Problem Based Learning:

How can I create an original machine to accurately measure

wind speed and direction for four weeks?

Get on the Magic

Wind Bus and learn about…

Ms. Frizzle’s Wind Breaker Team

Hi! I’m Meredith Doepner, and I work on Ms. Frizzle’s team as a data collector,

and recorder.

I’m Katelyn Kingseed, and I love being Ms. Frizzle’s consultant communicator, and

data collector.

Hello! I’m Rachel Landa and I help

update Ms. Frizzle’s website and collect

data.

"The Magic Wind Bus"

Let’s get started!• Brainstorming activity

-How will we deal with materials, location, weather, design, time, and personal responsibilities?-Investigative Question

• Investigation considerations-Location for data collection-Time of data collection-Conversion to mph-Consultants

• Planning considerations-Background information-Data Collection-When to meet?-National Weather Service

Investigative Question:

How will the daily weather patterns

affect the speed and direction of the wind?

How did we investigate?• Developed Investigative Question• Researched Wind Machine Designs• Contacted Consultants• Decided on group meeting time/place• Sketched potential wind machine design

• Purchased materials• Constructed the machine• Calibrated machine• Made data collection schedule• Started 4 week data collection• Designed group website• Started brainstorming ideas for presentation• Finished data collection/data table online• Finalized presentation and website

Beginning

Middle

End

What you might find!Data Tablehttps://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ahpxn7z_l3ZddFhkZzNoT195dzdHSklFYXBkRjFsLUE&hl=en&authkey=CNGBy_wP#gid=0Group Websitehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/TheWindbreakers/126564847398074?v=wall

What have we learned?

• Our data did not show a consistent relationship between daily weather patterns and the speed and direction of the wind.

• Wind and Weather ARE related, but are also very different.– We get wind when air flows from an area of high pressure to an area

of low pressure.– The weather patterns are based on the location of those areas of high

and low pressure.• High pressure usually brings clear weather.• Low pressure usually brings stormy weather

• There must be another component in addition to weather patterns causing the wind to behave in such a manner.

How could we improve?

• In the future we would…– Test more machine

designs before finalizing ours

– Make more specific jobs for team members from the beginning

– Involve all subject areas • With a special emphasis

on physical education, art, and literacy

– Change the variable we tested

A word from our Consultant

In your own classroom…

• Implementing PBL in your own classroom

• In a Special Education Classroom• Technology Used:

• E-mail• Microsoft Office– Excel– Word– PowerPoint

• Google Docs• Google websites• Facebook• Youtube

Sources Used:

• Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/5818/globalwinds.html

• Retrieved from http://learn.kidwind.org/• Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/