Personalized learning is an instructional approach that allows students to have choice in what and how they are learning. It includes activities and structures that emphasize students' individual needs and allow them to work at a pace that is developmentally appropriate for them.

One example of personalized learning in 5/6 Humanities is our daily independent workshop, during which students work toward meeting specific skills by choosing from a variety of digital and non-digital tools. This learning happens at their own pace, and students decide when they are ready to demonstrate mastery of a skill in order to move on to a new one.

In addition to students' independent learning, they also receive more direct instruction from teachers as they begin working on new skills or learning about new content. This direct instruction sometimes happens as a whole group, but small group work is also common. An example of small group instruction is our daily guided workshop, which typically focuses on learning, practicing, and applying specific reading and writing skills. An example of whole group direct instruction is our daily mini-lesson, which builds on content knowledge and prepares students to use that knowledge when completing an application activity.

According to the Buck Institute for Education, "Project-based learning is a teaching method that engages students actively in learning by asking them to investigate an interesting and complex question, problem, or challenge, and then to create something in response."

Benefits of using a project-based learning approach are:

• students are generally more engaged in learning

• students learn more deeply and remember what they learn

• students build skills that will help them in college and/or on the job

An example of project-based learning in 5/6 Humanities is 2019-2020's Community Dinners project, in which students identified a need in their local community (poverty and hunger) and collaboratively completed all the preparation and planning for an event that would not only meet that immediate need, but also informed and guide the community about how to continue meeting that need long-term.