How to run Living with the River as Problem-Based Learning: your role, the pre-planning maps, pacing, role cards, sources, and debrief prompts. The golden rule — guide, don't tell. In PBL the students should feel they, not you, planned the investigation.
| Phase | What you do | What you resist |
|---|---|---|
| ① Surface | Teach vocabulary and facts efficiently; run the jigsaw; check acquisition. | Rushing to the problem before facts are secure. |
| ② Deep | Facilitate the cause-effect map and the wall-vs-green comparison; model claim + evidence. | Telling students which solution is "right." |
| ③ Transfer | Read the problem well; hold the KWHL chart; answer questions with questions; point to sources. | Answering the "Need to know" questions yourself. |
The Surface phase uses a four-topic jigsaw (How do people live with nature?) — a high-leverage move (d ≈ 0.92) because every student must teach. The flow: expert groups each study one topic and take notes → students re-mix into home groups with one expert per topic → each expert teaches → an individual check for understanding holds everyone accountable.
The per-expert-group source links (articles) live on the Surface page, one set per topic. Confirm access through your district before class.
Before teaching, brainstorm every direction the river problem could branch — so you can steer discussion and decide, in advance, which threads are productive and which are off-topic for your class and community.
| If students investigate… | They are working toward… |
|---|---|
| why rivers flood; natural hazards, climate & landforms | §113.14(c)(3)(A) |
| ways people adapt to and modify the environment; effects of building & conservation | §113.14(c)(3)(B–C) |
| reading the Willow Bend map; directions & map elements | §113.14(c)(4)(A,C) |
| the cost of each option; a simple town budget | §113.14(c)(5)(A–B) |
| why communities form for security; what local government provides | §113.14(c)(2)(A), (c)(7)(C) |
| gathering & comparing sources; cause & effect; claim + evidence | §113.14(c)(14)(A–F) |
| defining the problem, weighing options, choosing & evaluating a solution | §113.14(c)(16)(B) |
Confirm access through your district's approved catalog before class. Vetted, free starting points:
Aligned to (not reproduced from) 19 TAC Ch.113 §113.14.