1. 2013-2014 Mrs. Jennifer Najera Miss Jennifer Welch

2.  “Among the skills that will help keep workers marketable in the near term are self-motivation, time management, strong oral and written communication, relationship building, salesmanship, problem solving, information evaluation, and leadership.”  --Futurist Update, Feb 2004

3. The DBL methodology requires (and builds) the following skills: o Problem-solving o Communicating o Working as a team o Analyzing information o Using technology o STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

4. Developed by an award-winning educator, Design-Based Learning “sneaks up on learning” through hands-on problem- solving that develops reasoning skills while teaching the standard 7 th grade curriculum.

5. Ecoregion Development o Students are given challenges and coteries compete to find the best solution o Proposals are given to justify their solutions. o The long-term project is to advance their civilization.

6. o 7 th Grade Social Studies Standards: World History – development on different eco-regions. o 7 th Grade Science Standards: Cells, genetics, anatomy, plants, nervous system, respiratory system o Language Arts and Math integrated through application o Use of technology is an integral part of the program o Independence and accountability

7. Will my child be ready for high school if he/she stays in DBL? o Problem-solving skills o Higher level thinking skills (critical thinking) o Leave core for electives, P.E., and some math o Enhanced presentation skills and greater participation How is this different from the previous simulations? o 6 th grade: establishing a civilization on four different biomes from nothing. o 7 th grade: building in isolation on 10 different ecoregions, and learning to overcome difficult obstacles. o 8 th grade: taking what they know and applying it—using prior knowledge to create something new and work in a competitive business environment.

8. How will my child adjust from building and doing hands- on to having more direct instruction? o DBL is very structured and the building component is just one piece that leads to directed instruction. Traditional note-taking, test-taking, etc. is very much a part of the program. o Higher-level thinking skills developed in DBL translate to all learning environments. Can my child enter the IB program in high school? o Yes, in fact many DBL students enter several prestigious programs each year including: IB program, Troy High School, John Hopkins, Art Center College of Design.

9. Do the DBL kids participate in the inner-core 7 th grade field trips and activities? o Yes. We participate in: Renaissance Day, Catalina and end of the year activities.

10. Critical Thinking Collaboration Communication Creativity Citizenship