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                           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?
            

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

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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."
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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • PBL Experiences
    • ELE PBL Experiences
    • MS PBL Experiences
    • HS PBL Experiences
  • Resources
  • Protocol Examples
  • Community / Industry Partners
    • WM Design Prize Company Template