Mike's

Here are some lesson ideas for problem solving:

**Main Lesson: World War 2 Battles|Converting a Lesson**
[|Creating a Problem Solving Lesson.pdf]

Other Lesson Ideas
//Where are the laptops? (General) // Teachers will show this video: media type="custom" key="2380435" . . . and ask students to solve this teacher's problem. The students need to:
 * Single Class Lessons:**
 * 1) Define the Problem
 * 2) Design a Solution
 * 3) Implement the Solution
 * 4) Reflect on the Solution

Here's what the teacher should do:
 * 1) Divide the students into groups: the problem should be obvious at this point (no one has their laptops)
 * 2) Each group should create a list of why there are no laptops and what students should do to avoid this problem
 * 3) Students will create a school policy to ensure that students have their computers. They should also constitute a percentage (a goal) for laptops being in the classroom.
 * 4) Initially, students will share their ideas with each other in the class and talk about what works best in each group and then create one master document from everyone's ideas.
 * 5) As a follow up, the new policy can be given to the Principal and implemented school wide.

//Can We Believe This? (Government) // "In this 45-minute activity, students are introduced to problem based learning with a scenario involving a local politician who wants to investigate a problematic, suspicious poll conducted by a newspaper columnist. After interviewing someone playing the role of the columnist and considering how a valid public opinion survey should be conducted, students propose possible solutions to the problem. This activity teaches the basic tools of problem based learning – analyzing an Entry Document, writing a Problem Statement, listing “What We Know and “What We Need to Know,” gathering resources, and developing reasonable solutions. Students also learn that PBL requires good questioning skills, creative and critical thinking, and flexibility." [|canwebelievethis.pdf]

//Make More Money (Economics) // In this 45-minute activity, students are introduced to problem based learning with a scenario involving a high school student who wants to drop classes in order to work more hours at a job. After interviewing someone playing the role of the student and considering the personal and economic choices involved, students propose possible solutions to the problem. This activity teaches the basic tools of problem based learning – analyzing an Entry Document, writing a Problem Statement, listing “What We Know and “What We Need to Know,” gathering resources, and developing reasonable solutions. Students also learn that PBL requires good questioning skills, creative and critical thinking, and flexibility. [|makemoremoney.pdf]

//Diet and Health (Health) // You have become a dietician at a local diabetes clinic. Your first client has just recently been diagnosed. This client has an insurance company that covers half of his needed supplies. He has a budget of 700 hundred dollars a week. You must create a month-long menu of meals for this person plus develop an exercise program to help him maintain a normal weight. [|Diet and Exercise for a Diabetic]
 * Multiple Classes Lessons:**

//The Better Budget (Government)// In this unit students are requested to serve as a focus group by their congressional representative, who asks for recommendations on cutting the federal budget. In attempting to provide a balanced view, students learn about the ideological roots of liberals and conservatives and what they believe to be the appropriate role of government. Students also learn about various categories of federal spending, and make hard choices about what programs and services might need to be ended, shifted to state and local government, or picked up by the private sector. [|better_budget.pdf]

//Opening a Restaurant (Algebra) // You want to open a restaurant but don't know what kind of food to serve. To be an effective restaurant owner you need to find out the public opinion. You decide to poll the local public to see what their favorite food is and how often they go out to eat. You must set up a survey and accurately poll the local population to find out their favorite food. [|Opening a Restaurant]

//World Conflicts (World History) // India and Pakistan have committed to peace - despite the uneasy beginnings, years of hatred, and fundamental differences. This process will be long, difficult and filled with obstacles attempting to derail it. However, in the interest of world stability and the millions of individuals living in the two nations, both sides have agreed in principle to settle their differences. [|India-Pakistan Conflict]

//Saving the Bats (Science/elementary) // In this example, students were first instructed to visit the Quia site which had them simply visit multiple websites to find fill-in-the-blank answers online. It's been converted so that the same information is needed, but now, students need to also create the questions and find the answers in order to save the bat house at a zoo. Here is a [|Quia Scavenger Hunt] that's been turned into a Problem Solving lesson.

//National Space Biomedical Research Institute // The NSBI has some nice lessons you can use for free that are activity based and can easily be converted to a problem based model. Elementary Lessons: http://www.nsbri.org/Education/Elem_Act.html Middle School Lesons: http://www.nsbri.org/Education/Mid_Act.html High School Lessons: http://www.nsbri.org/Education/High_Act.html

//Experience of a World War I Soldier (World|US History) // The students will be able to investigate life as a primary sources and communicating with veterans, and professional historians with a variety of communication Internet. They will demonstrate problem-based thinking skills through a variety of activities. [|ww1soldier.pdf].