Ecosystems - Improving Our School Grounds
                                                        By:  Mallory Postma

Project at a Glance :

This is a project for a sixth grade science class.  Students will have the opportunity to analyze their own community’s natural resources, ask questions and construct explanations for preserving or improving our school grounds.
       
Driving Question:

How important are natural resources on our school property?             

Standards:

• MS-LS-2-2 Predict patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

• MS-LS-2-1 Analyze the cause/effect relationships between resources and growth of individual organisms and the number of organisms in ecosystems during periods of abundant and scarce resources.
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations, and Asking Questions.
• Critical Thinking & Personal Accountability

Team / Culture Building:

• Complete the Creative DNA  Assessment to develop teams including an observer, incubator, narrower, decider, and presenter. ​​​

Entry Event:

• Students will tour the school grounds and develop a BUG List.

•  This list will bring about more specific problems relating to natural resources on school property

Stakeholders:

•  Groundskeepers
• Maintenance Crew
•  Coaches and Athletes
•  Students
•  Wildlife (Food Web)

Empathy Building:

• Students will Interview groundkeepers and Outdoor Discovery Center employees to gain insights.​

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

Incubation:

• Students will use the Anti-Problem Protocol to examine the problem from a different angle.​

• Idea Quota Protocol - each team will try for 50 solution ideas in 10 minutes.

Checking in:

• Introduce Rubric and Utilize a Lab Report Outline to Guide Data collection and Analysis.
• Lab report link.
• Science rubric link.​​

• Each day students/groups will have a goal/check in.
•  Valuable Waste protocol

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Solution Building:

• NUF test​

• Students will use the Saturate and Group protocol to organize and categorize their solution ideas.
• Followed by Dot Voting to narrow down ideas for further development.
• Students will create an Elevator Pitch to share ideas for feedback.

Critique and Revision: 

• Use the Critical Friends protocol to get feedback/suggestions from other teams.

Authentic Audience:

• Groundskeeper
• Outdoor Discovery Center Experts
• Administration
• Additional stakeholders identified during the project

Final Presentation:

• Groups will create a 3-5 minute pitch discussing the driving question, their process, and their solution ideas. 
• Presentations may  include technology, prototypes, skit, etc.​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Rubric for Standard Assessment
  
• Presentation Rubric ​​​

• Tell it to a Toddler protocol

Click here to follow the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

​Mallory Postma teaches 6th grade Math, Science, and Social Studies at Hamilton Middle School.
     “Project Based Learning is such an engaging way for students to prepare for real world experiences.  I love offering the opportunity for students to be creative and use or discover  their individual strengths.”