The B.M.S. 8th grade students in Mrs. Dawn Buccino’s English classes recently completed a P.B.L. about the Vietnam War and its impact on Belleville in the 1960s and 1970s. P.B.L. stands for “project based learning” where the students work on various mandatory and optional or choice activities based on a task statement.
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Back row, from left, Krystal Diaz, Amy Trinh, and Leticia Orgueira. Front row, from left, Madeline Bini, Breeyanah Gee-Burney, and Veronica Alvarado. |
Mrs. Buccino took a lesson she had been teaching for the last three years based on the story “Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulsen about a Vietnam War veteran who struggles with his memories of war. She added the book “Belleville Sons Honor Roll-Remembering the Men Who Paid For Our Freedom” which documents the biographies of 157 Belleville men who died while in service to create the three week project. “Belleville Sons” is written by Mrs. Buccino’s husband, local author Anthony Buccino.
She was also assisted by her team Social Studies teacher, Mr. Anthony Ferrara, who taught his Vietnam War unit a bit ahead of schedule to coincide with the P.B.L.
The P.B.L takes a task statement, adds technology, tiered lessons and a differentiated classroom while training the students to schedule their own time. It allows for authentic performance where students showcase their knowledge and produce, not only a packet of diverse work, but also a closing project.