PROJECT PLANNER 

Emily Bowers 
Copy into your own Google Drive. Explore the entire planner, but you only need to complete Part 1. Project Overview for this task. 

1. Project Overview 
Project Title  The Museum Revolution   Public Product(s)  Note which products are individual or team and the 
(Individual and  product/performance’s intended audience.
Driving Question  What criteria should be/are considered when  Team)   
choosing work for a presentation or portfolio?  Individual Products: 
    - Collected artifacts from the Revolutionary War time 
period that pertain to each student’s chosen topic  
Grade Level/  8th Grade/ Visual Arts and Social Studies    - A 9” x 12” collage of images/documents/artifacts 
Subject  pertaining to the student’s chosen topic  
Team Products: 
Time Frame  Six class periods, at forty minutes each     - A curated student gallery set up to look like a 
museum 
- Catalogue of all the items included in the “museum”  
Individual and Team Products: 
- Museum tags for each artifact/artwork on display  
 
*each of these products are intended to be seen by other 
students and staff, as well as all visitors who attend the 
opening night of the “museum”*  
Project Summary  Students will collect and curate artifacts related to South Carolina and its role in the Revolutionary War. They will be able to choose a 
specific topic from the time period to collect artifacts from, such as military uniforms, famous generals, or military camps/forts, among 
many others. These artifacts may include visual art, videos, digital media, information about important individuals from the time, and 
  historical items. Both collected artifacts and created works of art should be catalogued and given museum tags. Furthermore, students 
should be able to act as “museum guides” for the visitors of their curated collections.   
 

2. Learning Goals 
Standards  List standard numbers and text of standards  Literacy Skills  Name the literacy skills that will be required in the project 
  and/or will be the focus of support. This is for teachers of all 
subject areas and grade levels. (e.g., expository writing, 
reading informational text, presentation of ideas with 
evidence, engage in collaborative conversation, etc.)

© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG 

 Objectives  List all of the objectives accomplished/measured throughout  Success Skills  Critical thinking, collaboration, self-management
project 
Could also include graduate profile skills or career pathways 
outcomes

Key Vocabulary    Rubric(s)  Link/name rubric(s) you intend to use; ​template for your use

 
3. Project Milestones 
Directions: Use this section to create a high-level overview of your project. Think of this as the broad outline of the story of your project, with the 
milestones representing the significant ‘moments’ or ‘stages’ within the story. As you develop these, consider how the inquiry process is unfolding 
and what learning will take place. The Project Calendar (Section 4) will allow you to build out the milestones in greater detail. 

Milestone #1  Milestone #2  Milestone #3  Milestone #4  Milestone #5  Milestone #6 
Consider indicating if this is    Public Product 
tied to team or individual 
learning/products

E.g., Entry Event E..g., Student generated  E..g., Field observation and  E..g., Feedback from an  E..g., Finalization of product  E.g., Final presentation and 
questions; research  data collection expert and revision  and preparation for  reflection 
presentations

Key Student Question  Key Student Question  Key Student Question  Key Student Question  Key Student Question  Key Student Question 

This is the anticipated need           

to know question that guides 
the learning for the 
milestone.
 

Formative Assessment(s)  Formative Assessment(s)  Formative Assessment(s)  Formative Assessment(s)  Formative Assessment(s)  Summative Assessment(s) 

© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG 

 Identify how you will capture           
student learning to inform 
both teacher and student 
action in the project. These 
might be self, peer, or teacher 
assessments.

4. Project Calendar 
 
Driving Question:  

Week:  Project Milestone:​ The calendar is organized by milestone so that you have flexibility when it comes to implementing. You may also structure by 
weeks if that feels more intuitive. A given milestone may take more or fewer than 5 days. Feel free to flex the form to meet your needs. 

Key Student Question(s): ​This is the anticipated need to know question that guides the learning in each milestone.

Day 1: ​Include measurable  Day 2:   Day 3:   Day 4:   Day 5:  
objectives for each day. 

See Section 5: Lesson Planner        

 

Notes: ​Include any notes that will help you with the implementation of this project milestone (e.g., resources, notes to self, etc.) 
 
 
Driving Question:  

Week:  Project Milestone: ​Duplicate tables for each milestone as needed. 

Key Student Question(s):  

Day 1:   Day 2:   Day 3:   Day 4:   Day 5:  

© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG 

          

Notes:  

5. Lesson Planner (Supporting Resource) 

How  to  use  the  document:  This  planner offers guidance on how you might plan your daily lessons in the project calendar. Pick and choose what feels necessary 
to achieve the learning outcome and advance product development for all students.  

I. CHECKING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE​ Identify how you will inventory student knowledge ahead of the task, lesson, or activity. (e.g., previous day’s exit 
tickets, warm-up activity, need to know list review, quiz, class discussion, etc.)  

II. LEARNING OUTCOME ​ These can be related to success skills or standards. If your district uses a graduate profile or career pathway outcomes, include 
relevant outcomes here as well.   

III. KEY VOCABULARY ​ Note which terms or academic vocabulary will be essential to this lesson. If you serve English language learners, consider what 
additional vocabulary might be necessary for them to access the content/skills during the instructional activities. 

IV. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ​ For each lesson, consider which assessment type best measures the learning outcome. For example, a quiz may be the best 
way to check for understanding of key terms while an annotated sketch might be best for determining student understanding of how the key terms fit 
together. In some cases, your assessment may be informal, such as an exit ticket, or more formal, as in a rough draft. Finally, when planning your 
formative assessment, diversify who is doing the assessment. Include self, peer, and teacher assessment opportunities, as appropriate for the age group. 
When possible, have external partners or end users provide feedback to improve or guide the work.  

V. MAJOR INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES ​This can include lessons, tasks, activities, or learning experiences. Choose the instructional method that will best 
help students achieve the learning outcome. For example, a direct instruction lesson may be appropriate for introducing the key players in World War II 
while an artifact inquiry activity during which students examine primary source documents would be better suited for them to understand the impact of 
those key players on the pivotal events during the war. This would also be the space to include teaching and learning related to classroom culture, 
student collaboration, and/or project management tools or skills, as appropriate for students or project milestone needs. Included links show examples 
of such activities.   

VI. SCAFFOLDS ​ Scaffolds are intended to be temporary supports that are removed when students no longer need them. These scaffolds can be used to 
support either content or the project process (e.g., need to know questions). Leverage “checking prior knowledge” to ensure you are offering the right 
scaffolds to the students who need them. Be sure to consider a wide range of needs, such as literacy skills, language acquisition levels, auditory/visual 
processing, building schema, learning style preferences, academic performance levels, etc.  

© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG 

 VII. REFLECTION ​ How will students reflect on their thinking, process, or learning? 

VIII. STUDENT NEED TO KNOW QUESTIONS ADDRESSED ​ Which student questions will be answered, or are you aiming to answer, during this instructional 
activity? 

IX. TOOLS/RESOURCES ​ Student-facing tools, human resources such as experts or community members, teacher tools, equipment, etc. 

© 2019 Buck Institute for Education PBLWORKS.ORG