Fixing the Problems
Day 1: Introduce this PBL by asking students what they would do if they were in charge of the school for a day. What changes would they implement? Give them a few minutes to write down their thoughts, share with a partner, then ask for a few to share. Do not judge during this time, just write their thoughts on the board. Do ask students not to name any teacher or student ("I think I would fire Mr. Smith because he is a bad teacher.") as this could get to be controversial and certainly not productive!
After a short class discussion, explain to students that they are actually going to get a chance to make positive changes in school. Say that the class is going to do a walk-through in the school, writing down anything they see as a problem. Suggest that they might see areas that need painting, maybe they make note that a certain area in school is rarely patrolled and causes problems for students. Is there trash on the floor? Are the lockers broken? These are all possibilities (and many more).
At this point, you should have each student take a notebook or paper and clipboard, along with a pencil and walk around the school, making notes as you go. You will notice that students tend to take this very seriously. Very rarely does an adult ask students to tell what is wrong! Of course, you will need to go over your rules for walking through school during class time.
Time permitting, debrief when returning to class by having students share what they wrote, noting what types of things overlapped among students.
Day 2: Begin by reviewing the data collected on the walk-through on Day 1. Next, assign groups as you have decided. I suggest partners, but no more than 4 in one group. As a class, decide on a list of things they feel like they could actually change in the school. For example, maybe they really want a vending machine for students to use, but it is against district policy so you explain that they may not want to choose that. I usually tell them ahead of time a few things that they should steer clear of, according to our district policies (dress code and cafeteria pricing being the two things our district holds fast to). Otherwise, the sky’s the limit.
Have each group decide on one thing together. I suggest staying “hands-off” at this point and let the students take over. Allow them time to work through the issues and decide. I write down the one they choose. For me, it is alright if more than one group chooses to do the same thing. You may want everyone to do the same one, or each group choose something different.
Once the groups are clear on their topic, explain that they are in charge of persuading the people in charge to make the changes. This is when I teach about persuasive writing. On Google Classroom, I give them an outline of how to write a persuasive essay. Guide students to pull up the outline and do a mini lesson going over it. Students should then decide who their audience is (you may need to guide them through this part), then write their introduction paragraph.
Day 3-4: This class period is for students to write their essays and edit as necessary. Explain that their papers will be graded according to the standards (clear evidence, logical approach, and conventions of writing). You may choose to have students work on this for 1-2 class periods, or do it as homework if electronic devices are available outside school.
Day 4-5: You should make plans for students to present their essays to the one(s) in charge. If they chose to add a club, they will need a staff sponsor. If they want to add art to school, they should speak to the art teacher. If they want to fix a problem area, they will probably need to speak to the principal. Explain that they need to set up a meeting with the person and present their argument. It is all up to them. The only thing you need to provide is time for them to meet with the staff person.