|
Driving Question: How can we make our garden the best possible environment for the plants and animals living there?
Project Description Students launched this project by doing fieldwork in the garden to collect data about what animals and plants are living there. Each student chose a living thing to study closely. In partners, they did research to learn about their living thing by reading, observing, conducting experiments and watching videos. Students tested how much sunlight and water different plants need to grow, and the limits of hydroculture through observing radish seed growth. To record what they learned, students wrote information in sentences and paragraphs. They also drew scientific models that went through an extensive critique process to make them high quality. Products Students published a field guide entitled "Learning From Our Garden" that visitors can read in the Lake Elementary garden. The field guide includes their non-fiction informative writing and scientific models. Students were also inspired to create beautiful signs for our garden after reading Creature Features, by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Students went through the design thinking process to make pollinators that mimic the function of an animal in pollinating plants. This process included prototyping their pollinators, testing them to see what improvements needed to be made, and their final product. Exhibition Our exhibition was held at Open House, where the 2nd graders presented their work in front of guests who saw how proud the students were. Parents were highly involved as they completed the student created rubric after the presentations. |