Milestone 5

Essential Question of Milestone 5

How do we communicate and share our solutions and ideas to those that need to hear the message most?

We are almost done with our project based learning experience! In this near final stage, we will communicate and share our solutions and ideas to those who need to hear the message most. We will present our work to an authentic audience and show how we answered the driving question and made a difference in the world.

Project based learning (PBL) is a teaching method that engages students in solving real-world problems or answering complex questions through a project1. PBL helps students develop key knowledge, understanding, and success skills2. PBL also gives students voice and choice in their learning and makes it relevant to their lives3.

The final stage of PBL is not only about the final product, but also about the critique and revision process. We will use feedback from our peers, teachers, and experts to improve our work and make it high-quality4. We will also reflect on our learning journey and identify what we learned, what we did well, and what we can do better next time.

While critique and revision are woven throughout this entire project starting from the very beginning when we had to critique our original idea on hunger, this is a very focused process. We are close to the finish line, but knowing we have experts and audience interested in our work means we need to go back and clean up all the tiny small details that take a lot of time.

We hope you are excited to see our presentation and learn from it. Thank you for being part of our project based learning audience!


In this stage, we are reaching out to the people who can help us spread awareness of our problem and our solutions. We are following the changemaker process to inform the system of the problem and request permission to take action. We are also writing letters to the stakeholders who are involved in or affected by our problem. We hope to inspire them to join us in making a difference.

In this part of our project learning, we are reflecting on the bigger why of our projects. We are thinking about what transferable skills we are developing through our projects and how they can help us in other areas of our lives. We are also looking for evidence of these skills in our work and sharing our examples with each other. Some of the skills we are developing are research, communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

Articulating the Bigger Why

Articulating the bigger why of our projects is important because it helps us understand the purpose and relevance of our learning. According to PBLWorks1, Project Based Learning engages students in learning that is deep and long-lasting, and inspires for them a love of learning and personal connection to their academic experience. By articulating the bigger why, we can see how our projects relate to our lives, our communities, and our world. We can also see how our projects help us develop 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and communication2. As PBLWorks states3, “students in PBL are motivated to learn because they want to successfully complete the project.” By articulating the bigger why, we can increase our motivation and enthusiasm for learning.

How does this connect to the Universal Constructs?

All of these ideas also help us develop the Universal Constructs standards from the Iowa Department of Education1. These are essential skills for 21st century success that include critical thinking, complex communication, creativity, collaboration, flexibility and adaptability, and productivity and accountability2. As 4th graders, we need these skills to be able to learn effectively, work with others, solve problems, and express ourselves. By articulating the bigger why of our projects, we can see how these skills are relevant and useful for our current and future goals. We can also practice and improve these skills through our project work and share our progress with our teachers, peers, and families.