Our upper elementary EXPO is coming up soon, and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Thursday, December 14, 2023, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church or Bethel AME due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: Students are occasionally asked to arrive a few minutes early to prepare their presentations. Please look for more information from your child’s teacher for specific guidance. Doors will open at 5:15 pm for the event, and families are welcome to stay until 7:00 pm. The front door and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Front Entrance. Support the PBL enterprise of 5th Grade, Clucky Classroom, by purchasing a treat from the Farm Stand.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - IDEA LAB: Technology & Engineering Drop-Ins. Drop in to the IDEA Lab 6:00-6:30 to see what your child has been working on during their Technology and Engineering special.
• 5:30-6:00 pm - Multi-Purpose Room: 3rd Grade.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Gymnasium: 4th Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Various Locations: 5th Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 below this post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of meteorologists, engineers, physicists, game designers, artists, environmental stewards, anthropologists, farmers, carpenters, chefs, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their learning.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

Our lower elementary EXPO is coming up soon and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church or Bethel AME due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: Students are occasionally asked to arrive a few minutes early to prepare their presentations. Please look for more information from your child’s teacher for specific guidance. Doors will open at 5:00 pm for the event, and families are welcome to stay until 7:30 pm at the end of the Book Fair. The front door and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:00-7:30 pm - MPR: Book Fair. Come by the MPR early and throughout EXPO to see what we have to offer! Support the PTO with your purchase.
• 5:30-7:00 pm - IDEA LAB: Technology & Engineering Drop-Ins. Drop in to the IDEA Lab at any time during the event to see what your child has been working on during their Technology and Engineering special.
• 5:30-6:00 pm - K Classrooms: Kindergarten.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - 1st Classrooms, MPR, Patio: 1st Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Gymnasium: 2nd Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 below this post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of meteorologists, astronomers, curators, product engineers, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their learning.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

Our first in-person EXPO event of the year is coming up soon and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church or Bethel AME due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: Students are usually asked to arrive 15-30 minutes early to prepare their presentations. Please look for more information from your child’s advisory teacher for specific guidance. Doors will open at 5:30 pm for the event, and families are welcome to stay until 7:00 pm at the end. The front door and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:30-7:00 pm - STEAM LAB: Technology & Engineering Drop-Ins. Drop in to the STEAM Lab at any time during the event to see what your child has been working on during their Technology and Engineering elective.
• 5:30-6:00 pm - Outdoor Classroom: 6th Grade.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Multi-Purpose Room: 7th Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Gymnasium: 8th Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 just below this post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of architects, interior designers, environmental scientists, historians, demographers, industrial designers, product engineers, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their product and the process.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

Our first in-person EXPO event for upper elementary in nearly three years is coming up soon and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Thursday, December 15, 2022, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: We are hoping that all families plan to attend the event from 5:30-7:00 pm. During times in which your child is not presenting, we ask that you make a plan to attend an open event. The Farm Stand will be located at the front entrance. Support 5th-grade projects by buying a healthy snack! The Library will be open as a venue to observe the bookmaking and zine-making projects in the library from 4th and 5th-grade students. The front and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Front Entrance: Farm Stand.
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Library: Open House Exhibits
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Aquarium near STEAM Lab: Salmon Exhibit
• 5:30-6:00 pm - MPR: 3rd Grade.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - 4th Grade Classrooms & Gymnasium Hallway: 4th Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Various Locations: 5th Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 below the Middle School EXPO post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of meteorologists, biologists, activists, gardeners, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their product and the process.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

Our first in-person EXPO event for lower elementary in nearly three years is coming up soon and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Thursday, December 8, 2022, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: We are hoping that all families plan to attend the event from 5:30-7:00 pm. During times in which your child is not presenting, we ask that you make a plan to attend an open event. The Library will be open all evening and will be hosting the book fair! Come ready to buy a book! The IDEA Lab will be open for families to come and see how integrated disciplines in engineering, coding, and design thinking come to life! The Art Room will be open, and families are invited to see how discreet skills in art and design help students leverage their thinking to follow their creative impulses! The front door and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Library: Book Fair!
• 5:30-7:00 pm - IDEA LAB: Technology & Engineering Open Lab.
• 5:30-7:00 pm - Art Room: Open Drop-Ins.
• 5:30-6:00 pm - Kindergarten Classrooms: Kindergarten Projects on Rotation.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - 1st Grade Classrooms & MPR Patio: 1st Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Gymnasium: 2nd Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 just below this post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of friends, astronomers, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their product and the process.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

Our first in-person EXPO event in nearly three years is coming up soon and we are so excited! Families are welcome to come and see the big event on Thursday, November 10, 2022, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Check out the teaser trailer on YouTube! Below are more essential details:

• Parking: A2 STEAM parking lots will likely be unavailable. Additionally, there will be no available parking at Northside Community Church or Bethel AME due to previously scheduled events. Instead, please refer to the parking map below for guidance on street parking for the event:
  
  
  

  Parking is available on the following streets: Taylor St., Peach St., Pear St., John A Woods Dr., Chandler Rd., Amherst Ave., Indianola Ave., Traver Rd., and David Ct.

• Schedule: Students are usually asked to arrive 15-30 minutes early to prepare their presentations. Please look for more information from your child’s advisory teacher for specific guidance. Doors will open at 5:30 pm for the event, and families are welcome to stay until 7:00 pm at the end. The front door and back doors will be open, and there will be an information desk at either end. Projects will be on display at the following times and locations:
  
  
• 5:30-6:00 pm - STEAM LAB: Technology & Engineering Drop-Ins. If your child is in 7th or 8th grade, they may choose to “drop-in” to the STEAM Lab to share their ongoing projects.
• 5:30-6:00 pm - Multi-Purpose Room: 6th Grade.
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Library: 7th Grade.
• 6:30-7:00 pm - Gymnasium: 8th Grade.
  
  
Please refer to the building map for locations:

• Need To Know: What does every family member need to know for EXPO?
  
  
• New to EXPO?: If this is your first EXPO, we are very excited for you! If you haven’t already, read the blog post from 9/16/22 just below this post on the PBL blog to learn about the history and purpose of EXPO.
  
  
• Attire: Your child is encouraged to dress for the occasion. In every project, A2 STEAM students are asked to think in different ways and design solutions to problems for an audience. This term, students took on the roles of architects, interior designers, environmental scientists, ambassadors, historians, demographers, industrial designers, product engineers, and entrepreneurs. At EXPO, your child should dress to impress!
  
  
  
• Audience: The role of the audience member is just as important as the role of the presenter! Your child has done a lot of deep thinking and hard work. Come ready to ask meaningful questions about their product and the process.
  
  
• Have Fun: As challenging as this kind of learning is, it is also a lot of fun. We hope you come ready to share the excitement of PBL and STEAM learning with us. See you soon!

It was late autumn 2015, and teachers at A2 STEAM had just successfully completed their third biannual EXPO when the article entitled “Gold Standard PBL: Public Product” was published. John Larmer, editor in chief of the PBLWorks blog, discussed the merits of the “Public Product” and the significance of presentation at the end of a project based learning unit. For the A2 STEAM community, this was an extraordinary validation of our collective vision. After two EXPOs in the first year of A2 STEAM, we were finally beginning to find our groove. Collectively, as teachers and staff members reviewed Mr. Larmer’s recommendations for this phase of PBL, they nodded heads, exchanged knowing glances, and patted each other on the back. This was the confirmation we needed. Not only had the A2 STEAM EXPO been a wonderful occasion for the community to come together and celebrate our young learners, but it was also an exemplary PBL Event.

Due to the circumstances of the global health crisis, we have not been able to properly enjoy the contagious energy of EXPO since the autumn of 2019. While we were able to return to in-person learning in the spring of 2021, and our Project Based Learning curriculum last autumn, we have not had a formal, in-person, EXPO event in nearly three years. For many students, and some teachers, Autumn EXPO 2022 will be our first time coming together to present our public products and share our learning with the community.

So what do we have to look forward to at EXPO? What did Mr. Larmer write about nearly seven years ago that felt so affirming for pioneering A2 STEAM staff? Primarily, he identifies that the “Public Product” is usually the most recognizable feature of PBL. The Public Product is the centerpiece of student work at each EXPO.

“In some non-PBL classrooms you might find, say, a challenging problem, some degree of authenticity, student voice and choice and even, occasionally, sustained inquiry. But when students make their work public – that is, when it’s seen by people beyond their teacher, classmates, and maybe parents – it probably means a project is happening.”

He also makes a case for buy-in. The ambitious vision of a PBL school is that learning ought to be interesting and, moreover, valuable beyond the traditional student-teacher feedback loop. Through a project, students are motivated to learn because they see the value of their efforts today. While it is possible for school-aged children to be motivated to learn in order to maximize their career opportunities, they are more likely to develop critical skills and understandings if the rationale is readily apparent. Simply stated,

“When students just turn in their work to the teacher or make a presentation to the class, they (typically) don’t care as much as they do when sharing their work with people from the “real world.”

There is also an emphasis on the importance of multiple check-ins throughout the project. While EXPO is a culminating event, students have had a variety of opportunities to formulate their learning through social experiences. This is done in many ways, but one unique feature of PBL is how “experts” are leveraged for learning.

“During a project, experts can act as advisors and ask students deeper questions to prod their thinking and improve the products they’re creating... At the end of a project, experts can ask students questions during presentations that a teacher or other students might not ask – and preparing for this is a great exercise in critical thinking, as students try to anticipate what the questions will be and how they will answer them.”

Experts can be defined as professionals who work in a field aligned to a domain of learning, but also people who have certain intersecting interests and passions that can help students evolve their understanding throughout a project. Opportunities to collaborate with a project based learning unit vary from question and answer sessions, workshops, project kickoffs (entry events), lectures, and importantly, critique and revision sessions. If you are interested in this kind of project involvement, please fill out the following survey: tinyurl.com/pbl-expert.

As valuable as it is that adults assist to help improve projects before EXPO, it is also valuable that audience members engage appropriately with projects at EXPO. Projects require a tremendous effort during each unit, and their presentations are the culmination of weeks of inquiry and problem-solving. To create a public product, students must personally engage with a challenging, open-ended question, think critically through a process of social inquiry, collaborate to develop creative solutions, and present their understandings and solutions to an authentic audience. The best way to engage as an audience member is, first, to maintain an awareness of the project as it unfolds. On EXPO night, family members should come prepared to ask appropriately critical questions about the project with respect for the effort that went into it. Excellent questions are usually open-ended and use the language of PBL, such as “How did you answer your Driving Question?” You can ask “Tell me how your Public Product is a solution to your challenge?” A great question also might be “How did you collaborate with your team?” There will be more information shared soon about how to prepare for EXPO, so look for messages from your child’s teacher, administration, and the PBL Coordinator.

This autumn, we will host three EXPO events. This will allow us to take advantage of larger school spaces, which will be helpful in preventing the spread of communicable diseases. It will also give students the time and space they need to give excellent presentations, and families more opportunities to find parking in a timely manner (please consult last year’s parking map to identify good locations for street parking during school-wide events - https://www.a2schools.org/Page/12980). Our EXPO events this autumn will be organized by grade-level bands:

• Lower Elementary EXPO (grades K-2):
  Thursday, December 8, 2022, from 5:30-7pm
• Upper Elementary EXPO (grades 3-5):
  Thursday, December 15, 2022, from 5:30-7pm
• Middle School EXPO (grades 6-8):
  Thursday, November 10, 2022, from 5:30-7pm

The Middle School EXPO will come in mid-November before both elementary EXPOs in order to correlate with the end of the first trimester, and both elementary EXPOs will take place in mid-December before winter vacation. We are still setting PBL goals for the winter and spring, but a flexible plan is being considered at this time. Collectively, we are working to consider our authentic audiences for projects before we put dates on the calendar. Mr. Larmer, again, reminds us to push back on the notion that “every project requires ‘a big showcase – that should not be the end goal of every project; sometimes having a few experts do real critique of student work is more powerful.’”

To put it succinctly, EXPO encapsulates the mission of A2 STEAM: Provide an environment where students, staff, and the community are actively engaged in project based learning through a student-centered approach with real-world applications. Foster students who lead and contribute to the world around them. Larmer connects to this purpose at the end of his article thusly,

"There’s one final benefit to having a public product: the proud moment when students present their work to the 'real world' is often a memory they will keep for the rest of their lives."

Congratulations to the A2 STEAM community on another successful Virtual EXPO! 

It’s quite impressive what our teachers and students are able to do in such a short amount of time. We are very appreciative of our parent community and every stakeholder that has taken a role in shaping our projects and facilitating learning on a daily basis. Once again, we have another unique collection of artifacts that represent collective learning through authentic public products hosted here on our Spring 2022 EXPO website.

If you're still wondering just what the deal is with PBL at A2 STEAM, check out this short video below, "What is PBL?"

Hello A2 STEAM families! Please join us from 5:30-6:00 PM on Thursday, December 9, 2021, for our first-ever virtual EXPO!

Please click this link to explore the EXPO website for Autumn 2021!