters from the same story and write down five adjectives to describe each one. Then you can draw your characters, and add a background to show where they are and what they are doing, or you can turn them into puppets. If you choose to draw your characters, you will have the option of submitting your work for publication in a magazine.
An Animal’s Habitat:
Learn how important an appropriate habitat is to the survival of any animal. You will choose and read about a specific animal. You will need to find out where it lives, what it eats, whether it is endangered, and all about its habitat. Then create a diorama of its habitat, or use your artistic ability to draw or paint your animal in its environment, to show others how your animal lives.
Grades 3-5 Activities
An Animal’s Habitat:
Learn how important an appropriate habitat is to the survival of any animal. You will choose and read about a specific animal. You will need to find out where it lives, what it eats, whether it is endangered, and all about its habitat. Then create a diorama of its habitat, or use your artistic ability to draw or paint your animal in its environment, to show others how your animal lives.
Create Colonial America:
By completing this project you will discover what it was like to live in the colonies during the period from pilgrim days to the Revolutionary War. Through research, you will learn about the challenging and exciting events experienced by colonial kids. You can choose to use your imagination to write a diary as if you were a young person living in the 1600s or 1700s; or you can use your hands to build a diorama showing what a home, schoolhouse, or town might have looked like during these times.
Grades 6-8 Activities
Create Colonial America:
By completing this project you will discover what it was like to live in the colonies during the period from pilgrim days to the Revolutionary War. Through research, you will learn about the challenging and exciting events experienced by colonial kids. You can choose to use your imagination to write a diary as if you were a young person living in the 1600s or 1700s; or you can use your hands to build a diorama showing what a home, schoolhouse, or town might have looked like during these times.
City of the Future:
Complete this project to learn how cities and societies change. You will choose a city and study its past, so that you can compare this to its present. While researching, keep a notebook about the changes that have taken place in this city over the past 100 years. Find out how such things as transportation, architecture, and the needs of people have changed. Then imagine what this city might become in the future. You can paint or draw your vision, build a three-dimensional model, or design a city with a computer. You also have the option of entering a future city engineering competition.
Grades 9-12 Activities
City of the Future:
Complete this project to learn how cities and societies change. You will choose a city and study its past, so that you can compare this to its present. While researching, keep a notebook about the changes that have taken place in this city over the past 100 years. Find out how such things as transportation, architecture, and the needs of people have changed. Then imagine what this city might become in the future. You can paint or draw your vision, build a three-dimensional model, or design a city with a computer. You also have the option of entering a future city engineering competition.
Create a Public Policy:
In the course of this project, you will become familiar with various public policies. You will read about social action at the local, state, and federal governmental levels. Find out how the policy-making process works. Choose a policy that interests you and learn how to research it. You will keep a research log to help you store and organize information. For your final product, you can either write a position paper outlining your policy proposal, or moderate a debate about your policy. If you choose to write the paper, you can submit it for publication or enter it in a writing contest.