6 Strategies for Scaffolding PBL in First and Second Grade

As an elementary teacher with a decade of experience in project-based learning (PBL)—and six years dedicated specifically to designing PBL units for first and second graders—I’ve seen firsthand how engaging projects can deepen understanding in young students.

Projects like “What if there were no bees?” help students grasp the importance of keystone species and explore ways to protect local pollinators in our community. Another project, “How can we continue to tell the story of the salmon?” introduces students to Indigenous storytelling, connecting our local environment to cultural traditions and advocacy for salmon conservation.

Through these experiences, I’ve learned that PBL success with young children hinges on balancing structure with choice. Too much freedom can overwhelm younger students, while too much structure can limit their creativity and engagement.

1. Start with a Reliable Project Template

For young learners, a reliable project template provides them and you with a strong foundation. I recommend finding templates that have been successful in other classrooms, like those available on PBLWorks.

Once you’re familiar with the project, you can adapt it to better meet the needs of the students in your classroom and/or eventually develop your own project template. Here are some recommended examples:

• Welcome to the Neighborhood! (PBLWorks)
• Toy Rescue Mission (PBLWorks)

2. Teach Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills Directly

Planning PBL for young children means intentionally including lessons that incorporate the SEL skills they’ll need to successfully complete a project. Teach these skills directly at the start of each project.

• Brainstorming: How to generate and share ideas.
• Research: How to find information and take simple notes.
• Project planning: How to break tasks into manageable steps and identify materials they’ll need.
• Self-assessment: How to use a rubric to review their work.

If your school has an SEL curriculum, use it as a resource, or consider programs like Responsive Classroom. When setting expectations, state them clearly and positively—for example, “We take turns when sharing ideas.” Reinforce these skills with interactive modeling and role-play, and post anchor charts in your classroom to reinforce SEL goals alongside PBL content.

3. Plan Student Groupings Carefully

Group work is a cornerstone of PBL, building collaboration skills that are essential for life. Introduce group work gradually. Early in the year, I assign and facilitate activities with the same learning partner throughout the day. Gradually, I assign different partners for different academic tasks. Finally, we are ready to introduce small group work.

For PBL projects, I carefully create groups of three to four students, mixing academic abilities and SEL strengths. This approach lets students learn from each other and practice SEL skills in a balanced setting.

In my classroom, final projects are completed in groups of three to four, giving students the chance to develop essential collaboration skills.

• Group discussion: Active listening, turn-taking, and respectfully agreeing or disagreeing.
• Allocation: Delegating tasks within a group.
• Compromise: Understanding what it means to compromise and practicing how to do it.
• Disagreements: Conflict resolution for handling disagreements constructively.

4. Scaffold Student Choice

Student voice and choice is essential to the PBL process. However, young learners will need step-by-step guidance to ask questions, locate resources, and plan projects with autonomy.

For early grades, I set the driving question and provide areas for student autonomy by allowing them to choose a specific aspect of the topic they want to explore. For example, when studying salmon life stages, my first graders each chose one stage to research in depth. I model this decision-making process by thinking aloud, considering my own interests, existing knowledge, and what I’d like to learn more about.

As students gain experience with the PBL cycle, I increase their ownership opportunities. For instance, by the second project of the year, my second-grade students can suggest ways to protect local pollinators. Together, we assess feasibility, needed materials, and roles for each student. This has led to a range of final projects, from informational puppet shows to creating a pollinator-friendly garden.

This scaffolded approach to voice and choice not only builds young learners’ confidence but also strengthens their skills in managing and executing projects independently.

5. Incorporate Play

Play is crucial for primary grades and a powerful tool within the PBL cycle. For young learners who may be developing foundational literacy skills, play can boost their confidence as they engage with PBL content.

For example, after learning about the salmon life cycle, students might act it out wearing handmade costumes, bringing the different stages to life. When learning about local pollinators, students may use toy models or puppets to simulate pollination.

I also set aside PBL-related materials like costumes, models, puppets, and stuffies during daily free-choice time, inviting students to play with concepts they’ve encountered in structured lessons.

6. Reflect as a Group

Group reflection is a vital part of the PBL process, allowing students to share what they’re learned, what they’re still wondering, and what they might change about their project. This teaches students that learning is a process, not a product.

Reflection and self-assessment in the early grades can be as simple as a closing circle after a content or SEL lesson, in which each student shares one new thing they learned. Students might choose an emoji that reflects their understanding of new content or give a silent thumbs up or down at their heart to reflect on SEL goals, such as, “Today I was an active listener when the members of my group were speaking.”

With careful planning and scaffolding, and by incorporating opportunities for choice and play, you can create a PBL environment that is both structured and flexible, allowing young learners to thrive.