lbj directions

You will be observing project-based instruction in action at The Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin at LBJ High School. LBJ has two project-based courses: Planet Earth and Science and Technology. Both courses are accelerated block courses (i.e., they meet for 2 hours per day for one semester). You will observe twice during the semester. You may observe two Planet Earth Classes, two SciTech classes or one of each. You must post your observation to Nicenet within one week of the observation. Observations are to be NEUTRAL descriptions of the activities and resources in the classroom. Class discussions are where we analyze what took place and compare SciTech, Planet Earth, Rory and Boaler. Please read other student observations prior to your own so you can expand on what they observed.

Planet Earth is an interdisciplinary course focusing on geology, environmental biology, evolutionary biology, and field experiences. Several themes iterate throughout the course: evolutionary change through time, human impacts on the biosphere, and interrelatedness of physical and biological systems. Planet Earth students study the biodiversity of either plants, insects, soil organisms, or birds in a local park.

Science and Technology is a freshman course centered around an engineering project where students use physical science principles to design and produce a solution to an engineering problem. This course is modeled after the MIT mousetrap competition (for a similar example see Dade County Schools Mousetrap Car Competition Site). Students produce CADD drawings, engineering reports, three-dimensional graphic movies of their mousetrap vehicle, and a journal in addition to the mousetrap vehicle itself.

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