PBL puts Springer students in print

Young writers in the spotlight

(ROCKWALL, TX – Jan. 28, 2016) As part of Project Based Learning, Christina Lee, a fourth grade bilingual teacher at Springer Elementary School, has spent the last few months teaching her students about journalism, the writing process, peer review, advertising and more – including what it takes to get published in a newspaper.

“PBL is a way to teach our required TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) while providing students with real world experiences. Students learn to collaborate, problem solve, research and work with different types of technology,” said Lee. “Student engagement is phenomenal.”

Lee said that the possibility of being published motivated the students to push themselves in their writing. She added that as a PBL teacher, she too stepped outside of her comfort zone to think globally and provide a more authentic learning experience.

“My biggest challenge as a writing teacher is getting my students to understand that their voice matters, their writing has meaning, and all writers face similar challenges,” said Lee. “This has driven them in a way that I did not expect. I’m very proud of my students and how much they have grown in their writing.”

Blue Ribbon News is honored to feature four student-written compositions that were hand-selected by the class. Other stories may be found online at issuu.com/christinaleespringer.