iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

When most people think about weather and climate, they immediately check the news or their favorite weather app. Is it going to rain today? Will there be flooding? With the threat of severe or hazardous weather, it is important to consider what we can do to protect ourselves, our homes, and our communities. With a focus on flooding, it is our mission to determine how best to protect and preserve resources, people, and communities during times of severe weather. How would you tackle the threat of a flood? In this Engineering for Hazardous Weather: Taking Flood Control to New Heights PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will consider how and why floods form as well as specific areas of concern. Students will then engineer a lifted house or system to best prepare for, and protect people during severe flooding conditions.

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

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. (NGSS: 3-ESS3-1)

iBlocks Project Based Learning Objective:

Geography plays an important role in how people live, beginning by influencing which communities occupy given areas. As Native American communities began to settle and adapt to their environment, they were challenged by climate and terrain conditions, such as dry land, extreme cold, or high mountain ranges, as well as natural resources. As a result, they developed patterns of behavior. Some groups resorted to behavioral patterns such as migration, while other Native American groups chose to use the land and resources around them to structure more permanent homes. In this Exploring Native American Culture PBL iBlock, students will explore how geography influenced the lives of different Native American communities. Then they will design and construct a redesigned model of a Native American home structure.

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem. (NGSS: 3-5-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:

Agriculture has always been one of the building blocks of human civilization. Humanity has changed a lot since civilization first began, and that includes the way we grow our plants. In this Growing a Hydroponic Garden PBL (Project-Based Learning) iBlock, students will explore different agricultural structures and incorporate emerging resources to cultivate a technologically enhanced botanical space. Students will also tackle challenges like growing plants in space-conscious environments for a rapidly growing population, and together discover the future of sustainable gardening.

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

Here is a sample content standard for this iBlock:

Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems. (NGSS: HS-ESS3-4)

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:

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)

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.)