Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to explore and respond to an real, engaging and complex challenges. The project design includes the following elements: significant content, 21st century competencies, in-depth inquiry, driving question or challenge, need to know, voice & choice, critique & revision, and public audience (all elements described in tab labeled Essential Elements).

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The project based instruction I developed is based on designing a probability game show. Students will investigate how game show designers decide what kind of games to use so that the contestants win enough to stay interested but also lose enough so that the game isn't too easy.

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Title: The Probability is Right!

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Target Audience: This project is designed to advance the knowledge of 10th and 11th grade students in Algebra II.

 

Project Description:

• Timeline: This project should take 3 weeks to teach, but can be modified depending on the expectations of your students and their specific needs.

• Central Theme: The central theme of this PBI project is to teach students how to calculate and determine probability as they work in groups to create games.

• Project products:

  • Journal- Students will be journalling their ideas and progress as they work on the project. 

  • Prototype- Students will come up with several ideas for game show games and then choose 3 to create. The three they choose must be one of each type of probability we will go over (independent, dependent and compound)

  • Exploratory worksheets- As the students discover each type of probability they will complete a worksheet of their knowledge on it. 

• Final Product: Class presentations, each group of students will present their games and explain the probability behind each of their games.
   

 This product is an representation of a real-world topic. Through the investigation of probability used in game shows students can see how probability applies in more aspects of life.

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• Rationale:  This project was created with diverse content and benchmark lessons, a field trip that aids in student research of probability, group participation, and product presentations. Each benchmark lesson is followed by an investigative lesson in which the students research their final product games.
  
  Also, journal entries are assigned after each new type of probability for students to write out their ideas and thoughts for their game they are going to design.
  The field trip is implemented at the beginning of the unit after the first lesson, so that students are attending the filed trip to get ideas of some types of games are often used on game shows & to use the knowledge gathered from the field trip to add to their games they are creating.