Place Based Education Lesson Plan

Teacher Name: Jessica Riesel
Lesson Type: Place Based Education Lesson Plan

Subject Area: High School Statistics
Lesson Length: Project introduction to be done over the course of 1 month. Each Friday will be
devoted to the project in class. The rest must be carried out on own time. Must survey
community in their own time.
Objectives:
The students will be able to correctly create a survey using statistical sampling.
The students will accurately be able to collect data from their survey and turn it
into a statistically correct graph.
Students will be able to present their information to the class using statistical
analysis and vocabulary.
Students will take knowledge they learned throughout the year in statistics and
combine it into one larger project which they will carry out themselves.
Scaffolding:
types of graphs(bar graph, box and whisker plot, line graph, pictograph,
histogram, bell shaped curve)
Data collection: sampling types(stratified, cluster, random, systematic,
convenience)
Procedure:
1. Students will get in groups of 3-4 based off of class size. Teacher will pick the groups
using a cup that contains sticks with each students name on them. Pick 3-4 sticks and
they become group one, etc.
2. In groups students will choose a problem that they are facing in their school/community.
(Give students examples such as: new athletic facilities, replacement of playground,
renovate Town Park, create a crosswalk on an unsafe street corner, healthier school lunch
choices, etc.).
3. Students will divide the project into equal parts and each carry out their own individual
part (i.e. creating the survey, collecting data, tallying, creating the chart, creating the
PowerPoint. Students may pair up to go take the survey. Students MUST check each
others work and initial off that it has their approval.
4. Students will create a survey that asks participants if they agree with the specific issue,
and give them specific choices to vote on for improvement. Students must pick which
sampling type they plan on using BEFORE asking participants to take the survey.
5. Students will then tally the data and create a chart with the findings
6. Students will create 3 charts. 1 showing the students vote, 1 showing the communities
vote, and 1 showing the overall total data.
7. Students will take their graphs and using statistical analysis create a PowerPoint
presentation/poster of their findings.
8. Each group will present their information to the class.
9. The class will vote on the strongest presentation and which problem they think the
community as a whole could benefit best from fixing. (Take into account the overall
community vote).
10. Student project with the winning vote will present the proposal to the school board to get
a program together to fix that problem. If school board has a positive reaction then
students will then present the findings and proposal to the town board.
Assessment:
Hand in copy of collected data, graphs, survey questions, and a 1 page paper with
findings and what they think they can do with them.
Present information to the class.
Students will have three grades. 1) A Presentation Grade based on how well they
present the information to the class (and later the school board if the survey went
well) 2) How well the teacher thinks each student did individually on their
designated section. 3) A group grade that the group comes up with as a whole by
grading each others efforts and an overall group grade.
Reflection:
Defense:
Did this lesson give students a deeper understanding of statistics while also
getting them involved in the community?
Did the students like the project?
Did it develop into a larger community project or did it get halted at the
presentation with the board of education/town board?
This lesson plan is a productive lesson plan because it not only implements the ideas of
Statistics and how to apply them in a real-life scenario, but it also implements the ideas of
place based education. Place Based Education is important to implement in the classroom
when it is applicable because it gives students a greater understanding of how their education
affects their community, and also gives students a sense of pride in their community.
David Sobel wrote a book entitled Place-Based Education in which he discusses the
importance of Place-Based Education within the classroom. On Pages 15-22 he states that
Place Based Education has become a model for school reform in recent years and the 4 main
directions that this reform is headed. These directions are: 1) Schools need reform that
focuses on sustainability. 2) Schools need curriculum that uses local resources. 3). Children
need a curriculum that allows them to spend more time with nature. 4) It is important to
remember that the state tests and standards still exist. So we, as teachers, must incorporate
the environment into current curriculum, rather than writing curriculum to fit into local
environmental needs.
I feel as though my lesson does a good job of incorporating the environment into the
already required curriculum. Through this project students are given the opportunity to bring
a problem that THEY feel their community has been facing to the attention of not only the
school, but the community at large. By going out and surveying their community students
will also be working on their communication skills as well as their statistics skills.
Not only does this project get students involved in their community, but it also focuses on
Sobels ideas of reform focusing on sustainability. (Page 16). This project allows students to
propose a project that may help better their environment, and keep it sustained. For example,
if students decide to base their project on the remodeling of their town park, than this is: 1)
something to better the community 2) focused on sustainability, and 3) it incorporates all
aspects of a statistics course by encompassing not only how to properly survey a population,
but how to properly take that data and interpret it.

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Teacher Name: Jessica Riesel

Lesson Type: Place Based Education Lesson Plan

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