After reviewing the sample project, answer the questions below.

The Coming to California Project
11th/12th-Grade Humanities

Project Theme

Teachers at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California, wanted to design a ten-week humanities project integrating United States history and American literature in an academy for 11th-12th grade students who were experienced in PBL. After several conversations, they decided to create a multidisciplinary unit on the settlement of California. The teachers knew they wanted to teach students about the history of immigration into the United States; address California's multicultural history; find ways to integrate history, literature, and art; and include a focus on workplace skill standards recently adopted by the district. From a student discussion, themes emerged for the project that reflected questions expressed by students about their history in their community. For example, students observed that resettlement and immigration are normal social processes, and that California itself is a land of immigrants.

Project Outcomes
Content Standards
  • Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature.
  • Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument.
  • Students deliver polished formal and extemporaneous presentations that combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description.
  • Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural-to-urban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.
  • Students analyze the major political, social, economic, technological, and cultural developments of the 1920s.
Skills
  • Students will be able to set goals and carry out a project plan.
  • Students will be able to deliver an oral presentation in front of a large group.
  • Students will be able to generate an interview plan: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
  • Students will be able to work effectively in a group and be more disposed to cooperate with peers.
Habits of Mind
  • Students will be more tolerant and understanding of immigrant groups.

Project Driving Questions

The Driving Questions for the project suggested both gaps in teachers' and students' knowledge and activities that would be intriguing for students. Although it is usually easier to focus students' attention on a single question, this topic required multiple Driving Questions.

California is a land of immigrants.
(Big idea)

 Diversity
(Social studies standard)
Social themes
(American literature standard)
Goal setting
Project Planning
Oral Presentation
Collaboration
Tolerance
 
Driving Question
 
Who are we as Americans and Californians?
Why did we come to California?
 
Project Subquestions
 
Driving Question
 
Who are we as Americans and Californians?
Why did we come to California?
 
Subquestions that derive from the Driving Question  
 
  • Who are the major migrants/immigrants?
    Why did they come, and from where?
  • What hardships did each group endure?
  • What are the unique and common features of migration/immigration to California?
  • How could you capture migration/immigration pictorially?
  

Project Products

Timeline
Products

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10

Project Assessments

Assessment Method Criteria Applied
Tests: Social studies content
          Literature content (Grapes of Wrath) 		Knowledge of facts
Understanding of concepts
Performance measure: Teacher and student assessment of presentations Understanding of concepts
Critical analysis
Collaboration and teamwork
Performance measure: Assessment of mosaic product Artistic design
Performance measure: Structured observations of group productivity Effective time management
Effective task management
Performance measure: Evaluation of transcript summary and interpretive essay Completeness
Understanding of concepts
Integration of concepts
Originality of thought
Self report: Defense of presentation Effect of project work on understanding of concepts
Self report: Student questionaire Attitudes toward diversity
Self report: Interview using rubric Willingness to seek, be sensitive to, use, and benefit from feedback

Project Management

Grouping Strategy Activities
Individual Preparing proposals, conducting library research, preparing interview questions, conducting interviews, writing essays, and preparing individual reports
Pairs Conducting peer critiques
Small Groups Preparing proposals, participating in training, preparing profiles and presentations, and conducting presentations
Small groups with mentors Training and apprenticeship in mosaic construction
Large groups

Receiving orientations, taking part in team building discussions, observing presentations, and reflecting on project effectiveness
   
Context for Project Work Activities
Classroom Majority of activities and direct instruction
Homework Essays, individual reports, and test preparation
Library

Research work for profiles and mosaic design
Community art workshop Training in mosaic construction and assembly
Community Interviews
Other classrooms Mock presentations
Local civic center Final presentations

Coming to California - Evaluation and Reflection
Samples of Student Reflection
  • I really think we understand the big picture about immigrants to California and this country.
  • I still don't understand the waves of migration. I think we needed a lecture on that.
  • The Friday debriefings really worked for our group.
  • We didn't know how to construct a mosaic. we needed more training in art.
  • The critical analysis rubric was hard to understand. We should redesign it.
  • The project went on too long.
 
Samples of Teacher Reflection
  • Community judges need training in how to use a rubric. They didn't know how to judge the presentations.
  • Needed a lesson on visual literacy.
  • The expert groups idea worked really well.
  • Next time I would build more essays into the project and emphasize peer editing.