Looking at Environmental Issues
                                                                     By:  Sarah Kapenga

Project at a Glance :

This project is focused on taking the broad concept of “Save the Planet!” and narrowing it down to a practical solution. Students will  have the opportunity to find an environmental impact issue in their daily lives and make it better. They’ll see examples of how small ideas can have a big impact. They’ll work from brainstorm to implementation and get feedback from an authentic audience. Students will need to comprehend the relevant science standards to explain why their solution works and how it helps the planet. This unit is roughly 3-4 weeks.

Driving Question:

How can we make our backyard last another 1,000 years?             

Standards:

• HS LS2-7:  Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA assessment
• Bug List topics​

Entry Event:

• Show the video - Racing Extinction to create interest in the DQ/project. ​

Stakeholders:

• Outdoor Discovery Center experts
• Macatawa Area Coordinating Council 
• Humans

Empathy Building:

• Create an Empathy map for your future grandkids
• Show clips from the Lorax movie
• Field trip to the Autumn Hills landfill 
• Interview waste disposal workers

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Create a Golden Circle to determine the WHY for the project​​

• Make a Need to Knows list
• Use textbooks to look at units and chapters related to ecology topics, read about the terminology related to your field of study.

Incubation:

• Use the Scamper and Rip, Pass, Slap protocols to explore solution ideas.​

• Create a poster showing all solution ideas and use the  I like, I wish, what if? strategy to give feedback on solution ideas. Checking in:
• Jot down feedback on post-it notes for groups as they work through the process.
• Pluses and Deltas
• Think, Pair, Share
• SWOT analysis

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Solution Building:

• $100 test​​

• DOT voting - to narrow down ideas
• Elevator Pitch
• Gallery Walk
• Name your idea

Critique and Revision: 

• Critical friends
• Filtering and objectives
• Revisit the interviewees and get their feedback.

Authentic Audience:

• Christina Terpstra from Gateway Thrift Store 

• Mr. VanderZwaag - Hamilton farmer
• Tony McCaul - CTC  Agriculture program
• Jan Meeuwsen  - DeBruyn Seed Store / MSU Extension
• Mr. Keen -  Hamilton Food Service
• Marissa Berghorst - owner of EcoBuns,cloth diapering and organic baby supplies.
• AJ Laarman -  Environmental science/engineering teacher and electric vehicle expert

• Bob Wandell and Ted Malefyt -  ODC  

Final Presentation:

• Present a 3D model of their solution to the authentic audience
• Followed by teacher and peer feedback
• Gallery Walk
• Tell it to a Toddler protocol

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Use the NUF test as a scoring rubric
• Frequent group check-ins
• Fishbowl discussion​​

• Talking chips protocol to share ideas and give feedback
• Self reflection after watching video of themselves present.

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

Meet the Educator:

Sarah Kapenga teaches Biology and Anatomy at Hamilton High School.

     "I like providing students with the freedom and responsibility to brainstorm a solution while unintentionally learning the content."