PROJECT OVERVIEW
Name of Project:
Duration: 400 minutes
Pass It On
Subject/Course: 7th Grade Science
Teacher(s): Barb Light
Grade Level: 7
Other subject areas to be
included, if any:
Project Idea
Summary of the issue,
challenge, investigation,
scenario, or problem:
Driving Question
Content and Skills
Standards to be
addressed:
Students will be asked to demonstrate that waves transfer energy.
This project is early in the year, so it is students first full collaborative project in science class. One goal is to identify a
system of experimentation with waves that can be used in further investigations that include measurement. This project
is conceptually based and does not include measurement.
How can you demonstrate that waves transfer energy?
P.EN.07.33 Demonstrate how waves transfer energy when they interact with matter (for example: tuning fork in
water, waves hitting a beach, earthquake knocking over buildings).
S.IA.17.13 Communicate and defend findings of observations and investigations.
S.RS.07.15 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and
activities.
T+A
21st
Century Skills
Collaboration
to be explicitly taught and
Presentation
assessed (T+A) or that will
be encouraged (E) by
Critical Thinking:
project work, but not taught
or assessed:
X
X
X
E
T+A
E
Other:
Presentation Audience:
Culminating
Products and
Performances
Group:
Individual:
Each group of students will first give their demonstration with explanation to the teacher who
will grade their explanation for critical thinking ability. The teacher and team of students will
then discuss any misconceptions or gaps in understanding. The students will then shoot a video
of their demo with their revised explanation which will be shown to all 7th graders and to the
community at the science fair open house.
Class:
School:
Community:
Experts:
Web:
Other:
X
X
© 2008 Buck Institute for Education
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Entry event to
launch inquiry,
engage students:
Assessments
Quizzes/Tests
Formative
Journal/Learning Log
Assessments
(During Project) Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes
Practice Presentations
Notes
X Checklists
Rough Drafts
Concept Maps
Online Tests/Exams
Other:
Written Product(s), with rubric:
Summative __________________________________________________
Assessments Oral Presentation, with rubric
(End of Project)
Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test
Essay Test
X
Other Product(s) or Performance(s), with rubric:
__________________________________________________
X Peer Evaluation
X
Self-Evaluation
Other:
.
Resources
Needed
On-site people, facilities:
Equipment:
water and sinks (or outside) to dump water
large containers for water, blocks for buildings, tuning forks, other things requested by students
Materials:
sand, rocks, water, other things requested by students
Community resources:
Reflection
Methods
Journal/Learning Log
(Individual,
Group, and/or Whole-Class Discussion
Whole Class)
Survey
Focus Group
X Fishbowl Discussion
Other:
© 2008 Buck Institute for Education
PROJECT TEACHING AND LEARNING GUIDE
Project: Pass It On
Course/Semester: 7th Grade Science; Semester 1
Knowledge and Skills Needed by Students
to successfully complete culminating products and
performances, and do well on summative assessments
Scaffolding / Materials / Lessons to be Provided
by the project teacher, other teachers, experts,
mentors, community members
Definition of energy as the ability to do work and definition of wave as a
method of energy transfer

Notes done in class that include the definitions
Collaboration skills to work on a team

Previous labs and activities to learn and practice working well with
others
(Although this project is their first full PBL experience, previous labs
and activities have included collaboration.)
Previous labs and activities to learn how to communicate scientific
explanations

A mini workshop on making videos prior to beginning this PBL
lesson

Previous whole classroom discussions related to the notes to develop
critical thinking skills

Communication skills
Video making skills
Critical thinking skills


© 2008 Buck Institute for Education
P R O J E C T
Project: Pass It On
M O N D AY
1.
2.
3.
4.
C A L E N D A R
Start Date:
T U E S D AY
W E D N E S D AY
T H U R S D AY
PROJECT WEEK ONE
Explain challenge (to 1. Teams plan
1. Investigation should
Same as yesterday
1.
demonstrate that
2. Investigation may
begin if it has not
* All teams should be
waves transfer energy)
begin depending on
2. Presentation to teacher done with their
Go over all rubrics with
how each team is
as teams are ready
presentation to the
2.
entire class
doing
3. Revision of
teacher by the end of this 3.
Form teams
presentation by teams day’s class.
Teams begin planning
4. Begin making video as
teams are ready
F R I D AY
Teams should be
shooting videos or
producing videos
Teams fill out rubrics
Any team that is
completely finished
with the video
production can move
on into further
investigation of waves
with their system (the
next project in the
curriculum)
PROJECT WEEK TWO
All teams should be
Showing of all videos
Finish showing and
finished with the entire
followed by a whole class discussing videos if
project by the end of this discussion of each.
necessary
class.
PROJECT WEEK THREE
© 2008 Buck Institute for Education
WAVE PROJECT SCIENCE RUBRIC
1 point = D
Not quite
there yet…
Overall D
Grade
5pts = 68%
4pts = 65%
3pts = 62%
2pts = 60%
S.RS.07.15
Demonstrate scientific
concepts through
various illustrations,
performances, models,
exhibits, and activities.
P.EN.07.32
Demonstrate how waves
transfer energy when
they interact with
matter.
The model requires
significant input from the
teacher to be useful in
further experimentation.
Matter versus Energy
All students have
misconceptions regarding
matter and energy for
their experimental
system.
Presentation
The team members did
not take the presentation
seriously or the team
members did not listen to
each other and the
teacher during the
presentation and
discussion about their
system.
Student explanations have
more than two gaps in
understanding.
2 points = C
Overall C Grade:
9pts = 78%
8pts = 75%
7pts = 72%
6pts = 70%
Ok, but you
can probably
do better!
The wave system devised by
students does not model real
wave behavior OR the
students have no idea of how
to use it for further
experimentation.
Student explanations have
two gaps in understanding or
only one student can fully
demonstrate understanding.
Only one person on the team
can explain the differences
between matter and energy
for their experimental system
or all students have one
misconception regarding
matter and energy for their
experimental system.
The team members took the
presentation seriously; there
was NO fooling around. Also,
the team members usually
listened to each other and the
teacher during the
presentation and discussion
about their system.
3 points = B
Good work!!!
Overall B Grade:
13pts = 88%
12pts = 85%
11pts = 82%
10pts = 80%
The wave system devised by
students models real wave
behavior and can be used for
experimentation, but students
need help to figure out how to
collect numerical data.
Student explanations have one
gap in understanding or not all
students can fully demonstrate
understanding.
4 points = A
Excellent!!!!
Overall A Grade:
16pts = 100%
15pts = 95%
14pts = 90%
The wave system devised by
students models real wave behavior
and can be used for further
experiments that involve numerical
data collection.
Most students on the team can
correctly explain the differences
between matter and energy for
their experimental system.
Student explanations and
demonstrations clearly show full
understanding of the function of
waves (transfer energy), the type of
energy transferred, and the result of
the energy transfer on matter.
All team members have the full
understanding described above.
All students on the team can
correctly explain the differences
between matter and energy for their
experimental system.
The team members took the
presentation seriously; there
was NO fooling around. Also,
the team members listened to
each other and the teacher
during the presentation and
discussion about their system. It
was well planned and a good
presentation.
The team members took the
presentation seriously; there was
NO fooling around. Also, the team
members listened to each other and
the teacher during the presentation
and discussion about their system.
Also, the presentation was planned
so that everything was covered and
was awesome.