A Coastline in Crisis
​                                   By:  Amy Funk

Project at a Glance :

This project introduces elementary students to a variety of Science standards while exploring quick and slow changes that happen on our Earth. (Elementary Science 3-4 week project)
       
Driving Question:

How can we design solutions to prevent wind and water from changing dunes?           

Standards:

• Elementary Science Stds:  2-ESS1-1., 2-ESS2-1., 2-E, SS2-2, and 2-ESS2-3. 

Team / Culture Building:

• Community and Team Building Games
• Creative DNA
• 6 word memoir

Entry Event:​​​

• Community Visit lakeshore area being impacted by erosion
• Show photos of homes being impacted by erosion

Stakeholders:

• Residence along the Lake Michigan shore

Empathy Building:

• Pains and Gains of a families living on the lakeshore

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• ​Use Padlet to document Need to Knows-throughout this project
• We will be using a combination of:

          Better Lessons, Mystery Science, and                    MSU Solid Start science lessons. 

• Watching Videos and read articles to better understand the causes and impacts of erosion.​

Incubation:

• Students will draw their solution Ideas
• Followed by a Gallery Walk
• Use Padlet for each group to brainstorm solution ideas.
• Saturate & Group solution ideas into categories.They will then sort their ideas into categories.

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Solution Building:

•  Teams will choose their top 3-4 ideas, by using the Dot Voting system.   
• Next, students  individually draw/write out what their solution might look like.  
• Finally, encourage individuals to combine multiple solution ideas into one.

Critique and Revision: 

• Fireside Chat- teams will share their ideas and get feedback.  Using the these sentence stems:  I Like . . ., I wonder . . .

Authentic Audience:

• Lakeshore residence ​

Final Presentation:

• Students will share their picture/s and explain how they as engineers would help these families save their homes.  ​
• Students will be creating a model of a house along the lakeshore.  Students will decide how to decorate their house. (Milk Carton).  They will also decide placement of their house on the sand dune. 

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• The audience will complete a Google Form providing feedback on presentations.
• Provide teams with 3 stars (things they did well) and 3 Wishes (things they could improve).

  

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

Meet the Educator:

Amy Funk teaches 1st/2nd grade at ZQuest School, Zeeland Public Schools.  

     "I like how students research and learn things on their own. I like how students work together to help each other and use their creativity to build really cool projects."