Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

1

Students will be able to investigate greenhouse environmental conditions and their effects on plant growth and comfort by collecting and interpreting data on light, humidity, temperature, airflow, and soil moisture.

2

Students will be able to analyze how photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and carbon cycling relate to plant growth in a greenhouse ecosystem.

3

Students will be able to empathize with users and stakeholders by gathering firsthand evidence about student wellness needs, calming preferences, and space-use habits.

4

Students will be able to synthesize user research into a clear problem statement for a greenhouse zen garden that balances plant needs and student well-being.

5

Students will be able to ideate multiple greenhouse zen garden solutions by generating and comparing plant layouts, calming features, and sustainability approaches.

6

Students will be able to prototype and test a greenhouse zen garden concept using sketches, mockups, and simple trials to gather evidence from users and growing conditions.

7

Students will be able to refine and justify a final greenhouse zen garden design by using test results, peer critique, and tradeoff analysis.

Products

individual

User Research Brief and Personal Prototype for a Calm Greenhouse Space

Each student creates a research brief that documents firsthand user evidence and a personal prototype that responds to those needs. The product must show how plant-growth data and wellness feedback shaped an initial design idea.

Student choices
team

Completed Greenhouse Zen Garden with Stakeholder Presentation and Care Plan

Teams design, build, and present a refined greenhouse zen garden that supports plant health and student well-being. The final package includes a shared problem statement, a higher-fidelity prototype or installed solution, and a short presentation for authentic stakeholders.

Rubric
Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric
Category
Learning Goal
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies
Collaboration
  • I can contribute to our greenhouse zen garden team by completing my assigned tasks on time, using team instructions to support plant care, calming feature tests, and labeled layout work
  • I can share one idea and ask one clarifying question during planning or revisions.
  • I can collaborate effectively with my team by helping us make shared decisions about plant choices, wellness features, and one design tradeoff, based on evidence from observations and partner feedback
  • I can communicate respectfully, listen to others’ perspectives, and document the team’s agreed-upon next steps in our sketches or revision notes.
  • I can lead parts of our design collaboration by facilitating equitable roles (e.g., timekeeper/materials lead/sketching lead), resolving minor disagreements, and using prioritized criteria (safety, sustainability, aesthetics, cultural respect, maintenance) to refine our solution
  • I can explain how our team’s revisions reduce impacts on natural systems and improve biodiversity/well-being, and I can incorporate feedback into a clear before-and-after change.
  • I can independently drive high-quality collaboration by coordinating complex project work across stages (prototyping, testing, revision, and exhibit preparation) and ensuring every teammate’s voice shapes our final greenhouse zen garden
  • I can evaluate tradeoffs with the team, justify choices with science/arts evidence, and clearly communicate our final design and care plan to visitors during the launch night while reflecting on how our teamwork improved student outcomes.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Effective Communication
  • I can communicate my ideas about the greenhouse zen garden using clear, labeled sketches and mood boards that connect my plant choices and calming features to wellness and environmental goals from our investigations.
  • I can explain my design decisions with evidence from observations, partner feedback, and scientific ideas (e.g., how plants support ecosystem health) using specific reasons, vocabulary, and a simple design tradeoff statement.
  • I can communicate a refined solution by presenting iterative evidence (before/after changes, prototypes, and care routines) and using prioritized criteria (cost, safety, aesthetics, sustainability, and cultural respect) to justify why I revised my plan.
  • I can communicate and exhibit my final design as a persuasive, audience-ready story—through QR-linked video reflection, a PSA, and guided tour scripting—showing how I evaluated/revised tradeoffs and how my solution supports biodiversity and human well-being.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
  • I can describe a simple plan to address one aspect of the greenhouse zen garden problem (e.g., reducing stress or supporting plant health) using evidence from observations and provided sources.
  • I can design, evaluate, and revise a solution by using prioritized criteria (well-being, plant needs, and environmental impact) and I can identify at least one tradeoff and how it affects people and biodiversity.
  • I can create or adjust a testing approach (like a small prototype, mock layout, or data check based on plant care and environmental conditions) and use results to refine my design to reduce human impacts on natural systems.
  • I can evaluate competing design options using scientific reasoning and student-generated evidence, justify my final choice with cost/safety/reliability/aesthetics plus cultural and environmental impacts, and articulate how my solution reduces adverse effects on biodiversity.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Content Expertise
  • I can describe how my greenhouse zen garden design choices can reduce impacts on local biodiversity by using evidence from class and the stations (e.g., plant needs, habitat supports, and human activity effects) to justify basic decisions in my mood board and layout sketch.
  • I can design and refine a greenhouse plan by applying scientific ideas about ecosystem impacts and plant processes (including photosynthesis-related needs) and by explaining prioritized criteria and tradeoffs in my work (such as sustainability, safety, maintenance, and aesthetics).
  • I can evaluate and improve my solution using student-generated evidence from prototypes, observations, and/or simple tests (e.g., calming feature performance, plant placement, or care routine effectiveness), and I can revise my plan with clear reasoning connected to reducing environmental impacts and supporting biodiversity.
  • I can independently iteratively evaluate and refine a complex greenhouse zen garden solution by comparing competing design options (cost-benefit, energy/mineral resource use, and cultural respect) and using my evidence to justify the final layout, labeled plant zones, and maintenance plan as an environmentally responsible and wellness-supporting design.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Academic Mindset
  • I can describe what I want the greenhouse zen garden to help people feel and how my choices affect plant needs and environmental impact, using evidence from observations and class sources.
  • I can set a clear personal goal for improving my design and learning (e.g., plant health, calming features, sustainability), then use peer and partner feedback to make specific revisions with an explanation of tradeoffs.
  • I can monitor my progress over time by collecting and using evidence (sketch revisions, care-plan notes, and gallery-walk feedback) to adjust my decisions independently, while justifying how they reduce human impacts on biodiversity and natural systems.
  • I can take ownership of my learning by proposing and refining solutions through iterative testing, clearly weighing constraints (safety, cost, reliability, aesthetics, and cultural respect) and demonstrating a reasoned pathway from evidence to redesign and public communication.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Self Directed Learning
  • I can use feedback from my team, teacher, and partners to make small revisions to my greenhouse zen garden ideas, explaining what I changed and why in my design notes or revision log.
  • I can monitor my own progress toward prioritized design criteria and use evidence from observations (e.g., plant responses, prototype tests, gallery walk feedback) to revise my plans and document my reasoning and next steps.
  • I can independently evaluate multiple options for a real-world problem in the greenhouse (e.g., plant choices, calming features, pathway flow, maintenance needs) and refine my solution using data, science-based explanations, and tradeoff considerations (cost, safety, aesthetics, cultural respect, and environmental impact).
  • I can lead my own learning by setting measurable goals, testing or simulating changes when appropriate, and using credible sources and peer/partner input to justify major revisions that reduce human impacts on biodiversity while strengthening wellness and design quality.