Friday’s Endgame PBL Unit | E59

Photo Credit: Canva

“This PBL stuck out to me the most because of its authenticity. There was no need for an entry event, because the buy-in was so strong.”

— Lacee Wald, 5th Grade PBL Facilitator, Neosho School District | Neosho, MO

“That’s the deeper learning aspect that we’re going for with Project Based Learning. They’re using the information that they’re learning. So it sticks. It goes beyond just learning it for the next test.”

— Ryan Steuer, Founder of Magnify Learning, Host of The PBL Playbook

The PBL Playbook Podcast empowers teachers and school leaders with examples from PBL classrooms, leadership inspiration, and practical PBL resources. Subscribe to the weekly podcast and visit WhatisPBL.com to get started on your PBL journey! Make sure you follow us on Twitter: @magnifylearning, #PBLPlaybook.

Lacee Wald is a fifth-grade facilitator from Neosho, Missouri. She’s been through the rigorous PBL Certification process and is now equipped to train and teach other teachers about project-based learning. In this PBL Blitz, Lacee will be sharing her favorite PBL unit called Friday’s Endgame. In this PBL, fifth-graders at Lacee’s school had half days on Fridays. Learners had concern and consternation when administrators decided to switch to full days.

This project consisted of presenting a debate to administrators and board members about the pros and cons of the switch. This was near and dear to the learner’s hearts, so no entry event was necessary. Lacee breaks down the entire project, including processes and how multiple standards were met. She also shares a special story about the impact of this project on one shy student, along with what she would have done differently.