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6th Grade
- Project
- 1 week
"Garden Gurus: Planting Solutions in Food Deserts"
LS.6.1.1
Reasoning
Phenomenon
In your neighborhood, observe how some plants thrive in shaded areas while others flourish in direct sunlight, showcasing different adaptations and growth patterns.
The Challenge
Food deserts are areas where access to affordable, nutritious food is limited, leading to health disparities and reliance on processed foods. The lack of fresh produce options can impact community health and well-being. How can we design a community garden that utilizes the principles of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration to provide fresh produce to our neighborhood?
Standards
- LS.6.1.1 - Use models to explain how the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration work together to meet the needs of plants.
Competencies
- Critical Dialogue - Reasoning (FL.ID.3.a)
What You Will Learn And Do
Investigate the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration through hands-on experiments with seed generation. Explore community garden designs and analyze how these biological processes can address food scarcity in a food desert. Design and build a model of a community garden, test its effectiveness, and refine the model based on feedback from peers and community partners. Present your garden design to the cooperative extension in North Carolina, demonstrating how it can provide fresh produce to the neighborhood.
The Learning Journey
| Phases | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| Discover |
I can explore the impact of food deserts in our community by investigating local food access, interviewing residents, and analyzing how limited fresh produce affects health, inspiring us to design solutions for better food choices.
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| Examine |
I can investigate the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration by conducting experiments with seed generation to understand how plants grow and thrive. I can analyze data from these experiments to determine the best conditions for plant growth in our community garden. I can engage in critical dialogue with peers to reason through the design of a garden that meets the nutritional needs of our neighborhood. I can collaborate with the cooperative extension in North Carolina to gather insights on effective gardening practices in food deserts.
|
| Engineer |
I can develop a blueprint for a community garden by collaborating with my classmates to design planting layouts that optimize photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration, ensuring the garden effectively provides fresh produce to our neighborhood.
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| Do |
I can collaborate with my classmates to plant seeds in our community garden, monitor their growth by recording data on photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration, and evaluate how effectively our garden design provides fresh produce to our neighborhood.
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| Share |
I can share our community garden design and the science behind it with local residents and the cooperative extension, highlighting how photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration can improve food choices in our neighborhood.
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| Week 1 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activities |
Discover: Introduction to Food Deserts - Explore the concept of food deserts through a discussion and analyze local community data to understand the impact of limited food access. (25 min)
Discover: Community Impact Reflection - Share personal connections and insights in a circle discussion, reflecting on how food deserts affect community health and well-being. (20 min)
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Examine: Investigating Plant Processes - Conduct a hands-on experiment to explore photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration, using seed germination as a model. (25 min)
Examine: Analyzing Experimental Data - Collaboratively analyze data from the seed germination experiments to determine optimal conditions for plant growth. (20 min)
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Examine: Seminar on Gardening Solutions - Participate in a seminar-style discussion to brainstorm and evaluate potential community garden designs that utilize plant processes. (25 min)
Examine: Criteria for Garden Success - Define criteria for a successful community garden solution, such as cost, safety, and effectiveness, through debate-style discussions. (20 min)
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Engineer: Developing a Garden Blueprint - Collaborate to create a detailed community garden design plan, predicting how it will optimize plant processes. (25 min)
Engineer: T.A.G. Feedback Session - Present the garden blueprint to peers and receive Tell, Ask, and Give feedback to refine the design. (20 min)
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Do: Implementing the Garden Plan - Begin building a model of the community garden, documenting the process with photos and videos. (25 min)
Do: Evaluating the Garden Model - Use the Data Analysis Protocol to assess the effectiveness of the garden design and explore potential for scaling the solution. (20 min)
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| Deliverables |
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| Preparation |
1. Gather materials for photosynthesis and respiration experiments (spinach leaves, baking soda, clear containers, limewater, seeds, sealed containers).
2. Prepare plastic bags and potted plants for transpiration experiment. 3. Arrange multimedia resources on food deserts and plant biology. 4. Coordinate with the cooperative extension for potential virtual or in-person feedback session. 5. Set up a digital platform for students to share and receive peer feedback on their designs. |
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