iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Getting a class pet is an exciting event for students! In this Class Pet PBL (Project-Based lLearning) iBlock, students will learn about different class pets, then choose a robot to represent a particular pet. They will also propose a good classroom home for it and design a presentation to convince the class to vote for their idea. If students are convincing, their pet might even be selected!

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Develop questions and participate in shared research and explorations to answer questions and to build knowledge. (NYS Next Gen. ELA: 2W6)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

When we think about trucks, we often think of fire trucks or pickup trucks, but there are so many other trucks to explore! In this Design a Specialty Truck PBL iBlock, students will learn about different types of trucks as well as their unique functions. Students will research the specific uses for each truck and the impact that these trucks may have on a community. After the research process, students will choose a type of truck to design and utilize STEM and/or consumable materials to assemble the truck and have it perform the intended tasks. To make their truck roadworthy, students should work with peers, repair the truck as needed, and design a presentation to show off their auto creations!

Focus of the iBlock:

An iBlock provides a cross-curricular, holistic learning approach by structuring your learning content with a primary and secondary subject focus (see this in action below). But because iBlocks are also customizable and expandable, these foci can change to suit your school’s needs, should you choose to tailor your iBlock.

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool. (NGSS: K-2-ETS1-2)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Escape room games are a fun amusement, but they also provide an opportunity to explore the history of new gaming formats, problem-solving skills, and even storytelling. In this Design Your Own Escape Room PBL iBlock, students will learn more about the history and culture of this “new” form of entertainment, and then plan, design, and construct their very own!

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Evaluate applications of cryptographic methods. (NYS Comp. Sci. & Digital Fluency: 9-12.CY.4)

Evaluate the effectiveness of an image or images to influence ideas, feelings, and behaviors of specific audiences.(National Core Arts Standards: VA.Re.7.2.IIa)

Escape Room iBlock now with Breakout EDU

Breakout EDU provides an opportunity for students to play active roles in their classrooms. Watch engagement soar as students become immersed in the game – asking questions, solving problems, and participating in group discussions.

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

The sound an instrument produces has a lot to do with the materials that it’s made of. An instrument made of wood has a very different sound than one made of brass. What about a plastic instrument? In this Engineering 3D Printed Instruments PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will investigate the science of sound, how instruments produce sound, and the difference materials can make in producing that sound. In addition, students will explore the anatomy of particular instruments, and become familiar with the foundations of music composition and 3D design.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information. (NGSS: 4-PS4-3)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

In this Engineering an Assistive Game Controller PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will learn about inclusivity, game controller design, and the gaming industry. Then, they’ll work towards creating a game controller for a gamer with disabilities to use with a simple coded video game. This project-based learning iBlock takes students through the engineering design process from research on disabilities and the history of the game controller to designing and building an assistive controller and simple game, to improving their device and hosting an arcade event!

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (NGSS: MS-ETS1-2)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Wearable technology has changed quite drastically since the first items hit stores. Some of the most drastic changes and innovations in “smart” wearables have been focused on making them aesthetically pleasing while also serving a purpose, whether that’s fashion, health, or entertainment. In this Fashion for Function: Smart Wearables PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will design a unique piece of wearable technology that fulfills a function. Who knows — maybe one day it will climb to the top of gift idea lists!

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this Fashion for Function: Smart Wearables PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock:

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (NGSS: MS-ETS1-2)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Are you looking for a creative, project-based way to teach your students about computer-aided design? In this iBlock, students will construct a geometric self-watering planter in Tinkercad. This Geometric Self-Watering Planter PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlocks project will utilize advanced skills in CAD software and challenge students to think mathematically while designing.

Here is a sample NGSS standard for this iBlock:

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (NGSS: MS-ETS1-2)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

As a young child, you probably remember an adult asking you those famous words, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As we continue through school, we learn about employment opportunities and aspire for a “dream job.” However, many candidates often become overwhelmed with the process of landing their dream job before they even realize if it is a good fit. In this Get Your Dream Job PBL iBlock, students will explore and identify how to determine if a career is tailored to one’s desired lifestyle goals, skills, and passions. They will create a vision board, build a portfolio, craft application materials, participate in a mock interview, and even showcase their hard work at a career fair! Students will definitely be future-ready with this experience!

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Integrate and evaluate visual and technical information (e.g., in research data, charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. (NYS Next Gen. ELA: RH7)

Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to express the appropriate complexity of the topic. (NYS Next Gen. ELA: 9-10W1c)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

It is the not-too-distant future and humankind is getting ready to take the next great step in space exploration: a colony on Mars! Intrepid individuals with skills in various STEAM areas are called to assist in planning and building the future colony, and the most daring of them will live there as the very first Martians! In this Mars Colony: Engineering Expedition PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will research space exploration, Mars, and survival essentials before planning for a historic trip to populate a new planet. Students will need to plan and build solutions for the essentials — habitat, transportation, communication, and more. Together, we can bring humanity to the next era of its development.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions. (NGSS: MS-ETS1-1.)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Technology and design have had a major impact on the function of modern-day prosthetics. They’ve also served to make prosthetics more accessible. In this Prosthetics PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will navigate through the Engineering Design Process to design and develop a prosthetic device. To complete this task, students will explore 21st century skills such as critical thinking, innovation, and collaboration. Solutions can include computer-aided design (CAD), 3D printing, circuitry, and more.

Here is a sample NGSS standard for this iBlock:

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts. (NGSS: HS-ETS1-3)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

What’s in the water? The world’s rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but various forms of pollution pose a threat to water quality. Scientists carry out studies to determine physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water to get an accurate understanding of water quality. It’s critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions and how and why those conditions have been changing over time. With a better understanding of water quality, the growing need to protect the world’s water resources may be better understood. So how do scientists assess whether river ecosystems are being protected? What does it entail to study a river’s “health”? In this River Management: Assessing Health PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will engineer a device or system that will sample an environmental parameter that indicates water health.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment. (NGSS: 5-ESS3-1)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

For over 100 years, amusement parks have garnered the love of many families through their incredible rides. In this Robotics: Robotic Amusement Park PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will research various amusement park rides so that they can design and build their own dream ride. Along the way, they’ll test their design and make improvements. Finally, the students will get their creations ready for their grand debut, and even bring their rides together to create a class theme park.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. (NGSS: MS-ETS1-4)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

During the Industrial Revolution, assembly lines greatly improved manufacturing efficiency and in turn, production capacity. We are now in a new age of advanced technology and once again manufacturing is changing — but this time because of robotics, not a new manufacturing framework. In this Robotics: Robotic Assembly Line PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will learn about the history of assembly lines, the future of assembly lines, and then build a robot to function in an assembly line environment.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample K12 CSTA COMPUTER SCIENCE standard for this iBlock:

Modify, remix, or incorporate portions of an existing program into one’s own work, to develop something new or add more advanced features. (CSTA: 1B-AP-12)

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample NYC P12 Science Learning standard for this iBlock:

Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. (NGSS: 3-5-ETS1-1)

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Make observations to provide evidence that energy is conserved as it is transferred and/or converted from one form to another. (NGSS: 4-PS3-2.)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

The Earth-Sun-Moon system has been studied for thousands of years. The interaction of these celestial bodies impacts our tides, seasons, and perceptions of time. In this Space Systems: Create a Model of an Eclipse PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students explore the size and scale of our solar system and the phenomenon of eclipses. Then, students get to design and construct a model of our Earth-Sun-Moon system using 3D printers, and use that model to recreate a solar and lunar eclipse.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Develop and use a model of the Earth-Sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the Sun and moon, and seasons. (NGSS: MS-ESS1-1)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Scientists have been trying to see and explore the mysteries of the universe for centuries. Over time, our understanding of space and the technology available to view the mysteries found there has evolved. In this Space Systems: Engineer a Telescope PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will learn about the evolution of the telescope and the optical science that makes them work. Using their new or expanded knowledge, students will design and build a telescope, using 3D printed materials and other consumables, to make their own observations about space!

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system. (NGSS: HS-ESS1-4)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

The Earth-Sun-Moon system impacts our tides, seasons, and perceptions of time. In ancient times, engineers created some of the very first tools to measure time, including the sundial. In this Space Systems: Light and Shadows PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will be challenged to design their own device to track time. Using CAD software, they will first design, and then 3D print, their device.

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and theseasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky. (NGSS: 5-ESS1-2)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Storytelling has been around for centuries — it is a fundamental part of being human and an essential learning tool. Our ancestors would tell stories that were passed down from generation to generation with nothing more than their imaginations. Now, we are still telling the same stories, but in new and innovative ways that both speak to our past and look forward to the future. In this Storytelling Through the Ages PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will develop a new story and work through the process of storyline creation, character development, narrative arc, developing props & visuals, and presenting their final product. Finally, students will bring storytelling into the 21st century by coding a robot or program to tell their story!

An iBlock matches skills to standards (like Common Core or NGSS).

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners; express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others. (NYS Next Gen. ELA: 3-5SL1)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Globally, over 3 billion people rely on Earth’s oceans to support their livelihoods. With our population growing and pollution becoming a greater problem by the day, it is not surprising that one of Earth’s most fragile and important ecosystems is at risk. Products like synthetic fiber clothing, take-out containers, and all-in-one laundry detergent pollute our waters in both their original form and as microplastics. Throughout the Managing Microplastics PBL iBlock, students will discover the ways in which humans use plastics, how microplastics form and enter our waterways, and ultimately design and engineer a device that can help mitigate the microplastic problem.

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

The sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources. (NGSS: HS-ESS3-3)