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Project Based Learning

Learn how to research!

Reem Al Mehairbi | 2024-2025 | Grades 8 GEN & ADV

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What do you do if you want to learn more about a topic?

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Contents

        • Keywords
        • What is research?
        • Why are we doing this project?
        • Rules & Expectations
        • What is the project about?
        • Sustainable housing
        • How to conduct research in a group
        • Project steps
        • Self-assessments
        • Presentations
        • Reflection

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Keywords

    • Research
    • Sustainable
    • Climate
    • Weather
    • Housing
    • Developed
    • Environment
    • Environmentally friendly
    • Adaptive

https://wordwall.net/resource/84612635

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What is research?

Research is what you do when you want to learn more about something.

        • Think of this: When you are looking for something to eat you use Google or TikTok to look for a place to eat. This is called research!
        • You want to learn more about places to eat so you search for them online.

Research is usually done for more serious topics to learn about them. People research to learn more about science, math, education and people.

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Why are we doing this project?

We are completing this project for two reasons:

        • To learn how to research new topics and learn about them.
        • To learn more about sustainable housing that will work in the UAE’s hot, dry desert climate.

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Rules & Expectations

These are the rules you MUST follow when we are working on the project:

        • We will ONLY work in class once a week. If you miss this lesson you will miss a whole step and you will lose the points for that step and do it by yourself with no help.
        • You will be working in groups of three. Each student will have a different job. You must help each other.
        • You must complete the project by making a poster, powerpoint presentation or a video.
        • Last day to submit projects on LMS is February 3rd. Presentations will start on January 27th and end on February 14th.

YOU are responsible for your work and your group. If no work is done NO grade will be given.

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What is this project about?

        • Our project is about: how to create a plan for a sustainable home that would work well in the UAE’s hot, dry desert climate.
        • We must think carefully about how to design a house that stays cool in the heat.
        • We should also make sure the design is good for the environment by using materials and methods that help protect nature and save energy.
        • We should consider ways to save water, use solar energy, or choose materials that are eco-friendly. Once we have designed our house, we must take a moment to check our plan and ensure that it is both practical and environmentally responsible.

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Sustainable housing

Take a look at this video.

        • What parts of the design can we use in the UAE?
        • What parts of the design will not work in the UAE?

Start the video at 2:23, can watch at 1.25x

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Sustainable housing

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Sustainable housing in the Desert

        • Think about features that you will add to your design in the house. How will you make it work for the UAE’s climate?

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Will work

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Will not work

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What should my project look like?

        • You can make a poster, PowerPoint or Video:

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Steps of the Project:

        • Each step will be completed on a separate slide on Classkick. Final project will be submitted on LMS.

Step 1

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Learn the group members and roles from the teacher.

Step 2

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Make a plan about what you will research.

Step 3

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Make research notes about each topic you will put on the project and discuss.

Step 4

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Create your poster, PowerPoint or video and show it to the teacher.

Step 6

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Present your project with all your group members.

Step 5

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Upload your project onto LMS by February 3rd.

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Step 1: Group Members & Roles

        • Write down the name of the group members and what roles you will take:

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Take a look at these roles:

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  1. Traditional homes researcher: Look into a range of traditional home design features in desert environments. How did they use these to keep homes cool?
  2. Energy expert: think about different renewable sources of energy. How can we include them in our house design?
  3. Resources expert: Think about how a sustainable house saves water and reduces waste.
  4. Materials expert: Look into different materials that you can use to build houses, and which materials are more sustainable.
  5. Solutions expert: Think about new and original ways to meet the desert challenges and make your home design more sustainable.
  6. Designer: Focus on making the house design look creative and engaging.
  7. Proofer: Focus on checking the writing and making sure there are no mistakes.

Member’s Name

Role

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Step 2: Plan your research

        • Make a plan that will help you research sustainable houses:

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Things you can include:

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  • type of house
  • building materials
  • electricity used
  • water source
  • sustainable solutions
  • design of the house
  • greenery (plants, garden…)
  • energy saving features

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STOP and think!

Which level do you think you are? Check one.

  • Beginning
  • Developing
  • Acquired

I find it hard to do �this project work. �I find it hard to set my goals. �

I feel ready for the �project and feel like I will try my best. �I can think of a goal, but I need some help to understand the idea more. �

I am excited about �the project, and I am ready to work hard on it. �I have a good idea of what learning goals I want to achieve. �

How can you improve your work?

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/

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Step 3: Research and Discussion

        • Here are some hints on how to research a new topic:

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Research

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Think about the topic and make a plan for what words you will be researching in google.

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For example:

  • Sustainability
  • Sustainable houses
  • Environmentally friendly houses

Read

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Find information on trusted websites that end in .edu or .org or trusted websites like National Geographic Kids and Britannica Kids.

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If not sure of a website ask the teacher.

Rewrite

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Choose some of the information on the website to add to your research slide IN YOUR OWN WORDS!

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Make sure that you ONLY add information you understand and can explain when presenting.

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If there is information you don’t understand you can put it into ChatGPT and ask it to “make it simple”.

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Step 3: Research and Discussion

        • Write 5-8 sentences for each part:

What were houses like in the past?

How are houses built now? What problems do they make for the environment?

How can you build more sustainable houses? How will they help the environment

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Step 3: Research and Discussion

        • Enter the links for where you found the information:

Links

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STOP and think!

Which level do you think you are? Check one.

  • Beginning
  • Developing
  • Acquired

I found it hard to �find reliable sources of information. �I found it hard to think of research questions.

I found some good information from my sources. I asked some good questions to help us think about the system

I found a lot of �reliable sources. I could connect ideas between them. �I asked big questions which made the group really think hard.

How can you improve your research?

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Step 4: Add information to your project

        • Create a poster or PowerPoint using Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides or Classkick.
        • Look back at step 2 and 3.
        • Add that information to your poster, Powerpoint or video.
        • DON’T WRITE TOO MUCH!
        • DON’T ADD THINGS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!
        • REMEMBER! You will present your work with your group, you must understand the information you added.
        • Show the teacher your work before submitting it to LMS.

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Steps 5 & 6 : Upload to LMS & Present

        • Show the teacher your project before submitting it to LMS.
        • Last day to submit the project on LMS is February 3rd!
        • Present your project with your partners: everyone must speak about a part in English and answer a few questions. It should not take longer than 5 minutes.

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STOP and think!

How were you able to work in the group? Check one.

  • Beginning
  • Developing
  • Acquired

I only spoke a little about the project.

I gave some ideas to the group and helped to come to decisions.

I gave many original ideas and I helped organize our work.

How can you improve your group work?

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How was your problem solving? Check one.

  • Beginning
  • Developing
  • Acquired

I found it hard to solve the problems. My teammates made all the decisions

I could see some of the problems and I tried to think of ways to fix them. Sometimes, I need help for making decisions.

I I thought about different and original solutions and shared them with my team.

How can you improve your problem solving?

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Last Check!

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What was good about my project?

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What have I learnt doing the project?

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What other skills have I improved? What skills do I still need to work on (e.g. time management, confidence, etc.)?

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What can you make better in my project?

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Write a thank you note to yourself

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Did I achieve my role? Am I proud of the work I did?

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Links

Reading - https://bluprint-onemega.com/architecture/concept/anatomy-sustainable-home/

Kahoot - https://play.kahoot.it/v2/?quizId=56e9b6d1-cb49-4805-993e-9e7d4a32f456&hostId=b41b5aa5-0e17-4c60-8d93-da422e18a97c

Add more links to help your students research

Use resources from the Big Green Lesson and Legacy

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How will this project help you with your learning? What skills did you learn?