PLTW and Common Core

PLTW State Conference, Sacramento, CaliforniaFebruary 21, 2014

Mike Martin, King High School, Riverside, California

Introduction

• Overview of PLTW and it’s ‘relationship’ to Common Core• How can I implement more Common Core Friendly

activities into my PLTW curriculum?

Remember……

• …….Project Lead the Way IS Common Core• The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the

real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.

--Mission Statement, CCSS, corestandards.org

High School: Modeling

• Modeling links classroom mathematics and statistics to everyday life, work, and decision-making.

-- corestandards.org/Math/Content/HSM

Is PLTW already aligned with CCSS?

• Yes!• Go to alignment.pltw.org• Click on the Standards and Objectives

Alignment Tab• Choose your favorite PLTW class• You will find CCSS Math, Language Arts,

and Next Generation Science Standards

High School – ELA – Science and Tech

• The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines. (emphasis by presenter)

-- corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy

High School – ELA – Science and Tech

What? You want to do it better?

• Collaborate • Within PLTW• With other classes and programs

• Other Activities Within a Class

Collaboration

• Within a PLTW program• IED is a perfect class to collaborate with• IED students can reverse engineer a project from ANY class.• POE-IED - use VEX part files to assemble a machine (POE Unit 3).• Let IED students use what they’ve learned with principles and

elements of design to help the EDD class with their capstone design.

• POE-CIM – use VEX parts to assemble and program a factory or another factory machine.

• DE-EDD – helping with controlling a capstone project.

Collaboration

• With a non-PLTW class or program• PLTW with Science• AP Environmental Science• Physics

• PLTW with Math• PLTW with Physical Education• PLTW with the school district architects

Other Class Activities

• Online Discussions• Moodle, Blackboard, Haiku, and other LMS allow for online discussions• Give a scenario and have students respond• Find case studies and problems online – let students reflect on real life

situations• Also fulfills Writing standards

• POE class• Unit 3.1 - Other problems to solve – laser engraver, harvester, golf ball

dispenser, etc.

Other Class Activities

• EDD class• Put out requests to the school staff for ‘problems’ to solve• Give ‘themes’ to your students – disabled, sports, ‘around the

house’

• Writing• Already included in IED, POE, and EDD, for the most part• Include it in DE, CIM, and CEA – how?• Design Briefs• ‘Instruction Manuals’

Summary

• We are fortunate to be involved in a program that is already aligned with Common Core.• There is still room to include other ways to model.• Get involved with other classes, both within your PLTW

program and outside of it.