Part I: Key Features of a Project-Based Classroom -- What is a Project-Based STEM Environment? -- How can Project-Based Units be designed for STEM classrooms? -- How is student learning evaluated in a Project-Based Environment? -- How can teachers locate and translate research specific to instructional practice? -- Part II: Example Project-Based STEM Units Designed for the Middle Level -- Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning (Middle Level Integrated STEM Unit 1) -- Chemical Reactions Engineered to Address Thermal Energy Situations (Middle Level Integrated STEM Unit 2) -- Part III: Teacher Commentaries -- Implementation Strategies, Obstacles to Overcome, and Student Learning Successes -- Teacher Designed Project-Based Units at the Middle Level Appendices.

This book models project-based environments that are intentionally designed around the United States Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) for Mathematics, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) for Science, and the National Educational Technology Standards (ISTE, 2008). The primary purpose of this book is to reveal how middle school STEM classrooms can be purposefully designed for 21st Century learners and provide evidence regarding how situated learning experiences will result in more advanced learning. This Project-Based Instruction (PBI) resource illustrates how to design and implement interdisciplinary project-based units based on the REAL (Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning – Unit 1) and CREATES (Chemical Reactions Engineered to Address Thermal Energy Situations – Unit 2). The content of the book details these two PBI units with authentic student work, explanations and research behind each lesson (including misconceptions students might hold regarding STEM content), pre/post research results of unit implementation with over 40 teachers and thousands of students. In addition to these two units, there are chapters describing how to design one’s own research-based PBI units incorporating teacher commentaries regarding strategies, obstacles overcome, and successes as they designed and implemented their PBI units for the first time after learning how to create PBI STEM Environments the “REAL” way.