Project Based and Inquiry Learning
Students engage collaboratively in authentic inquiry during ongoing units of study.
Concept 1 - Students are provided opportunities to work collaboratively during project and inquiry-based units of study.
Concept 2 - Learning experiences provide opportunities for students to engage in authentic inquiry that requires problem identification, investigation, and analysis.
Students are provided opportunities to work collaboratively during project- and inquiry-based units of study across grade levels at Fairhope West Elementary. This promotes collaboration among grade levels as well as promotes schoolwide STEAM culture within our school. Students participate in a city-wide study of the Mobile Bay through the Pelican’s Nest Science Lab (PNSL).The essential purpose of the PNSL experience is to connect student learning to real-life situations by providing students with opportunities to explore and investigate how we impact our ecosystems. Students complete pre and post activities in addition to the activity at the PNSL as part of a PBL to ensure this experience is purposeful and meaningful. In kindergarten they build content knowledge, and by sixth grade, they are making global connections. Teachers from pre-k to sixth grade collaboratively utilize Google Classroom prior to their visits to the Pelican’s Nest. These lessons enable students to ask and inquire prior to their visit and promote critical thinking as they expand and apply their learning in the classroom after the visit. These on-going lessons pave the way for authentic learning to occur at Pelican’s Nest, which enables the students to have a more meaningful connection to their learning.
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Teachers at Fairhope West Elementary provide students learning experiences that provide opportunities for students to engage in authentic inquiry. This inquiry requires them to identify problems, investigate, and analyze. These experiences can be identified through the use of inquiry learning room transformation days such as Text Feature Surgeries, Animal Adaptation Days, Superhero Theme Day, Re-telling Cafes, Magnet Room Transformation, and others. Digital and physical Breakout boxes are also utilized to promote critical thinking. Teachers use the Engineering Design Process to equip students with the tools to identify problems, investigate, and analyze their findings. Beyond these STEAM single day activities, teacher have begun using PBL during the last two years. For the 20-21 school year, the Professional Learning Plan goal was for Grades PreK-2 conduct two project-based learning units per year and grades 3-6 participate in 4 per year. In addition, as FWE gains more eMINTS teachers, more inquiry based units and student-driven learning is taking place.
Wax Museum
The kids used the Engineering and Design Process to collaborate and build a Thanksgiving table. The table had to be able to stand alone and be long enough to hold all the food items. Each student imagined and planned alone. Once completed, they met with their partner to share and discuss their ideas. After discussing their ideas, they created their table using popsicle sticks, tape, and clothes pins. During a gallery walk, each group shared their table with the class. Finally, students discussed ways to improve their idea. Ninety percent of the students were successful in completing the task.
First-graders learn about various community helpers and occupations through their Career Unit. They collaborate to build communities, and research how leaders impact their community. They begin exploring the unit by taking a walking field trip downtown to learn about community helpers in their own community. Students visit the Fairhope Post Office, the Police Station, and the local museum. After learning about several occupations, they identify a field they would like to research. They also have people from various professions come and speak to each class to describe their occupation and how it helps the community. They research their career and create an Adobe Spark to display their research. They also work collaboratively to build a paper bag community based on where specific community helpers work. This inquiry-based unit ends with a Career Day Parade where each child is able to dress up as the occupation they have researched. Parents are invited to come and participate with their child wearing their uniforms.
First Grade Trip to the Police Station
Example of Community Project.mp4
Our second-graders participate in Market Day and the Wax Museum. Both of these units are prime examples of inquiry-based units. For the Wax Museum, students are the drivers of their own learning by choosing a historical figure. Students research, design a bag report, create costumes, and memorize important facts. The project culminates with the students performing in a museum. The community, parents, and students are all welcome to attend and share in the joy of the performances.
Market Day is a PBL in which students imagine a product to produce for sale on Market Day. Students create their product and set a price. On Market Day students set up tables and sell their products. This unit meets several standards for second grade in a student led creative approach that promotes authentic learning. To show a deeper understanding students in each class create a Padlet to answer the driving question. This allows students to reflect on their learning. As the PBL develops students could refer back to their prior knowledge and adjust their responses as needed. As learning and the PBL developed over the years, parts of the Wax Museum have changed. Student learning progressed by developing a living timeline of the figures researched for the project. The students organize themselves and the end result is posted on Facebook Live for the community to see. Students are praised by many community members including the mayor!
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Third-graders worked on a PBL to redesign a failing pumpkin patch to become a successful fall festival. Students used the engineering design process to work collaboratively to create t.v. commercials, radio advertisements, flyers, maps and mazes. Students had to research what goes into a fall festival and the best sites to utilize to create their projects. Students presented their fall festival to their friends and family using Seesaw. Each student graded themselves using a rubric.
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Fourth-graders "Illuminate Alabama” by designing models of Alabama state symbols using recyclable materials. Students then use their knowledge of circuits to illuminate their symbols. In the beginning of the process, students work collaboratively with a partner to research their Alabama symbols. Mrs. Buchanan, the art teacher, meets with each class to discuss the “art” of the model by using recyclables and helping them consider the components of varied art pieces. The students then create both a paper blueprint and a digital prototype of their model before constructing their symbols. When students complete construction, they are able to demonstrate their learning about circuits to create an electrical circuit on the symbol to make it illuminate. The students share their learning through a presentation that is available for viewing on Seesaw, and they reflect on careers that are associated with their new knowledge.
Fifth-graders work collaboratively to design an enclosure for endangered species as part of a PBL. Students research their animal’s ecosystem to determine why the animal is not thriving. Students then plan, design, and create an enclosure that contains everything their animal would need in order to thrive and eventually be taken off of the endangered list.
After researching the causes and effects of the Civil War, sixth grade students listened to Civil War-era songs to learn more about the historical contexts of the time period. All students illustrated their analysis of the lyrics. Some students presented their analyses using Google Slides, while others shared their interpretations using Seesaw. Students then engaged in a reflection on their presentation process to sharpen speaking and listening skills.
6th Grade students collaborate to create a presentation to explain the lyrics of various Civil War Era songs to their peers. 
In an effort to sustain these strengths, our school embeds grade level collaborative team meetings into the master schedule. These collaborative meetings help sustain strength in planning inquiry-based lessons that promote collaboration and authentic learning. These meetings are also where on-going project-based learning units are planned.
Sustaining Current Practice
Pelican’s Nest is our signature PBL because it includes all steps of the EDP process and 21st century learning skills
Plethora of PBL experiences including Market Day, classroom transformations, Wax Museum
Inquiry-based experiences and lessons
Technology initiative enables each child to research and read any topic they wish to know more about and collaborate with their digital projects
Next Steps
One challenge we experienced prior to our kindergarten through sixth grade reconfiguration was the size of our grade level team as a whole. This logistically made planning difficult due to conflicting schedules and the sheer number of teachers trying to plan. We found that planning became more effective with a smaller number of teachers on each grade level following the reconfiguration. We also experience the challenge of educating teachers schoolwide on how to provide true inquiry-based lessons that promote collaboration and authentic learning. Our STEAM Leadership Team/Professional Learning Team continues to learn and collaborate to explore different avenues that suit each teacher and their teaching styles. Members of our STEAM Leadership Team/Professional Learning Team attend collaborative meetings and share information with their grade level teams. They serve as a point of reference for all things STEAM related to empower our faculty as a whole. This enables teachers to plan more project-based units to promote authentic, inquiry-based learning. We also have a number of teachers enrolled in the eMINTS program. This program continues to grow and develop teachers in our school to revolutionize teaching methods in order to develop critical thinkers and 21st century learners. As a school, we are hopeful that each year will bring more participation from our teachers in the eMINTS program.