Project-Based Learning Plan: Team Debates

Project-Based Learning Plan: Team Debates 9th Grade

Project Objective:

Students will be able to debate a topic respectfully and logically.

Procedure:

1. Students brainstorm meaningful debate topics. The teacher provides a list of some interesting debate topics that students can choose from or they can create their own. Then, these are shared with the class, and the class votes on the 3 most interesting/meaningful debate topics. Students are graded according to the rubric.
2. Students form debate teams and begin research. They are assigned roles (1st speaker, 2nd speaker, etc.) and need to create at least 3 compelling arguments and some possible rebuttals. There are topic research and debate preparation worksheets to be completed individually. Then, they will share their individual work and collaborate to come up with arguments as a team. Students are graded according to the rubric.
3. The teacher teaches debating skills, critical thinking, respectfully arguing, etc. as students work on projects and revise.
4. Students perform debates and are graded according to the rubric.
5. Then, they use the rubric as a self-assessment and time for reflection. There is also a peer assessment of their teammates.
6. The teacher compares her own assessment with students' self-assessments and addresses any discrepancies.

Plan for monitoring and providing feedback:

Monitoring and providing feedback during PBL is essential. In order to support students, I plan on physically walking around the room, observing, and interacting with student groups. Additionally, I plan on breaking the project down into smaller steps and having assessments throughout the project. This opens up space for scaffolding, allows for both the teacher and students to keep track of their learning and progress, and gives the teacher valuable student data. Another important aspect of my plan for monitoring is that students will be graded individually rather than by groups. This encourages individual student accountability and gives more accurate data. 

For feedback, students will receive this from both the teacher and their peers. Throughout the project process, I will encourage peer feedback through having students share their individual research and arguments with each other and then deciding on the most compelling arguments as a group. After going through peer feedback, I will give my own feedback on their work. This process happens throughout the project before getting final feedback at the end.

Rubric for project:

This rubric is to be used by the teacher but also is used as a checklist and self-assessment for students.