Wanted:  Clean Water Now
                                By:  Julie Walters

Project at a Glance :

After completing a unit on "What's in Your Water", using resources from the Van Andel Institute, students will transition to designing a project and plan to address the issue of clean water in Burundi.

Driving Question:

How can we promote the urgent need  for clean water in Burundi?    ​            

Standards:

• ELA Stds: (Kdg)- Literacy- RI.K.2, RI.K.10, R, RI.1.6, RI, 1.10, RI.1.7, RF.1.4.a, RI.K.7, RF.K.1.a, RI.1.7, RF.1.4.a, RI.1.10  
• Science: (Kdg)- K-ESS3-2. MS - LS2 -5, MS-ESS2-4, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-1  ​ESS3-4

Team / Culture Building:

• Students will be grouped K - 2, and 3 - 5, with 3-4 students per group.

Entry Event:

• What's In Your Water?- Introduce the Van Andel Blue Apple Project.  Have students complete the water clarity testing.  Then, students used the water testing resources  provided through the Van Andel Institute's field trip activity as a launch into the project.

Stakeholders:

• ZCS Community
• Area churches
• Local non-profit organizaions
• Water Wins- Carolyn VanWieren
• Impact  Burundi- Libere Dusab
• Burundians

Empathy Building:

• Interview Stakeholders
• Empathy Maps​​

• Pains and Gains Map
• A-E-I-O-U- Gaining Insight
• Five Why’s or Five How’s?- What did they observe from the field trip that we could generate How’s?

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Resources:  

         MI Sea Grant- Water Clarity LINK
         What is a Watershed?: LINK
         Water Clarity Intro: LINK
         Water Quality- Why Care About           Groundwater? LINK  
          Filtering Water: LINK.
​           ​Environmental Decision Making LINK​ ​

Incubation:

• Idea Quota - click here​ 
• Create Affinity Map for Categories and Organizing ideas​

• Use sticky notes and run the  (3-12-3 -------> 2-7-2 (younger students) protocol  

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Solution Building:

• Saturate and Group:  Voice and Choice (Narrow Ideas -->Build Solutions-->Make de isions
• Share  Idea Quota (Sticky Notes) - and Affinity Mapping during a Gallery Walk, students will use Dot Voting to give warm/cool feedback to groups.
• NUF and $100 Tests to determine best possible solutions

Critique and Revision: 

• Pluses and Deltas (Glows and Grows)
• Talking Chips (Gr. 3-5) - To guarantee all voices are heard
• Fireside Chat
• Elevator Pitch - To practice final pitch and receive feedback.

Authentic Audience:

• ZCS Community
• Area churches
• Local non-profit organizaions
• Water Wins- Carolyn VanWieren
• Impact  Burundi- Libere Dusab
• Burundians

Final Presentation:

• K-2: Student create Book/Story to promote the need for clean water.  
• 3-5: Informational video/WeVideo- with call to action
• Pitch- Become a Clean Water Parter- Pitch out to local organizations/churches/future partners to support the organization​

 Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback using:

• Team Rubrics
• Individual Rubric
• Authentic Audience Rubrics​

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

Meet the Educator:

Julie Walters teaches Kdg - 5th grade in the School/Home Collaborative program  at Zeeland Christian. 

​     "I love to see the student engagement, motivation and enthusiasm sky-rocket when we are working on a Design Thinking/PBL project. Students have great ownership and passion for their projects and truly invest in their learning!"