Two weeks ago, six cows visited our playground at Kimmel Farm Elementary. The students were amazed to see cows on their playground. This visit prompted a PBL that was real to life for the students. The problem I posed to them was as follows: The cows are on the playground. How can we help Mrs. Norwood get the cows back to the farm? After discussing the facts found in the problem and the students' need to knows, each student wrote down their solution to the problem. The next day, each student had the chance to share their solution with the class. After each student shared, the other students had an opportunity to critique the solution. They shared positives, as well as, problems with the students' solutions. As the sharing continued, it became evident to the class that they had more things that they needed to know. For example, what kind of food do the cows eat. As a group, we decided that we needed to talk to the farmer. I contacted Mr. Miller, the owner of the cows, and he is coming to visit our class sometime next week. I will let you know how the visit turns out. The next question we have is how did the cows actually get back to the farm? I can't wait to find out.
