Biodiversity in our Backyard
                                                                   By:  Patty Tolly

Project at a Glance :

This project is for 6th grade students in Social Studies, Science, ELA and Math. Students will investigate how to increase the biodiversity on the school grounds by planting trees and other plants that attract a variety of species.  They will learn about the dangers of invasive species and the benefits of native species.  
 
Driving Question:

How can we increase the biodiversity of Central Woodlands grounds?         

Standards:

• MS-ESS3-3, MS-LS2-5, LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans, LS2.C:Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience, G3.2.2W Identify ecosystems and explain, RST.6-8.1, G51.1W, G3.2.1W, G5.1.3W, & WHST.6-8.9​

Team / Culture Building:

• Bug list
• 6 Word Memoir
• Hopes/Fears/Norms
• Values Cards
• Take Team building - spaghetti/marshmallow tower challenge​​

Entry Event:

• Take a Biodiversity walk of school grounds.  Compare forest, meadow and parking lot. 
• Enviroscape

Stakeholders:

• Anyone who uses the grounds at Central Woodlands
• Teachers
•  Students
• Groundskeepers
•  Athletic teams
• Custodians

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder map​

• Empathy map
• Water testing on our grounds vs. river, Who does this affect longterm? 

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Need to Know protocol
• Create a driving question board
• Students will interview experts to gain insights
• Biodiversity video​

Incubation:

• Practice going through the protocols with other things like: creating a new item holder for George Costanza (Edit for appropriateness) or The Extrodinaires
• Idea Quota protocol to generate ideas
• Saturate and Group ideas into categories
• Groups will be formed based on categories and students interests.​

Checking in:

• Many of the check-ins will include the teacher meeting with individual groups while others are working together.
• Along with teacher check ins,  students will do the following as either exit tickets or in their notebooks:
• How Might  __________ solve the problem protocol
• Fireside chat 
• Pluses and Deltas

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Solution Building:

• Following the Idea Quota and Saturate and Group protocols, students will use Dot voting to narrow down their solution ideas.
• Students will use sticky notes to write down all of their ideas and will state ideas one at a time as they go through the group.  The ideas are then categorized according to those that are similar. 

Critique and Revision: 

• Saturate and Group- teacher will have students engage in this protocol so that they can first reflect on all of the information that they have gathered and then put it out for their whole group to see and reflect on before making decisions. 
• Affinity Mapping
• Think-Pair-Share​

• Metaphor making
• Gallery Walk

Authentic Audience:

• Anyone who uses the grounds at Central Woodlands
• Teachers
•  Students
• Groundskeepers
•  Athletic teams
• Custodians

​Final Presentation:

• Students will do a gallery walk style presentation to parents.  Parents will  complete feedback forms and students will take that feedback to work on their final project and presentation.
• Students will share their results with a panel of experts and our stakeholders
• At the end of the year, students will set up a booth at John Ball Zoo and present their project to students, parents and teachers that are at the zoo. 
• Students will also be entering their projects in a contest. 
• Students will be given voice and choice through what project they want to work on as a group. As a class we make a list of all the things that could answer our driving question such as: educating the public, planting a rain garden, working on pollution problems, etc.  Students then put their name and what their top two interests are on a sticky note and I put into groups.  ​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Authentic Audience will give feedback to students after gallery walk through a rubric. 
• Students will recieve immediate feedback from the panel
• They will also have written feedback.- I will also give feedback in their journals
• There will be time then for groups to reflect on their own and then as a whole group. 

-Students will fill out an Individual Refelection Form after the PBL is complete. 


Students will practice their presentations in front of the class, me prior to showcasing their work.  This will give them plenty of time to edit their work.  The class will have a chance to give feedback based on a rubric.

Fishbowl
Swot Analysis

Click here to follow 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."