Compose Our World: Project-Based Learning in Secondary English Language Arts

Learn how to develop and sustain multimodal, project-based learning (PBL) instruction in secondary English Language Arts classrooms. National standards encourage authentic forms of reading, writing, and communication that can support college and career readiness, and this book highlights PBL as a powerful way to harness students’ interests and engage them in academically rigorous learning. The authors provide specific, research-informed curricular approaches and instructional guidance for classroom teachers, as well as an overview of the dimensions of PBL that are often overlooked in the broad expectations of inquiry-based teaching. Instead of “quick fix” lessons, Compose Our World explores how core dimensions of equitable teaching―such as social and emotional support, universal design for learning, and cultivating classroom community―function as the bedrock for student success in PBL contexts and beyond.

Book Features:

• Based on the authors’ extensive experience developing and studying a PBL curriculum.
• Brings PBL to life through classroom vignettes and teacher and student voices.
• Provides classroom resources that facilitate customization to unique contexts.
• Shares ideas for developing teacher communities around PBL practices.
• Offers additional curriculum materials online.
• Appropriate for ELA teachers new to PBL, as well as veterans.

Alison G. Boardman is an associate professor in equity, bilingualism, and biliteracy in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. Antero Garcia is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Bridget Dalton is an associate professor in literacy studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Joseph L. Polman is a professor of learning sciences and associate dean for research in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder.