STUDENT ACTIVITIES & TIMELINE
Focus on Teacher
Detailed description, with examples, of how you will prepare the students and the environment.
Before presenting this PBL Unit the classroom teacher should establish that students have prerequisite knowledge in adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers, solving and graphing linear equations. This can be done with a pretest or though previously taught lessons and assessments. Students should also have the basic technology skills needed to do research and create appropriate output on their one to one device. The classroom environment should already be established as one that encourages student interactive participation through critical thinking and questioning. Resources on how to create such an environment can be found here.
Detailed description of the entry event you will use and an explanation of how you will ensure it captures students' attention and begins the inquiry process. Include copies of all resources and materials you will use.
The entry event will span two class periods and consist of the The World in our Classroom activity, the Carbon Cycle activity and the Biofuels Video. These activities are designed to grab the students' attention by putting global issue on their level and providing them with choice in their investigations. Upon the completion of these activities students will be presented with the driving question followed by a brainstorming activity. Upon completion of the brainstorming activity, the groups will choose a topic within the theme of the driving question to investigate further.
A sample of just in time direct instruction material with specific guidelines for knowing when to use it.
We have anticipated the need for "just in time" lessons on Line of Best Fit, Graphing Linear Equations, How to Create a Scatter Plot, and Writing Linear Equations. These lessons will be used when it is apparent that students are struggling with these concepts to the point where they cannot proceed with the lesson. Specific drop in points for some of these lessons are mentioned in the timeline.
Focus on Students
Description of the kinds of investigations your students might undertake to answer the driving question (provide examples). Include an explanation of how you will ensure that the problem is explored from multiple perspectives.
At the conclusion of the brainstorming time, groups will choose a topic within the theme of the driving question to pursue further. Example of topics they may choose include, but are not limited to, land use, supply chain, food needs, world hunger, biofuel efficiency, yield, global warming, and many more. Students will research articles, videos and information about biofuels and world hunger. Examples of the types of research students will encounter can be found on our online resources page. They will discuss their findings with teammates and formulate a well supported answer to the driving question. The initial classroom discussion and division of groups will ensure that the problem is explored from multiple angles.
Description of the kinds of data students will collect and analyze to address the driving question.
Students should collect data on a variety of topics including but not limited to the following: types of biofuels, biofuel efficiency, crops used for biofuels, landmass used for biofuel crops, landmass used for food crops, food crop efficiency, impact of global warming on food production, impact of biofuel use on global warming, projected impact of future biofuel technologies on biofuel production, projected impact of future biofuel technologies on land use. etc.
Description of the kinds of evidence students must gather to support their claims/solutions.
Well referenced research provides either historical or projected data and graphs related to biofuels and/or world hunger. For instance, students could argue that current land available for food crops is not sufficient to provide enough food for the current world population. Therefore, any such land used for biofuel crops would have a negative impact on world hunger. They would have back this up, using a source that supports this claim through data (in this case, the data could show the amount of arable land and the yield from that land in contrast with global food needs). They would have to define how much food is needed per person versus how much is available.
Detailed description of lesson activities including an indication of which are required and which are optional or self determined. Include relevant resources for the activities.
All activities listed in the timeline are required. Students will self-determine what topic within the theme of the Driving Question they wish to pursue. Please see Activities Tab and Timeline Tab for handouts and additional information on all activities.
Detailed description, with examples, of how the activities will create student ownership and foster engagement and active student involvement.
The activities in this unit are hands-on activities which will foster engagement and active student involvement. For example, students will act as individual carbon atoms in the Carbon Cycle Activity and will have to physically move around the room to simulate the life of a carbon atom. During the Wealth Distribution Activity, students will represent populations in the different continents and will gain a visual understanding of global wealth distribution. Some of the activities will give limited information and students will have to decide for themselves what other information is needed in order to complete the activity. They will create their own problems and hypothesis in the Candle Activity, and they will also create their own data tables, as they see fit. In the Land Grabs Activity, they will need to figure out how to convert between units, and they are responsible for creating their own visual representation. These activities, along with others, will create student ownership throughout the unit. By giving the students choice in what they investigate, we create ownership in the process.
Detailed description, with examples, of how the activities will engage students in higher order thinking leading to mastery of biofuels content.
Both the Carbon Cycle activity and the Brainstorming activity will engage students in higher order thinking by asking them to make predictions and answer questions that do not have well defined answers. The Carbon Cycle activity makes students aware that fossil fuels are a finite source of energy and should prompt them to question how we will replace them in the future. This should motivate students to investigate biofuels, currently one of the main solutions to the future energy problem. The brainstorming activity is intended to get students to think critically about all aspects of biofuels and how they impact the driving question. Students are then asked to research the various questions raised about biofuels. Their findings will be assessed through direct teacher observation while they are doing research, content of journal entries and their final class presentation. Through the research, preparing presentations, students will engage in the evaluation of resources and the creation of a final product.
Specific examples of areas in the project where students will be expected to make decisions and take on responsibility. Provide specific examples of areas in which students will be provided with voice and choice.
Students will determine what special topic within the theme of the Driving Question they wish to pursue. Additionally, students will work together to research and prepare for a presentation in which they will defend their conclusion on the Driving Question. Students will also be given multiple opportunities of voice and choice throughout the activities designed for this unit. They will be asked to make their own visual representations during the Land Grab Activity, they will be asked to come up with their own problem to research during the Candle Activity. They will also have choice in how they present their findings at the end.
Detailed description with examples of how students will be prepared or scaffolded to take on responsibility.
All of the activities are designed to scaffold the material for students as they form conclusions on the Driving Question. The brainstorming activity is a scaffold in the selection of special topics. The students will take on growing responsibility throughout the unit as the prepare for the final presentations. In some cases, they will also be provided with links to helpful websites to aid in their research. Just in time instruction also provide scaffolding. When students will have choice in group roles and make a contract with one another.
Focus on Content
Description of the unit timeline including when it will be taught and how long it will last.
The unit is designed to last 12 class periods. It is meant to be inserted in the curriculum between linear equations and systems of equations. Please see Timeline Tab for additional information.
Complete list of available student activities.
Wealth and Population: Students will represent populations on different continents and Oreo cookies will represent wealth on different continents. Students will use ratios and proportions to correctly represent wealth distribution.
Carbon Cycle: Students will represent individual carbon atoms and will simulate the life of a carbon atom. On the following day, they will make graphs to compare carbon distributions before and after the use of fossil fuels.
Biofuels Video: This video will give students a basic understanding of what biofuels are and why they are being used.
Analyzing Climate Graphs: Students will analyze various graphs of global climate change and make predictions about the future of our planet. This activity will help students consider a possible impact of biofuels on climate change, which in turn, can affect crop growth.
What the World Eats: Students will create scatterplots to determine if there is a relationship between the amount of money families around the world spend on food per week and the income per person in their respective countries.
Supply Chain Losses: Students will examine how much food is wasted from the farmland to our homes by using Cheerios and ratios and proportions.
Land Grabs: Students will consider land grabs for biofuels in Sierra Leone and make a visual representation of land usage.
Candle Activity: This activity allows students to examine how candles made from petroleum based products differ from candles made from organic products and make inferences on gasoline versus biofuels.
Timeline includes specified times for the activities including time for debriefing and reflection.
After each activity, a debrief is planned and a reflection journal is completed at the end of each day. On day 5 and day 10, the team will reflect together on their progress in the project and the team leader will report to the teacher. Please see Timeline for more information.
Detailed description of how each activity will help students learn the biofuels content.
Specific activities have been created for students to learn biofuel content. They will watch a video on biofuels to get a basic understanding of what biofuels are and of their purpose. They will participate in an activity that simulates the life of a carbon atom, which stresses the importance of biofuels as students begin to notice that our supply of fossil fuels is diminishing. They will also compare and contrast the use of petroleum based (paraffin) candles and organic based (soy) candles to discuss energy density and making inferences about gasoline versus biofuels. Throughout the unit they will have to conduct individual research on biofuels, based on the direction they choose to take when answering the Driving Question.
Focus on Teacher
Detailed description, with examples, of how you will prepare the students and the environment.
Before presenting this PBL Unit the classroom teacher should establish that students have prerequisite knowledge in adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers, solving and graphing linear equations. This can be done with a pretest or though previously taught lessons and assessments. Students should also have the basic technology skills needed to do research and create appropriate output on their one to one device. The classroom environment should already be established as one that encourages student interactive participation through critical thinking and questioning. Resources on how to create such an environment can be found here.
Detailed description of the entry event you will use and an explanation of how you will ensure it captures students' attention and begins the inquiry process. Include copies of all resources and materials you will use.
The entry event will span two class periods and consist of the The World in our Classroom activity, the Carbon Cycle activity and the Biofuels Video. These activities are designed to grab the students' attention by putting global issue on their level and providing them with choice in their investigations. Upon the completion of these activities students will be presented with the driving question followed by a brainstorming activity. Upon completion of the brainstorming activity, the groups will choose a topic within the theme of the driving question to investigate further.
A sample of just in time direct instruction material with specific guidelines for knowing when to use it.
We have anticipated the need for "just in time" lessons on Line of Best Fit, Graphing Linear Equations, How to Create a Scatter Plot, and Writing Linear Equations. These lessons will be used when it is apparent that students are struggling with these concepts to the point where they cannot proceed with the lesson. Specific drop in points for some of these lessons are mentioned in the timeline.
Focus on Students
Description of the kinds of investigations your students might undertake to answer the driving question (provide examples). Include an explanation of how you will ensure that the problem is explored from multiple perspectives.
At the conclusion of the brainstorming time, groups will choose a topic within the theme of the driving question to pursue further. Example of topics they may choose include, but are not limited to, land use, supply chain, food needs, world hunger, biofuel efficiency, yield, global warming, and many more. Students will research articles, videos and information about biofuels and world hunger. Examples of the types of research students will encounter can be found on our online resources page. They will discuss their findings with teammates and formulate a well supported answer to the driving question. The initial classroom discussion and division of groups will ensure that the problem is explored from multiple angles.
Description of the kinds of data students will collect and analyze to address the driving question.
Students should collect data on a variety of topics including but not limited to the following: types of biofuels, biofuel efficiency, crops used for biofuels, landmass used for biofuel crops, landmass used for food crops, food crop efficiency, impact of global warming on food production, impact of biofuel use on global warming, projected impact of future biofuel technologies on biofuel production, projected impact of future biofuel technologies on land use. etc.
Description of the kinds of evidence students must gather to support their claims/solutions.
Well referenced research provides either historical or projected data and graphs related to biofuels and/or world hunger. For instance, students could argue that current land available for food crops is not sufficient to provide enough food for the current world population. Therefore, any such land used for biofuel crops would have a negative impact on world hunger. They would have back this up, using a source that supports this claim through data (in this case, the data could show the amount of arable land and the yield from that land in contrast with global food needs). They would have to define how much food is needed per person versus how much is available.
Detailed description of lesson activities including an indication of which are required and which are optional or self determined. Include relevant resources for the activities.
All activities listed in the timeline are required. Students will self-determine what topic within the theme of the Driving Question they wish to pursue. Please see Activities Tab and Timeline Tab for handouts and additional information on all activities.
Detailed description, with examples, of how the activities will create student ownership and foster engagement and active student involvement.
The activities in this unit are hands-on activities which will foster engagement and active student involvement. For example, students will act as individual carbon atoms in the Carbon Cycle Activity and will have to physically move around the room to simulate the life of a carbon atom. During the Wealth Distribution Activity, students will represent populations in the different continents and will gain a visual understanding of global wealth distribution. Some of the activities will give limited information and students will have to decide for themselves what other information is needed in order to complete the activity. They will create their own problems and hypothesis in the Candle Activity, and they will also create their own data tables, as they see fit. In the Land Grabs Activity, they will need to figure out how to convert between units, and they are responsible for creating their own visual representation. These activities, along with others, will create student ownership throughout the unit. By giving the students choice in what they investigate, we create ownership in the process.
Detailed description, with examples, of how the activities will engage students in higher order thinking leading to mastery of biofuels content.
Both the Carbon Cycle activity and the Brainstorming activity will engage students in higher order thinking by asking them to make predictions and answer questions that do not have well defined answers. The Carbon Cycle activity makes students aware that fossil fuels are a finite source of energy and should prompt them to question how we will replace them in the future. This should motivate students to investigate biofuels, currently one of the main solutions to the future energy problem. The brainstorming activity is intended to get students to think critically about all aspects of biofuels and how they impact the driving question. Students are then asked to research the various questions raised about biofuels. Their findings will be assessed through direct teacher observation while they are doing research, content of journal entries and their final class presentation. Through the research, preparing presentations, students will engage in the evaluation of resources and the creation of a final product.
Specific examples of areas in the project where students will be expected to make decisions and take on responsibility. Provide specific examples of areas in which students will be provided with voice and choice.
Students will determine what special topic within the theme of the Driving Question they wish to pursue. Additionally, students will work together to research and prepare for a presentation in which they will defend their conclusion on the Driving Question. Students will also be given multiple opportunities of voice and choice throughout the activities designed for this unit. They will be asked to make their own visual representations during the Land Grab Activity, they will be asked to come up with their own problem to research during the Candle Activity. They will also have choice in how they present their findings at the end.
Detailed description with examples of how students will be prepared or scaffolded to take on responsibility.
All of the activities are designed to scaffold the material for students as they form conclusions on the Driving Question. The brainstorming activity is a scaffold in the selection of special topics. The students will take on growing responsibility throughout the unit as the prepare for the final presentations. In some cases, they will also be provided with links to helpful websites to aid in their research. Just in time instruction also provide scaffolding. When students will have choice in group roles and make a contract with one another.
Focus on Content
Description of the unit timeline including when it will be taught and how long it will last.
The unit is designed to last 12 class periods. It is meant to be inserted in the curriculum between linear equations and systems of equations. Please see Timeline Tab for additional information.
Complete list of available student activities.
Wealth and Population: Students will represent populations on different continents and Oreo cookies will represent wealth on different continents. Students will use ratios and proportions to correctly represent wealth distribution.
Carbon Cycle: Students will represent individual carbon atoms and will simulate the life of a carbon atom. On the following day, they will make graphs to compare carbon distributions before and after the use of fossil fuels.
Biofuels Video: This video will give students a basic understanding of what biofuels are and why they are being used.
Analyzing Climate Graphs: Students will analyze various graphs of global climate change and make predictions about the future of our planet. This activity will help students consider a possible impact of biofuels on climate change, which in turn, can affect crop growth.
What the World Eats: Students will create scatterplots to determine if there is a relationship between the amount of money families around the world spend on food per week and the income per person in their respective countries.
Supply Chain Losses: Students will examine how much food is wasted from the farmland to our homes by using Cheerios and ratios and proportions.
Land Grabs: Students will consider land grabs for biofuels in Sierra Leone and make a visual representation of land usage.
Candle Activity: This activity allows students to examine how candles made from petroleum based products differ from candles made from organic products and make inferences on gasoline versus biofuels.
Timeline includes specified times for the activities including time for debriefing and reflection.
After each activity, a debrief is planned and a reflection journal is completed at the end of each day. On day 5 and day 10, the team will reflect together on their progress in the project and the team leader will report to the teacher. Please see Timeline for more information.
Detailed description of how each activity will help students learn the biofuels content.
Specific activities have been created for students to learn biofuel content. They will watch a video on biofuels to get a basic understanding of what biofuels are and of their purpose. They will participate in an activity that simulates the life of a carbon atom, which stresses the importance of biofuels as students begin to notice that our supply of fossil fuels is diminishing. They will also compare and contrast the use of petroleum based (paraffin) candles and organic based (soy) candles to discuss energy density and making inferences about gasoline versus biofuels. Throughout the unit they will have to conduct individual research on biofuels, based on the direction they choose to take when answering the Driving Question.