Inquiry & Project Based Learning Resources

Free tools, strategies, procedures, and information to engage students in critical thinking and problem solving.

The Concord Consortium
Interactive STEM learning technologies and resources to provide students with opportunities to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. A large variety of research based resources in the areas of physics, chemistry, life science, engineering, earth and space, and mathematics for K-12 students. Teachers can filter their search by resource type or grade level. The online lab activities available through Concord Consortium site include a brief description, hardware/software requirements, standard alignment, and an opportunity to preview the lab or share it with a class of students. The site also includes a search feature for locating resources.

Curriki
The Curriki Library has dozens of PBL projects in all grade levels and subjects developed by its teacher members. The advanced search feature is extensive and will help you narrow your choices by using multiple criteria. Member ratings are another useful guide in finding projects that work well.

Edutopia: Project-Based Learning
This site has many materials and downloads for building rigorous projects for all grade levels. You will find materials and resources for teaching about project-based learning, whether you are conducting a class, a two-hour session or a mini-unit on the topic.

Houghton Mifflin's Project-Based Learning Space
Here you can do sustained inquiry on extended problems and projects; get background knowledge on its theory and use in classrooms, and revisit generic teaching concepts. The focus is on learning about project-based learning by doing it. These experiences will help you integrate PBL strategies into your own classroom teaching.

PBL Lab
Research, projects, activities and other resources teachers can use. PBL Lab's goal is to educate the next generation workforce by engaging graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and industry practitioners in multi-disciplinary, collaborative, geographically distributed PBL activities. PBL is a process of teaching and learning that focuses on problem based, project centered activities that produce a product for a client. PBL is based on re-engineering processes that bring people from multiple disciplines together.

PBLWorks
Created for STEM educators who desire to learn more about project-based learning (PBL) and implement PBL in the classroom. You will find sample projects for all grade levels. One great resource is a “project designer” tool and checklist that can be used to evaluate the project’s design. The site also includes a search feature for locating resources.

TeachThought: 50 Smart Ideas for Project-Based Learning
The genesis of a great project is the idea itself–the purpose and/or audience of the project itself. TeachThought has a list of dozens of ideas for projects, and they're going to constantly update the list with new ideas, suggestions from community, resources, etc. In that way, this page can become a kind of guide for project-based learning in your classroom. The focus will be on the ideas for the projects themselves but they'll also include apps, tools, and other pedagogical bits and pieces you’ll need to effectively realize this approach in your classroom.

WISE
WISE is the “Web-Based Inquiry Science Environment” that provides science teachers and their students with access to online standards-aligned inquiry units. Each unit is based upon research and has been refined over several iterations of classroom integration and practice. The units support diverse learners and introduce students to complicated science concepts that connect to the students’ daily lives. The content is relevant and the experience for the students is interactive. WISE units cover STEM topics for grades 7th-8th and high school. Teachers must register to use the WISE units.