How to run The Town Square Problem 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 community facts efficiently; run the jigsaw; check acquisition. | Rushing to the problem before facts are secure. |
| ② Deep | Facilitate the needs/wants map and the supply-and-demand story; model a claim with a reason. | Deciding for students which option is "right." |
| ③ Transfer | Read the problem well; hold the KWHL chart; run a fair vote; answer questions with questions. | Answering the "Need to know" questions yourself. |
The Surface phase uses a four-topic jigsaw (How do communities meet their needs?) — 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 + games) live on the Surface page, one set per topic. Confirm access through your district before class.
Before teaching, brainstorm every direction the town square problem could branch — so you can steer discussion and decide, in advance, which threads are productive for your class and community.
| If students investigate… | They are working toward… |
|---|---|
| why communities form; how they meet needs | §113.14(c)(2)(A–B) |
| reading a map of the town; changing the land | §113.14(c)(4)(C), (c)(3)(B) |
| needs vs. wants, scarcity, the town budget | §113.14(c)(5)(A–B), (c)(6)(B) |
| supply, demand, cost, price, and profit | §113.14(c)(6)(A,C) |
| local government, services, citizenship & voting | §113.14(c)(7), (c)(9) |
| comparing sources; cause & effect; claim + evidence | §113.14(c)(14)(A–F), (c)(15) |
| naming 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.