10 Virtual PBL project ideas 

Sometimes coming up with the idea is the hardest part… AND THEN once you have the idea, what do you do with it?! Let’s tackle that first part here…

I come up for my best project ideas when I’m anywhere BUT at work. Listen to this interview on the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast where I talk about how I come up with project ideas. When it comes to brainstorming ideas for virtual projects, the process really is no different. I like to think about my end-users, now in distance learning more than ever, so I tend to design based on things I know my own two children are passionate about. Here are some of my latest ideas with virtual project potential: 

Ideas for virtual PBL projects

• Locals guide to fishing – My son LOVES to fish. As his commitment to the sport has increased, we have had to learn a lot! Where to go, what time of day is best, what to use as bait, what type of rod to use- there is a lot of “inside scoop” to know about local fishing. For kids who share this passion it would be so fun for students to make and publish a local field-guide for their fellow fishermen (ie., their peers). And I would be willing to bet a local fish shop would happily carry and sell the published book!  What a great way to teach about science, geography and even local history. If you aren’t excited about the concept of a field guide for a final product,  what about exploring overfishing and promoting awareness through a public campaign of some sort?  

• Geology Rocks- Do you know how much earth history is all around us? My kids love hiking in the Eastern Sierras and it always feels like such a rich learning opportunity for a content area that could otherwise be a bit dry.  I’m the annoying tourist that stops and reads every informational placard along the route of a hike. I have noticed that all of the informational placards are written at a pretty high reading level, given that many of the highly frequented area visitors don’t always speak English AND are very young. Wouldn’t it be cool to have students create QR codes for state park placards that provide the information in kid-friendly language? Be sure to check out the amazing free resources from CA Parks to bring this project to life. That’s a lot of informational reading, writing, geology and NGSS potential right there! 

• Sports: Where we are and where we are headed– Students can create a documentary for kids by kids to capture how sports have responded to COVID; or maybe even create a Choose Your Own Adventure book to show their predictions of the impact of COVID on the future of sports.  You may also have students dive deeper using any of the project ideas here about how we can go beyond surface  conversations about race, using sports as an entry point and/or model. Our current context of sports is a great launch pad for argumentative writing, research and social studies… and possibly even science and math. 

• Bringing back archery – A fun little trip to Pangea somehow landed us two bow and arrows last week.  Did you know you can use PVC pipe to create a bow at home? If you can’t send home materials, students can recycle and reuse materials to design their own (string, pencils, eraser tops, etc.) -making a virtual Design Thinking Sprint could be really fun!  Pair it with a series of math lessons or a science unit related to the Hunger Games (have you read the NEW book?!) and you have an interdisciplinary project idea!

• Youth Athlete Guide- Have you seen the “Eat this, not that” books for food? What a fun research project it would be for students to learn about proper self care for young athletes- from nutrition and hydration, to stretching, rest and proper strength training for youth! Package and produce it all in a published e-book in a “do this, not that” style, based on common misunderstandings and outdated thinking related to youth sports. Students would engage in research, argumentative writing, informational writing, math and science related to nutrition, and possibly biology and chemistry, as well. 

• Narratives on BLM-  There is no shortage of content on this topic right now, and empathy-building is more important now than ever. Interviewing can be a great strategy for learning and sharing others’ perspectives and stories. Students can showcase the content of their interviews through written vignettes and poetic free verse, as modeled by two of my favorite books: Home of the Brave or House or House on Mango Street.  Display student writing in a digital photo essay collection and showcase student work as a community tribute through a Google Site or simply a Padlet collection. 

• Design a nutrition bar-Full disclosure I stole this idea from a student, andI love it! What a great creative way for students to explore EVERY content area by creating a healthy and nutritious bar.  Have students zoom with a dietician expert! Add a layer and have a live virtual “cookoff”, or work with an expert in marketing to create the wrapper for it, as well. So much potential for every content area! 

• Create a building instruction guide for kids– What a great life skill for kids to be able to put together a piece of furniture…but man, if you have ever purchased something from IKEA you know that it’s a death sentence. It is also a great skill for kids to be able to write instructions-how cool would it be if a product came with instructions for little engineers to build alongside a parent?

• Mindful moments guide– #realtalk: Teaching ancient civilization can be tough …making that content relevant is really a stretch sometimes. I just completed a yoga teaching certification where I learned so much about Ancient Hinduism and I was shocked how much felt relevant to the current “mindful movement”. What a cool connection for kids to learn about India and ancient religion, and create a guide for students to put ancient words of wisdom into practice during distance learning. Such a relevant project that would cover social studies and ELA.  

• To Solar or not to Solar- Important questions for students to tackle: How does solar save?Can solar save you?. As the tax credits slowly decrease for installing solar panels on homes, homeowners may become increasingly interested in understanding how solar energy can actually save them money. Students could use what they know about renewable energy to create a guide for homeowners and possibly even analyze a current electricity bill for their family to make a mathematical recommendation. Lots of science and math connections here, with a side dish of ELA. 

How to build virtual PBL projects

So now you have an idea that you think your students would like, what do you do with it? To build out a virtual PBL-lite experience I  go through these 5 steps:

Step 1- Identify real world issues (check, plus-we did this already!) 

Step 2- Map the real-world issues onto standards you need to teach 

Step 3- Identify a Final product that works for a virtual setting 

*Some fun ideas include:

• Doodle notes turned into a RSA
• Padlet virtual collections
• Social media campaigns
• Infographics  
• Class websites or partner with community organization to share on their site 
• Published e-books
• QR code scavenger hunts

Step 4– Consider how you will assess and scaffold student learning 

Step 5- Go time! Prepare your project launch [Pro tip: Make it synchronous] + Explore possibilities for  Field work , Exhibition 

All of the ideas listed above can be completed at home, published digitally and publicly shared. 

Are you ready to build your virtual PBL project? Learn more about PBL-lite for virtual learning and resources to help you HERE.