Agricultural Runoff
                                                                 By:  MaKenna Kane

Project at a Glance :

This is a project designed for 8th Grade English and Science STREAM students. The project will challenge students to use their argumentative and investigative skills to determine the best solution for runoff and the impact it has on our local environment. The project will focus on multiple Science and English standards, Skills4Success, and 21st century technology and group collaboration.
       
Driving Question:

How can we reduce the environmental impact of runoff in our community?             

Standards:

• SCI.MS.01: Asking Questions and Defining Problem
• SCI.MS.02: Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information,
• SCI.MS.03: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
• SCI.MS.04: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• SCI.MS.06: Constructing Explanations and Defining Problems
• SCI.MS.07: Engaging In Argument from Evidence
• ELA Writing: Argumentative/Opinion Text  - W8.1a-d., W8.3b, W8.4, W8.5, W8.8, Writing Targets: 6a, 7
• ELA Grammar usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling to clarify a message to edit an opinion text - L8.1, L8.2, L8.3, Writing Target 9
• Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Present information and findings in a coherent manner. Sl8.4, LS8.5, SL8.6, Speaking and Listening Target 1, 2, 3
• Listen, Interpret and Collaboration: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (SL8.1)
• Skills4Success: Collaboration, GlobalThinking, Communication, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, & Personal Accountability

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA Sequence, determine WHO is what role/s during the project​.​​

• Hopes, Fears, Norms - establishing healthy groups

Entry Event:

• Visit the Outdoor Discovery Center and explore the  Stream Table activity explaining how runoff occurs, students will get to explore the table on their own.

Stakeholders:

• Local farmers
• Local businesses
• School community
• Hamilton community members

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholders Map: Students will map out who is impacted by agricultural run-off and determine how they are connected.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Need to Know Activity - In a small group, students will use sticky notes to determine their need to knows about the driving question. Once all the sticky notes are compiled, students will write a list of things that are still unanswered.
• Biomimicry: students will assess how nature deals with the question that we are answering, how nature can provide inspiration for a solution, and how it  can relate to the question we are investigating.​​

• Touchstone Tour - Students will interact with what the presenter would like to show them. What tools or devices are used? Are they interested in what the presenter needs in order to do their job?
• Students will participate in Rip, Slap, Pass to develop questions that they would like to have our business panel answer. One or two teammates should be documenting what is said in response to all questions. ​

• Jigsaw: Research and investigation. Team jigsaw, each group becomes an expert on ONE topic and then they share out what they learned with the class. Two teams can research the same topic and share what they found.

Incubation:

• Encourage students to come up with ideas by Mind Mapping and brainstorming with a friend. Teacher will provide guiding questions to probe further thinking.​​​

• Idea Quota - Goal of brainstorming - 100 ideas in 10 minutes (AS CRAZY as possible) segue into Rule of Thirds- enter Breakthrough Zone of possibility
• Anti-Problem - What is the opposite of our problem? (i.e. How can we make runoff as bad as possible?)
• I like? I wish? What if? Feedback for the project, what works, what doesn’t, what could be added, what if money, etc wasn’t a roadblock?
• SCAMPER- Determine the ways that they can modify their idea so that it can become the best possible version of itself.​

Checking in:

• Frequent check-in’s individually and whole group. Ideally, they will occur briefly every day and then a longer conversation at the end of each week. 

• Tell it to a Toddler: rephrase their questions so that a toddler would understand it. 
•  Maitre’d (will be broken into small groups) Table for 4: find a group that you haven’t talked with yet, share your reflection on the question from the facilitator (i.e. what needs to be worked on still? Questions to be answered).
• Conferencing  and Exit/Entrance Tickets - Successes and Questions

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Solution Building:

•  Students will need to make sure they are pulling the best and most supported aspects of their ideas to determine what needs to be a part of their final solution. To do this they will engage in a variety of protocols that should help them narrow down to their final solution. 
• Metaphor Making - develop metaphors to help determine what their ideal solution should be like. 
• $100 Test - Students will determine what parts of their idea they want to include the most by metaphorically dividing up $100 for each aspect of their idea. Whatever has the most money, that is the option they choose to focus on.
• NUF Test  - to determine if it’s new, useful, or feasible.
• Prototype - start to map out their ideas, instructor feedback and critique during this process.
  Elevator Pitch - elevator pitch to other groups. Practice all parts of their presentation in just 1.5 minutes.

Critique and Revision: 

• Where is the love? - Allows for students to debate for parts of their project that they want to still have be included. Students can determine if there are any adds or changes that need to occur. 
• Critical Friends - Time to reflect with other groups, allows students to have conversations with their peers on what they can do to improve.
• Pluses and Deltas - Groups are able to reflect on where their solution is currently at, pluses being positives and deltas being negatives.
• Critique and revision will come out with Pluses and Deltas, Where is the Love, and Critical Friends. This will allow students not only to get instructor feedback but also feedback from their peers which is important for their growth.

Authentic Audience:

• Local farmers
• Local businesses
• School community
• Hamilton community members

Final Presentation:

• Students have the option to build either a 3D or 2D model to share their idea. Some students may use Tinkercad or physically draw their design. All groups have the ability to use a Google Slideshow to help guide their presentation but this should not be something that they solely rely on.
• Students will be graded on Hamilton Power Standard Rubrics for their core class content, but they will also be do self reflection and group grades, AND our panel will be using a rubric that aligns with the NUF test to determine which option students created is the best possible selection.

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Students are separated into different pods so there is a panel with 3-4 groups. Each room will select a “winner” to move onto the final presentation. During their time in the first room, students will have some time to reflect on their presentations and receive feedback from the panel on how to improve, what they did well, etc. Teachers will be floating between rooms and providing feedback and support as well. 
• Students will write about their experience and discussed as groups what we thought our strengths and weaknesses were for the experience. 
• Scoring rubric:​

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

Meet the Educator:

MaKenna Kane teaches English Language Arts and Science in the STREAM program at Hamilton Community Schools.  STREAM centers around outdoor learning experiences, Agricultural Science, and Non-fiction reading and writing.

     "PBL is a passion of mine because students are engaged in rigorous learning while being able to create a meaningful and authentic product."