Pocket Forest Playground

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to investigate schoolyard sunlight, water flow, soil condition, and space to determine which places could support a pocket forest.

Students will be able to obtain and combine information from field observations, a native plant nursery, and partner feedback to identify native plants and habitat features for a pocket forest.

Students will be able to define a problem statement for a pocket forest on urban school grounds that explains how the design can improve conditions for plants, animals, and people.

Students will be able to ideate and sketch multiple pocket forest layout options with native plants, animal habitats, and visitor paths.

Students will be able to prototype a pocket forest model that shows how native plants, habitat features, sunlight, water, and visitor access work together.

Students will be able to test and refine a pocket forest design using peer and adult feedback to improve habitat value and usability.

Students will be able to justify how their pocket forest helps protect Earth’s resources and improves urban habitat conditions using science vocabulary and evidence.

Students will be able to collaborate to create and present a shared pocket forest solution that responds to community needs and feedback.

Products

individual

Pocket Forest Site Research Journal and Individual Design Prototype

Each student creates a field-based research journal and a labeled individual pocket forest prototype. The work must show how site evidence, native plant information, and feedback shaped one design idea.

team

Collaborative Pocket Forest Model and Walkabout Presentation Board

Teams create one refined pocket forest model and presentation board for the Walkabout. The final product combines each member’s research and prototype ideas into a shared, evidence-based solution for the schoolyard.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with my team to share ideas about the Pocket Forest site (sunlight, soil, water, animals, and people) and I can take on a simple role during field work and model building.	I can co-design our pocket forest plan by listening to teammates, asking clarifying questions, and using our shared notes to make at least one group decision about plant choices, habitat features, or visitor paths.	I can use feedback from teammates and others (gallery walks and the native plant nursery) to revise our pocket forest model, resolve disagreements respectfully, and clearly explain how our new choices better fit the site evidence.	I can lead collaborative design by organizing task-sharing, combining multiple sources of evidence into group reasoning, and building consensus so our team product includes well-justified improvements that protect habitat needs for plants, animals, and people.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Self Directed Learning	I can check my learning plan and follow steps to complete my field journal and pocket forest model tasks with reminders I can use feedback from my teacher or a partner by making one small change and telling what I changed.	I can use my field notes to choose what to work on next and keep track of my progress in our team’s project I can use peer and teacher feedback to improve my design by making multiple updates and explaining how my evidence supports the changes.	I can independently set goals for what I will revise in my pocket forest model and gather specific evidence (sunlight, soil, water, and observations) to guide my choices I can reflect on feedback from gallery walks, select the best suggestions, and justify my revisions using science vocabulary.	I can direct my own learning by planning, revising, and refining my ideas based on evidence and feedback across multiple sources (field observations and native plant nursery information) I can explain how my thinking changed over time, connect my revisions to habitat/resource protection, and consistently improve both my work and my learning strategy.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can share my observations from the schoolyard investigation by saying what I noticed (sunlight, water, soil, animals, or people) using simple words and pointing to notes or a sketch in my journal.	I can listen to my teammates and take turns speaking, then I can explain my part of the pocket forest model using science words (like shade, soil, water flow, habitat) and evidence from our field notes.	I can combine information from my observations, feedback from peers/gallery walks, and the native plant nursery examples to revise my model, and I can clearly explain my design choices using specific details and correct science vocabulary.	I can communicate my pocket forest design to others by presenting a well-organized explanation of how it improves habitat for plants, animals, and people, and I can respond thoughtfully to questions/feedback while using evidence from multiple sources.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can ask and answer simple questions about my pocket forest site (sunlight, water, soil, and animal/human activity) using evidence from our observations and notes.	I can use multiple pieces of site evidence to make a reasoned claim about where plants, animals, and people could thrive, and I can explain my thinking with some science vocabulary.	I can compare options for habitat features and visitor paths using evidence (including ideas from a native plant nursery) and revise my plan when it doesn’t match what the data suggests.	I can combine and justify information from our field notes, partner feedback, and nursery resources to solve an authentic design problem, predicting how my model choices will protect community resources and support living things.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Academic Mindset	I can share ideas and take pride in my role during the Pocket Forest Adventure by participating in observations and recording my team’s site notes with care.	I can stay motivated as we try new suggestions by asking questions, offering one or two improvements to our pocket forest model, and using feedback to revise my ideas.	I can persist and make purposeful choices by connecting my observations (sunlight, water, soil, animals, and people) to our native plant and habitat decisions and explaining how they help living things thrive.	I can lead my own learning by combining feedback from my team, gallery walks, and the native plant nursery with evidence from our field notes to refine our model and justify how our design reflects community actions that protect resources and improve habitat.