Water, Water, Water
By:  Patty Tolly

Project at a Glance :

Students will study the chemical makeup of water, what phases water can go through and how it becomes polluted. ​
       
Driving Question:

How can we solve water pollution in the Great Lakes?            

Standards:

• MS-PS1-4 
• PS1.A
• PS3.A
• MS-PS1-2
• Science and Engineering practice
• Asking Questions and Defining Problems
• Developing and Using Models
• Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
• Engaging in Argument from Evidence
• Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA sequence​

​Entry Event:

• Enviroscape
• Discovering the Watershed Game by: Purdue University Extension

Stakeholders:

• West Michigan Environmental Action Council
• Residents of Grand River watershed
• Students
• Water treatment plant 
• Michigan Environmental Great Lakes and Energy Commission
• Water Chemists
• Environmental Protection Agency

Empathy Building:

• Empathy Map - How does Lake Michigan feel?
• Rip, Slap, Pass protocol
• Interviewing
• Stakeholder Map

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Need to Know protocol
• Field trips to Suttons Bay & Water treatment plant
• Work with WMEAC to test water​

• Teach our United States/Canada unit, Life science unit on ecosystems/watersheds & Chemistry unit using water as the primary teaching material.

Incubation:

• What One Doesn’t Belong activity
• Idea Quota protocol​​

• Mind Mapping

•  Ask What if questions to broaden ideas.

Checking in:

• Tell it to a Toddler
• Create a must address list for the driving question.
• Many of the check-ins will be the teacher meeting with individual groups while others are working together, hopefully every third day during the project.

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Solution Building:

• Dot voting - Students will write their top three solutions on a sticky not and then get three dots of different colors to place their vote on the category.  
• $100 Test - Student groups will do the 100 dollar test on the top 5 voted for ideas.  Each group will then present their poster and focus on the why. 

Critique and Revision: ​

• ​​Watch - Austin’s Butterfly video
• Create an Elevator Pitch to get feedback from stakeholders.

Authentic Audience:

• Community members
• Principal
• Groundswell members
• WMEAC members

Final Presentation:

• Prior to presentations there will be an overview of the sequence that students went through before the individual pitches.
  
• Students will present to a panel.
• Students will choose what format they present their ideas to the panel.

​Click here for teacher's full plan.
Reflection and Feedback:

• Panel will have a rubric and also be able to give verbal feedback to students
• At the end of the presentations, students will reflect on their presentation and the feedback that they got using Pluses and Deltas. 

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

Meet the Educator:
Patty Tolly teaches 6th grade 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."