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2nd Grade  Project 4 weeks

Buzzing for Breakfast: Pollinator Power!

Jamie A
LS.2.A
CS.2.5.1
2.PF.1
2.C.1
PG.3
+ 11 more
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Purpose

This project immerses second-grade students in the vital role of pollinators within ecosystems, emphasizing their impact on food production and community well-being. Through hands-on activities, students will engage with community partners to explore the interdependent relationships between plants and pollinators, using AI tools to track and analyze pollinator populations. The project aims to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity as students design pollinator gardens and educational materials, ultimately showcasing their work in a 'Pollinator Parade' to educate peers and community members on the importance of pollinator conservation.

Learning goals

Students will explore the vital role of pollinators in ecosystems, understanding how they contribute to plant growth and food production. They will investigate the interdependent relationships between pollinators and plants, and the potential impact on ecosystems if pollinators were to disappear. Through hands-on activities and collaboration with community partners, students will develop skills in data analysis using AI tools, design and build pollinator-friendly gardens, and create educational materials to communicate their findings. They will also learn to make informed decisions and propose solutions to support pollinator health, fostering a sense of responsibility towards ecological conservation.
Standards
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] LS.2.A - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
  • [Colorado] CS.2.5.1 - AI tools can perform intelligent tasks, such as recognition of patterns, decision-making, and classification of information, that help users understand the world.
  • [Colorado] 2.PF.1 - Investigate costs and benefits to make informed financial decisions.
  • [Colorado] 2.C.1 - Investigate ways in which ideas and actions can improve communities.
  • [Colorado] PG.3 - Apply geographic representations and perspectives to analyze human movement, spatial patterns, systems, and the connections and relationships among them.
  • [Colorado] CS.2.5.2 - AI tools can be designed for a variety of purposes and can impact people differently based on how they are designed.
  • [Colorado] 2.3.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts organized around main ideas which are supported by relevant details, facts, and definitions.
  • [Colorado] 2.4.1 - Participate in shared research and inquiry, gathering information from a variety of resources to answer questions.
  • [Colorado] LS2.2.1 - Plants depend on water and light to grow and on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
  • [Colorado] LS2.2.2 - A range of different organisms lives in different places.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] LS.2.C - Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
Competencies
  • Productive Collaborator - Engages with others to achieve a common goal through building positive relationships, actively listening, showing empathy, and making individual contributions to a larger group.
  • Critical Thinker - Thinks deeply and makes informed decisions to create solutions or new understanding supported by relevant and reliable evidence.
  • Empowered Learner - Demonstrates mastery and application of academic competencies. Develops the skills and dispositions to persist through difficulties and plan for a future of self-improvement.
  • Creative Contributer - Interprets experiences, imagines and plays with new possibilities with curiosity, and creates approaches that are novel, useful, and valued by the world around them.
  • Effective Communicator - Engages diverse audiences respectfully by exchanging ideas and information responsibly, listening actively, speaking and writing clearly, and using print and digital media appropriately.

Products

Students will create a digital presentation using AI tools to track and analyze pollinator populations, presenting their findings and proposed conservation solutions to community partners and family members. They will develop educational murals illustrating pollinators' life cycles and their relationships with plants, providing visual learning opportunities around the school. Additionally, students will design and construct a small-scale pollinator garden, showcasing plants that attract pollinators, and compile a cookbook featuring recipes reliant on pollinated ingredients, complete with illustrations and explanations of pollinators' roles. Interactive flower models demonstrating the pollination process will also be built, allowing engagement and learning during the Pollinator Parade exhibition.

Launch

Kick off the learning experience with a 'Garden Guardians Workshop' at a nearby botanical garden, where students will plant pollinator-friendly plants and engage in guided activities to understand plant-pollinator relationships. This hands-on session, led by horticulturists, will ignite curiosity and set the stage for the project by immersing students in real-world interactions with plants and pollinators.

Exhibition

Host a 'Pollinator Parade' where students showcase their pollinator garden designs and models, inviting community partners and family members to walk through and learn about the importance of pollinators. Students will present their digital projects tracking pollinator populations and propose solutions for conservation. Interactive flower models will be available for visitors to engage with, demonstrating the pollination process. Educational murals illustrating pollinator life cycles and their relationships with plants will be displayed around the school, providing visual learning opportunities. A cookbook featuring recipes reliant on pollinated ingredients will be available for guests to explore the essential role of pollinators in our food systems.