Problem-Based Learning
Solve the Fuel Crisis: Grow Your Own Food
The initial design of this unit is to teach students in a 2nd grade classroom about the stages of the life cycle of a plant from the seed stage. This unit has always somewhat overwhelmed me because of the vast array of plants that exist. I tried narrowing it down by location and having students only study native, local plants, but even that became a bit daunting. There are trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, fungi,.. and the list goes on. Each year, I end up choosing a plant or two from each main "type" of plant family and students investigate the life cycles, draw models, and even plant some for themselves. It's always a fun unit, but I think I can do better.
After reading more about Problem-Based Learning, I had the idea for the modification of this unit. My idea is to identify a realistic problematic scenario and lead my students to solve the problem for themselves. The problem? It is the year 2100. There has been a recent stop to the production of all fossil-fuel based petroleum products. The Earth has simply "run dry" of this valuable, non-renewable resource. As a result, all food distribution has come to a grinding halt. Grocery store shelves are empty and only specialty stores exist with a small supply of very expensive necessities that cannot be "grown" like food storage containers, etc. All of humanity must learn to grow their own food again, like our ancestors once did. Due to land redistribution regulations, each person is only being allowed enough land to raise six crops to consume for themselves and (if fortunate enough) trade with others. Which six crops will you choose to grow? You must consider a variety of factors like your own food preferences, local growing conditions, a balanced diet (protein, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, etc.) and versatility of the food. (Can it be used/prepared in a variety of different ways?) To solve this problem, you must identify six food crops, support your choices with research-based evidence that addresses the factors outlined above, describe the complete life-cycles of each of your crops, and find or create 3-5 recipes that use ONLY the six ingredients you are choosing to grow.
Objectives: Students will be able to identify and describe the life cycle of plants. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how weather and seasons impact environment, as well as the plants and animals in the environment. Students will identify the basic needs of living things, specifically plants and humans.
Length of Unit: Two Weeks
Activities: Students will be divided into small groups or "families" of 2-3 that will be deciding on their food plot and creating their final products together. Final products will consist of an explainer video (using the tool My Simpleshow) a poster, model, or other visual display of their food plot, a minimum of 3 published (both hardcopy and digital) recipes using only ingredients grown in their food plot. Students will write a script for their video using Google Docs then paste it into the explainer video tool to create their video. Videos and recipes will be posted to the class forum on the website Seesaw to include parents and get feedback from a variety of sources. Students will "grade" each other using a student-friendly rubric.
Week 1
Day 1: Asking and recording our questions
Day 2: Answering questions through interviewing a local food botanist
Day 3: Answering questions through interviewing a local nutritionist
Day 4: Answering lingering questions through self-guided research
Day 5: Answering lingering questions through self-guided research
Week 2
Day 1: Writing script for explainer video using Google Docs
Day 2: Writing script for explainer video using Google Docs
Day 3: Editing and publishing explainer videos
Day 4: Post explainer videos to Seesaw and review classmates' videos
Day 5: Students will complete a rubric for each of their peer's products and leave constructive feedback in the form of comments on the class Seesaw forum.
Materials/Resources Needed: computers with internet, pencils and paper, access to local plant and nutrition experts
This is definitely a real-world application and a very cool idea! I like that they have a choice in what their deliverable is and that they are actually creating recipes to share. I also appreciate the parental involvement and feedback which brings their audience out of the classroom. It is also cool that you have them interview local specialist and the integration of technology is perfectly suited to this learning environment. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteBetsy, thank you for being transparent and self-reflexive about the need to improve your lesson unit. You did a great job modifying the lesson plan and designing a meaningful problem. Your lesson raises students' awareness to the need to preserve our natural resources to avoid crisis in the future such as the food and fuel crises you target. Other aspects of your lesson also stand out such as the interview with a local food botanist and the production of videos to present their solutions to the problem. Great project idea!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading and learning about this unit you've developed Betsy. I seriously am considering how I could use this with my fourth graders or a version of the unit. I think reaching out to an expert, publishing their work, and having their parents involvement will increase the impact of unit beyond the original unit. I think you chose technology components that compliment the objectives and learning goals for the students, rather than just including technology for the sake of including technology. Thank you sharing this unit with us.
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