Skip to main content

Meeteetse School

Project Based Learning Home

Learning That Matters. Projects That Inspire.

A group of children and adults listen attentively to a presenter in a wooden structure.

LIFE READY         

START WITH PLACE. BUILD SKILLS FOR LIFE.

Our first week of school took learning beyond the classroom. From uncovering Wyoming’s past in Thermopolis to redesigning spaces in our own school, students asked questions, explored ideas, worked through feedback, solved problems, and shared their thinking with others. These were not just first-week activities. They were the beginning of the skills, habits, and confidence our students will build all year and carry with them into the future.

Life Ready Skills

Content knowledge matters, but knowing information alone is not enough to prepare students for life beyond school. True life readiness comes when students learn academic content while also practicing the skills they will need to communicate, collaborate, solve problems, make decisions, adapt, reflect, and take responsibility for their work. By intentionally embedding these skills into everyday learning, students get repeated opportunities to practice them in meaningful situations until they become habits they can carry into college, careers, relationships, and their communities.

 

Communication

Students learn to clearly explain their ideas, listen to others, ask meaningful questions, give and receive feedback, and present their thinking with confidence. Strong communication helps students work effectively with others, advocate for their ideas, and adapt how they share information depending on the audience and situation.

Collaboration

Students learn to share responsibility, contribute their strengths, listen to different perspectives, work through disagreements, and support the success of the group. Effective collaboration prepares students to be dependable teammates who can work with others toward a common goal, even when ideas, personalities, or priorities are different.

Critical Thinking

Students learn to evaluate information, consider different perspectives, question assumptions, and use evidence to make sound judgments. Critical thinking helps students move beyond simply finding an answer so they can explain their reasoning, defend their choices, and make thoughtful decisions in unfamiliar situations.

Problem Solving

Students learn to identify challenges, explore possible solutions, test ideas, and make adjustments when something does not work as planned. Problem solving prepares students to approach real situations with persistence, creativity, and the confidence to keep working until they find a path forward.

Creativity

Students learn to imagine new possibilities, generate original ideas, and approach challenges from more than one direction. Creativity helps students become flexible thinkers who can design, improve, and adapt solutions when there is not one obvious right answer.

Adaptability

Students learn to adjust their plans, thinking, and approach when circumstances change or new information becomes available. Adaptability helps students become resilient and flexible so they can respond to challenges, learn from setbacks, and keep moving forward when things do not go as expected.

Leadership & Initiative

Students learn to take responsibility, recognize where they can contribute, and step forward when something needs to be done. Leadership and initiative help students build confidence, support others, and become people who can move ideas and teams forward without always waiting to be told what to do.

Empathy

Students learn to consider the needs, experiences, and perspectives of the people affected by their ideas and decisions. Empathy helps students design better solutions, build stronger relationships, and make choices that are thoughtful, respectful, and responsive to others.

Decision Making

Students learn to compare options, weigh benefits and consequences, and use evidence to choose the best path forward. Strong decision making helps students become thoughtful and responsible as they make choices that affect their work, their teams, and the people around them.

Reflection

Students learn to look back on their work, recognize what went well, identify what they would change, and consider how their thinking has grown. Reflection helps students become more intentional learners who can use past experiences to make stronger choices and improve future work.

Why Project Based Learning?

At Meeteetse School, students aren’t just learning about the world, they’re shaping it.  Project Based Learning (PBL) is an approach where students learn by engaging in real-world meaningful projects.  It blends academic content with problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and communication, preparing students for whichever direction life takes them after school.

Student Stories

Teacher Stories

Parent Stories

Community Stories

Parent Information

As we start our journey into project-based learning, there are a few major questions being asked.  Hopefully this information will provide you with some answers.  If not, please reach out to us.

  • A school document explains project-based learning, with a daily schedule and grading information.

  • Informational document about project-based learning at Meeteetse School, with a red border.

  • Informational document about project-based learning at Meeteetse School.

Student Presentations

Our project based learning approach is built around authentic work and authentic audiences. Students do not learn only for a grade or a classroom audience. They learn so they can share their thinking, their process, and their growth with others. From local community gatherings to state level conversations and national education events, our students are given opportunities to present their work, tell their stories, and represent their school and community with pride.

These experiences matter. When students present beyond our walls, they build confidence, communication skills, and a sense of purpose. They learn how to explain their thinking, respond to questions, and engage with people of all ages and backgrounds. Most importantly, they see that their voice matters and that their learning has real world value.

Meeteetse School PBL Common Vocabulary

 

For Students & Parents

PBL (Project-Based Learning)
   Learning through meaningful projects that build academic and Life Ready skills.
Driving Question
   An open-ended question that guides the entire project.
Entry Event
   A launch activity that sparks curiosity and introduces the project.
Checkpoint
   Graded progress moments where students complete specific tasks or mini-projects.
Touchpoint
   Quick, non-graded conversations to check progress and offer support.
Close-Out
   The final stage where students demonstrate learning through a product or presentation.
Product
   The finished piece of work or performance that shows learning.
Reflection
   Time for students to think about what they learned and how they grew.
Authentic Audience
   Real people who view or give feedback on student work.
Life Ready Skills
   Essential skills like communication, collaboration, and problem solving.

 

 

For Teachers

Rubric / Proficiency Scale
   Tool describing performance levels for skills or standards.
Touchpoint (Teacher)
   Brief, regular interactions to monitor progress and offer feedback.
Collaborative Work Time
   Time for students to problem solve and create together with teacher guidance.
PBL Time
    Independent project time for students; teachers coach, support, or offer mini-lessons.
Feedback Loop
   Ongoing cycle of feedback and revision.
Timeline / Project Calendar
   Structured schedule with checkpoints, touchpoints, and due dates.

"In PBL, I get to design projects about things I care about. It’s not just about grades, it’s about creating something real." — 9th Grade Student

PBL Project Gallery

Our lower elementary explored habitats and created models of the habitats that they learned about.  They showcased their work and had to answer questions from the community during a celebration open house.  

Four children stand in front of a mountain-themed display.

Meeteetse School has been a leader in the Wyoming Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) initiative. Our students presented the power of student voice in education to over 200 people in Riverton, Wyoming.  In October, 2025, they will present to hundreds of national school leaders, students, and policy makers at the Aurora Institute Symposium, held in New Orleans, Louisianna.  

A group of people stand near a mountain-themed display with stick figures.

Students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade participated in expedition yellowstone.  They spent most of the year in experiential learning with Yellowstone as the topic.  They incorporated reading, writing, science, math, and art into various aspects of our first National Park.  Then they spent 4 days learning from a park rangers in the park.  

A group of people pose in front of the Yellowstone National Park sign.

One of our PBL groups selected to host the first annual Meeteetse’s Got Talent, talent showcase.  They were responsible for marketing, decorations, approving contestants, stage and sound operations, and asking for sponsorship.  The final showcase was a night full of song and dance, magic tricks, and fun.  

Poster for a talent show with a star and shoes on a sidewalk.

One group of secondary students worked with our local museum to inhance some of their displays.  They researched the display topic to provide additional details and are working on display options for the future. 

A group of children listens to a presentation in a museum, looking at a fox pelt.

  • Our lower elementary explored habitats and created models of the habitats that they learned about.  They showcased their work and had to answer questions from the community during a celebration open house.  

    Four children stand in front of a mountain-themed display.

  • Meeteetse School has been a leader in the Wyoming Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) initiative. Our students presented the power of student voice in education to over 200 people in Riverton, Wyoming.  In October, 2025, they will present to hundreds of national school leaders, students, and policy makers at the Aurora Institute Symposium, held in New Orleans, Louisianna.  

    A group of people stand near a mountain-themed display with stick figures.

  • Students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade participated in expedition yellowstone.  They spent most of the year in experiential learning with Yellowstone as the topic.  They incorporated reading, writing, science, math, and art into various aspects of our first National Park.  Then they spent 4 days learning from a park rangers in the park.  

    A group of people pose in front of the Yellowstone National Park sign.

  • One of our PBL groups selected to host the first annual Meeteetse’s Got Talent, talent showcase.  They were responsible for marketing, decorations, approving contestants, stage and sound operations, and asking for sponsorship.  The final showcase was a night full of song and dance, magic tricks, and fun.  

    Poster for a talent show with a star and shoes on a sidewalk.

  • One group of secondary students worked with our local museum to inhance some of their displays.  They researched the display topic to provide additional details and are working on display options for the future. 

    A group of children listens to a presentation in a museum, looking at a fox pelt.