(November 2, 2022) PBL9 students staged an exhibition called “The Classification Project” recently, which combined subject matter from biology and English while exploring the essential question, “How does our environment inform who we are?”

“Students engaged in the research and writing process during the project, focusing on editing photographs and revising written work,” said teacher Maria  Canela. “They worked diligently to ensure that their organism research was accurate and thorough, and wrote vignettes that illustrated an organism’s place in the world and included descriptive and vivid language for readers. We are extremely proud of the work students had the opportunity to exhibit." 

Students found and identified various organisms around the high school and in Cheltenham Township, including Norway spruce trees, low smartweed, goldenrod, oak tree leaves, pine cones, grasses, and hornets. The students performed ecological research on their chosen organisms, and took several pictures, which, through peer review, were narrowed to one they felt was the most professional. Finally, they wrote first-person vignettes about a day in the life of their organism.

The exhibition featured the photos and vignettes hung from strings of lights, and required students to be able to speak about their organism, giving insight to its common name, scientific name, niche and habitat, evolution of the organism, and reflect on the creative process as a whole.