At PNA, we use Project Based Learning as a teaching method to motivate students to gain knowledge, retain content longer, and apply the skills to relevant real-world situation. The 21st century skills embedded in the process will help students succeed in the future, both in school and the work world.

​To connect with the third grade science standards, the students had a more specific challenge, to incorporate balanced and unbalanced forces and/or magnetic interactions.
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3-PS2-1.Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-4.Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.

To be successful, the students had to answer questions like:
What kinds of arcade games have I seen or played before?
How can I find information about games I haven’t seen before?
How will I use magnets in my game?
How will I use balanced and unbalanced forces in my game?

When a part of their project didn’t work like they had anticipated, they had to reimagine and rethink.

The students have created a ticket and prize system to accompany their games. They will be presented in the gym, where they will be able to see their arcade in action.