This document outlines a project-based learning activity for a Spanish 3 class where students work in groups to create imaginary restaurants. It describes the six essential elements of a gold standard PBL: 1) the project is authentic and based on student interests, 2) it fosters critical thinking, collaboration and self-management skills, 3) it is standards-based according to ACTFL standards, 4) it involves sustained inquiry through research, planning and application, 5) it has a public product through presenting restaurant menus and skits, and 6) it includes student reflection on their communication skills. The project guides students through creating restaurant names, menus, locations and skits to present their ideas in Spanish.

1. In Practice
GOLD STANDARD PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
FOR SPANISH 3 LEVEL STUDENTS
Larmer, J. (2015, April 21). Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements. Retrieved September 12, 2015
By Caitlin Conflenti

2. Charles Hart Middle School
Spanish 3 Project Based Learning

3. menu and use the menu to
write and act out a
restaurant skit.
1) THE PROJECT IS AUTHENTIC. IT IS BASED ON STUDENTS' INTERESTS AND THEIR GENERAL
ACTIVITIES.
**(A survey was conducted at the beginning of the year asking students to choose from 6 pictures, topics of interest.)**
THIS PROJECT SUPPORT THE ELEMENTS OF PROJET BASE

4. 2) The project was
created in order to foster
these skills:
A) CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM
SOLVING
B) COLLABORATION
C) SELF-MANAGEMENT

5. 3) THE PROJECT IS
STANDARDS-BASED
ACTFL STANDARDS FOR WORLD LANGUAGES
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/StandardsforFLLexecsumm_rev.
pdf

6. Communications
Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations,
provide and obtain information,
express feelings and emotions, and exchange
opinions.
Standard 1.2: Students understand and
interpret written and spoken language on
a variety of topics.
esent information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners

7. Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between
the practices and perspectives of the culture
studied.
Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between
the products and perspectives of the culture
studied.

8. Connections
Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further
their knowledge of other disciplines
through the foreign language.
Standard 3.2: Students acquire information
and recognize the distinctive viewpoints
that are only available through the foreign
language and its cultures.

9. 4) The Project
invokes
meaning
A question and an answer
A problem and a solution
5) SUSTAINED INQUIRY
The project
takes serious
work and
preparation
The answer is found after a
serious of critiques and
considerations.

10. 6) The project includes
Research (survey or background information)
Planning or Development
And
Application or Presentation

11. Authenticity and student
choice.
• Where do you want your
restaurant?
• What will the menu look like?
• What food will be on your menu?
• What is the name of your
restaurant?
• How will you write your skit so as
to make your restaurant appealing
to visitors?
• (FURTHER EXPLAINED IN A
LATER SLIDE)

12. The project includes:
Revision and Reflection

13. Critique or Revision

14. Public Product

15. But how does our class's project
cover all of the standards of
project based learning?

16. Critical Thinking and Collaboration:
The rubric
Students will develop their own rubric based on what
they are asked to do (the final written and oral project).
The rubric must include at least 3 elements for each the
written and the oral products. One of the elements must
consider roles and positions. How will tasks be
assigned? How will peer reviews be conducted within
the group to assure that each member is doing his or
her equitable part?
We will evaluate example rubrics as a class before
developing our own.

17. Background:
What do I need
to know?
CREATING A LIST OF
QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED
TO ANSWER
(AUTHENTICITY).
STANDARDS?
These questions cover the
cultures standards
What country and city, rural area do we
want to put our restaurant in?
What types of food are available in that
area? (How can we find this out?-Perhaps
from a grocery store's website in the area,
local farms, etc.)
What types of dishes interest the people in
the area?
What are the general dining expectations of
people in that area?
What is the currency in the area?
What is the general cost of restaurant
dishes for a comparable restaurant in the
area?
(What would be a comparable restaurant?
one with a similar theme and similar food in
its dishes.- this doesn't equate to dishes
being the same or similar, just that the food
in the dishes is similar or the same. (**This
fosters logical reasoning skills**)

18. We use deductive reasoning to determine
which should be our next step.
• Research
• PRODUCTS (raw products-
foods)
• DISHES
• APPEAL (name, community
expectations for a restaurant-
Does the waiter greet us right
away? Do people like to sit in
small or large groups? Do they
like intimate spaces or open
spaces? etc)
• Create a theme
• PRODUCTS (what are we
selling?)
• DISHES (How are we going to
market it? The menu)
• APPEAL (name, restaurant
culture)

19. Decide on logistics
• MENU DESIGN
• LOCATION OF RESTAURANT
• RESTAURANT SIZE (How
many seats does it hold?)
• HOURS OF OPERATION
• DAYS OF OPERATION.
• TYPE OF STAFF NEEDED
(WAITERS, COOKS,
MANAGERS ETC.)
• NUMBER OF STAFF
MEMBERS NEEDED BASED
ON POTENTIAL VOLUME OF
CUSTOMERS, HOURS OF
OPERATION AND DAYS OF
OPERATION. (math-cross-
curricular)

20. Resources
• What resources do I need to create our group's
menu?
• (Do I use or do I create a menu with pictures I draw
or find online, construction paper and Which do I
think is more appealing? (I can do either as long as I
justify my answer?)
• What do I put on the menu? Where do I put it? How
will I space the menu? Will I sketch out my menu
design on paper or on the computer?)

21. PRODUCTS
(APPLICATION)• WE RETURN TO THE MENU
RUBRIC
• Name of restaurant written on
menu in nice colors (or nice
computer graphics if students
chose to use technology).
• Hours of restaurant operation
• Days of restaurant operation
• Restaurant's phone number
• APPEAL: PICTURES AND LAYOUT
SYMBOLIZING THE RESTAURANT'S
THEME. BONUS FOR A QUOTE OR
PHRASE THAT DEFINES THE
RESTAURANT'S CUSTOMER
SERVICE OBJECTIVE OR GENERAL
OUTLOOK ON THE DINING
EXPERIENCE.
• PRODUCTS- Where do our products
come from? And is the explanation
written in a place that customers can
easily see?
• Organization: The menu is divided into
courses or into breakfast, lunch dinner
menus etc.
• ALL WRITING IS IN SPANISH.

22. REVISION
The students peer edit each
other's menus to make sure
students have completed all
components of the menu
rubric.
Students also access a
Language Rubric that grades
students on the fluency of
their menu (correct word
usage, grammar etc). After
the peer edit, each group
meets with the teacher to go
over potential mistakes or
missing elements.

23. PRESENTATIONWe watch a model skit (performed by students from a
prior class).
E SKIT EFFECTIVELY DEMONSTRATED THE RESTAURANT'S THEME AND IF THE SKIT MADE THE R

24. The students use prior knowledge and research
appropriate level 3 Spanish vocabulary to create skits that
demonstrates each restaurant's appeal and theme.
A FINAL PUBLIC PRODUCT IS DEVELOPED

25. • The group's get ready to watch and evaluate each
other's scripts. How?
• We read examples of and discuss effective
questions that would help us to evaluate a
presentation.
• We create a list of questions that we will use to
evaluate each other's skits.

26. PUBLIC PRODUCT
Groups Present their skits.

27. Reflection: Students vote on each
other's presenting based on this
question: Which restaurant would
you most likely go to and why?
Follow-up question for groups: How effectively did you
communicate the vision of your restaurant? What would you
change to address your peers' confusion? Each student is
responsible for writing his or her own paper.
This is a reflection on communication which is essential in
language.

28. APA Citations
Coffey, H. (n.d.). Project-based learning. Retrieved
September 19, 2015
1). Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements. Retrie