The key to making a PBL activity in the ESL classroom work is finding a topic that is relevant for the students. I recently finished teaching a chapter on Music in my 9th Grade ESL classroom. In order to conclude our chapter, I assigned a Music Assignment.
The assignment was to reflect upon a picture provided in our text book, to choose a song that reflects the picture, to produce the lyrics of the song, the composer of the song,and then to explain what the song is expressing. All of this was created by the students on a 3-4 page Power Point. Students were allowed to work in groups of 2-3 students each.
The lesson was first given in the Computer Room in order give the students the ability to work together, and collaborate together, using the Internet and computer access necessary to complete the assignment.
The students loved working together. Students who usually do not participate much in class, were eagerly putting together beautiful assignments. The final products were presented in class. The students loved describing their connections to the songs that they had worked on. It was really nice to see the collaboration of the students as well.
Overall, creativity, and relevance are key to a successful PBL activity in the ESL classroom!
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