MOTH Stories, "It's Alive" and Greek Mythology Gaming Combine for Incredible Middle School Showcase
Educational excellence was on full display as Middle School students held their quarter one Project Based Learning Showcase on Wednesday, October 23. This demonstration of fall learning gave sixth through eighth grade students the opportunity to share their high-level work from the first quarter as they sought to answer driving questions in front of their teachers, peers, and parents.
The Class of 2031 took an interdisciplinary approach to figuring out how to create interactive video games based on personal Greek myths using art, science, history, and literature. Students relied on knowledge of mythology and the hero's journey gleaned from their novel studies to write their own personal epic stories. They then took these stories and dove into the world of coding, physics, math, and art to design, code, and perfect interactive video games based on their myths' lead characters. As a final touch to these intricate projects, each student created a paper mache or clay mask to depict their lead character in the style of ancient Greek art. During the showcase, students invited the audience to read their stories, play their video games, enjoy their artwork, and ask questions about the experience.
Seventh grade students tackled the "It's Alive" challenge of finding a way for them, as biologists, to use models to help others better understand the cell as the basic unit of life. To conquer this task, students had to understand the intricacies of plant and animal cells and brainstorm ways to describe the parts and tasks of each organelle in a way to make it understandable to a wide audience. Partnered in teams, the Class of 2030 chose a wide variety of media to share their knowledge including through CAD design programs, song, edible-art, modeling, and more! Every participant at the showcase was able to appreciate the cell in new ways from at least one of the methods on display.
The Class of 2029 showed the audience a new side of themselves, as they asked, "How can we, as writers, use our personal stories to powerfully tell the greater story of being human?" Each eighth grade student reflected on a moment in their lives that had great impact on them to share with others through a MOTH-inspired presentation. These personal stories, named "moth" because they are to depict the type of tales typically told on a back porch at nighttime, were carefully crafted to be engaging and contain universal human themes. Students worked to construct their stories based on the story arc, "show" instead of "tell" what happened using precise language and a strong voice, and practice presenting their Moth tales in a way that is genuine and seems unscripted. The eighth grade Moth stories deeply impacted the audience with the vulnerability that they displayed and the confidence and poised with which the students shared them.
The quarter one Middle School Project Based Learning Showcase was a great success, as it gave teachers, parents, and students the opportunity to truly see the deep learning that has taken place during a valuable first quarter.
Click here to view a gallery of PBL Showcase photos
Back
The Class of 2031 took an interdisciplinary approach to figuring out how to create interactive video games based on personal Greek myths using art, science, history, and literature. Students relied on knowledge of mythology and the hero's journey gleaned from their novel studies to write their own personal epic stories. They then took these stories and dove into the world of coding, physics, math, and art to design, code, and perfect interactive video games based on their myths' lead characters. As a final touch to these intricate projects, each student created a paper mache or clay mask to depict their lead character in the style of ancient Greek art. During the showcase, students invited the audience to read their stories, play their video games, enjoy their artwork, and ask questions about the experience.
Seventh grade students tackled the "It's Alive" challenge of finding a way for them, as biologists, to use models to help others better understand the cell as the basic unit of life. To conquer this task, students had to understand the intricacies of plant and animal cells and brainstorm ways to describe the parts and tasks of each organelle in a way to make it understandable to a wide audience. Partnered in teams, the Class of 2030 chose a wide variety of media to share their knowledge including through CAD design programs, song, edible-art, modeling, and more! Every participant at the showcase was able to appreciate the cell in new ways from at least one of the methods on display.
The Class of 2029 showed the audience a new side of themselves, as they asked, "How can we, as writers, use our personal stories to powerfully tell the greater story of being human?" Each eighth grade student reflected on a moment in their lives that had great impact on them to share with others through a MOTH-inspired presentation. These personal stories, named "moth" because they are to depict the type of tales typically told on a back porch at nighttime, were carefully crafted to be engaging and contain universal human themes. Students worked to construct their stories based on the story arc, "show" instead of "tell" what happened using precise language and a strong voice, and practice presenting their Moth tales in a way that is genuine and seems unscripted. The eighth grade Moth stories deeply impacted the audience with the vulnerability that they displayed and the confidence and poised with which the students shared them.
The quarter one Middle School Project Based Learning Showcase was a great success, as it gave teachers, parents, and students the opportunity to truly see the deep learning that has taken place during a valuable first quarter.
Click here to view a gallery of PBL Showcase photos
Indian Creek School
Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland. Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.
