Biodiversity at its Best!
                                                                       By:  Patty Tolly

Project at a Glance :

This project introduces 6th grade students to the idea of watershed and storm water run-off, while giving them a chance to make changes to our school storm water problem.
       
Driving Question:

As concerned environmental students, how do we help preserve the biodiversity of the LGR watershed?            

Standards:

• Science Stds: MS-ESSE-3, MS - :SC2-5, LS4.D, & LS2.C

Team / Culture Building:

• Teams will be based on interest and on attributes brought to the group.  The class will make a list of needed skills for group projects. 
• Students then will make a T chart of skills they bring to the table and skills they are looking for a partner to have.  Then they find a team, with guidance, that fills in all the gaps.

​Entry Event:

• Entry event will be using the  Freddy the Fish activity.  ​

• Use Enviroscap to show how people effect the environment.  
• Boyan Slat Tedtalk

Stakeholders:

• Residents of the  Lower Grand River watershed
• Students 
• Families
• Businesses
• Residence downstream
• GVSU Water Resources  Institute ​

Empathy Building:

• Empathy will be built through activities including personal interviews and creating Empathy Maps for a variety of stakeholders.
• Create Stakeholder Maps

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

•  Students will have to understand the vocabulary of the driving question- biodiversity, LGR, watershed and be able to answer - What are things that effect biodiversity? 
• Students will learn about biodiversity and watersheds through a variety of activities throughout the unit.  

•  Students will conduct interviews using the 5 Whys ​protocol to uncover answers to their questions.

Incubation:

• Create a  “wallet” for George Costanza, during this activity students will practice going through the design process and its a great way to really discuss that we are producing a product for George to meet his needs, not what we think he should have.   ​

• Generate solution ideas on sticky notes - Idea Quota, display ideas and put them into categories using the Group and Saturate protocol.
• After categorizing ideas they will form groups/solutions based on their interest/s.

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Solution Building:

•  After brainstorming solution ideas, students will use the $100 Test and Dot Voting to narrow down ideas for their final presentation. 

Critique and Revision: 

• How Might We? to developing a POV 
• Tell it to a Toddler
• Metaphor making
• Think-Pair-Share 
• Throughout the process, students will do a checkin with another group.  One group will give a five minute explanation of idea and the other group will then have three minutes to ask questions and then the other group has  one minute to then clarify. 

Authentic Audience:

• Residents of the  Lower Grand River watershed
• Students 
• Families
• Businesses
• Residence downstream
• GVSU Water Resources  Institute ​

Final Presentation:

• Students will build their final solution based on their interests, while attacking the problem in a variety of ways.  The emphasis will be different for each group. ​
• Students will do a Gallery Walk style presentation to parents.  Parents will complete feedback forms. 
• At the end of the year, students will set up a booth at John Ball Zoo presenting their project to students, parents and teachers.  ​

Reflection and Feedback:

• Audience members will proviode feedback
• Students will complete a self reflection at the end of the PBL unit.​

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

Meet the Educator:
Patty Tolly teaches 6th grade reading, science and social studies at Forest Hills Public Schools.  

     I am passionate about Design Thinking because it gives my students a real life format to use in PBL. PBL has been a passion of mine for the last 10 years because it gives students the "When will I ever use this". It is real life learning."