Free Resources and Downloads for Project Learning

You don't have to reinvent the wheel to bring project-based learning to your school. Educators from Maine have shared details about their administration, school culture, professional development, and curriculum -- materials you may adapt for your class, school, or school district.

Be sure to check out our Project Learning Reading List and our big list of other schools around the country who have started project-learning programs.

Click on any of the titles below to download a PDF of one of Maine's public schools' resources for success.

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Resources On This Page:

• Resources from Edutopia
• Examples of Project Learning/Expeditionary Learning
• Assessments and Measuring Success
• Teacher and School Planning Guides
• Professional Development
• Organizations
• Resources for Parents
• More Information

Resources from Edutopia

• Project-Learning Reading List

• More Model Schools with Solutions

• Edutopia Core Concept: Project Learning

• An Introduction to Project Learning (3-minute video)

Examples of Project Learning/Expeditionary Learning

• Planning Using Six-Step Rubric (from King Middle School) ( 80K)

• Elementary School Project -- Farms and Food: This yearlong expedition engaged first graders in an entire year of studying farms and foods. It wove skills of reading, writing, math, drawing, and research with content in science, nutrition, health, and social studies.

• Farms and Food: Learning Expedition Documentation Project (Grade 1) ( 2MB)

• Middle School Project -- Fading Footprints: This project is a 12-week interdisciplinary ecology unit centered on the guiding question, How does diversity strengthen an ecosystem?

• Fading Footprints Project Overview by David Grant ( 1.1MB)

• Middle School Project -- "Soil Superheroes": This project from King Middle School, in Portland, Maine, pairs seventh-grade students with community partners. The students then use technology to show off their understanding of bacteria in an interdisciplinary project.

• Project Outline for Students ( 476K)

• Interactive Online Final Pamphlet (King Middle School's Web site)

• Soil Superheroes Student Video Blog (King Middle School's Web site)

• Samples of Student Work (comic strips from "Soil Superheroes"):
• The Bacteria Runway Show by Darcy ( 808K)
• D-D at the Monastery by Maddie ( 864K)
• Bacterium for Hire by Noah ( 812K)

• High School Project -- "Give Me Shelter": Juniors at Casco Bay High School, in Portland, Maine, explore homelessness by working in teams to make audio slide-show portraits in a semester-long project about housing issues and public policy.

• Give Me Shelter Project: Research Interview Form ( 153K)

• Multimedia Presentation Rubric ( 255K)

• Oral History Writing Rubric ( 156K)

• Oral History Writing Assessment ( 160K)

• Samples of Student Work:
• "Give Me Shelter" Slide Shows

School Assessment and Measuring Success

• 2013 PBS NewsHour report on PBL at King Middle School

• Report: School Assessment: Casco Bay compared to Maine ( 568K)

• Chart: School Assessment: King Middle School Compared with Maine ( 288K)

• Expeditionary Learning Schools Performance Report ( 11M)

• Impact of Expeditionary Learning on Student Achievement. This is a list of independent studies of expeditionary learning.

• My Voice Student Report (2008). This is a nationwide survey of students based on eight conditions that support student engagement -- belonging, heroes, sense of accomplishment, fun and excitement, curiosity and creativity, spirit of adventure, leadership and responsibility, and confidence to take action.

• My Voice Casco Bay High School Results (2008). ( 184K)

Teacher and School Planning Guides

• Rubric: Buck Institute for Education Planning Template ( 261K)

• Form: Casco Bay -- Expedition Planning Template ( 568K)

• Guidelines: Casco Bay -- High School Expedition Guidelines ( 568K)

• Rubric: Casco Bay -- Making Meaning: Critical Thinking and Reading Strategies ( 568K)

• Sample Teacher Schedule from King Middle School (From the Edutopia article, "Sample Teacher Schedule for Middle School.") ( 500K)

• Rubric: King Middle School Six Steps to Planning a Successful Project ( 80K)

• Chart: Evolution of Project Learning at King Middle School (1988-2007) ( 240K)

• Graphic: Audio Recording Tips ( 1.1MB)

• Graphic: Five Shot Guide to Video Production ( 972K)

• Graphic: Tips for Taking Photos

Professional Development

• Buck Institute for Education

• Casco Bay High School's Ten Design Principles of Expeditionary Learning

• Expeditionary Learning Schools

• Helen King Middle School, Portland, Maine

• Maine International Center for Digital Learning: Contains a series of videos for teachers on one-to-one, beginning with the basics: how to find and evaluate information on the Internet, teach students digital literacy, connect with parents through computers, and change curriculum to make the most out of computers.

• Maine Learning Technology Initiative, Maine Department of Education Site

• The Tech Curve Show: Blog, resources, and training videos produced by students that cover specific aspects of using laptops such as the iPhoto application, posting videos, and ethics on the Internet.

Organizations

• Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine

• Buck Institute for Education -- Buck Institute PBL Online

• Education Development Center -- Improving Schools

• Expeditionary Learning Schools

• WestEd

• What Kids Can Do: Voices and Work from the Next Generation

Resources for Parents

• Casco Bay Parent Information About Laptops

• Expeditionary Learning Schools Engage Parents

• Helen King Middle School
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Video: What Is Expeditionary Learning?
• Parent Laptop Agreement ( 116K)

More Information

• Chart: Language Diversity in Maine Public Schools ( 324K)

• Final Report of the Task Force on the Maine Learning Technology Endowment ( download from Maine.gov)

• Government Doc: Legislative Statute Establishing the Maine Learning Technology Endowment ( download from Maine.gov)