Project Design: Overview

Name of Project: The Garbage Solution

Duration: 3 weeks
Primary Subject/Course: Science
Grade Level: 7
Other subjects included: Language Arts
21st Century Competencies: (to be taught and assessed)
Collaboration
Communication
Critical Thinking
Creativity and Innovation
Other
Project Summary: Students will collaboratively (in groups with a
maximum of 3) create a garbage management plan with the goal of
lessening the amount of garbage their school produces for the
community's landfill. This activity will culminate in a symposium where
students will present their solution to the entire student body, and a
panel of experts from the school and community. Through
communication with the community, parents, and school
administration, students will encourage the school, with community
support if necessary, to implement what is deemed to be the best
solution for decreasing the amount of garbage produced by the school.
This project will be completed in groups to allow students to get the
most out of the inquiry process, but individual reflection on learning
will be completed through blogging on the class website, found at the
link below on the instructors portfolio. Students will also be assessed
using an observational outcome based checklist. The inquiry process
will be guided to allow students to research garbage solutions that
have been used in their own community, and all over the world. The
students will be given three weeks to solve the problem, and complete
six assessments, including the final symposium. This project gives
students the opportunity to examine why humans have a greater
impact on ecosystems than any other living thing. Students also
examine the impact that significant waste has on ecosystems.
As I will be using technology throughout this project to help students
reflect, and submit assignments online, students will also be expected
to add some element of technology to their final presentation in order
to give it a modern day and appealing feel. This still allows students to
have significant choice in the way they wish to present their product,
various aspects of technology such as, smartphone polls, short videos,
facebook pages, live tweets, or skype conferences can help garner
support from the school, and community.
ALTHOUGH ONLY ONE GROUP'S SOLUTION WILL BE CHOSEN, ALL
PRODUCTS FROM PRESENTATIONS WILL BE PUT ON DISPLAY IN THE

LIBRARY, AND ANONYMOUSLY ON THE CLASS WEBSITE. STUDENTS

SHOULD NOT FEEL COMPETITIVE TO A POINT OF SABOTAGING OTHER
GROUPS DURING THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS.
ALL ASSESSMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON GOOGLE DRIVE, AND
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENTS THAT DO NOT INVOLVE PEER REVIEW CAN
BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE DRIVE.
Outcomes from Science 7 Program of Studies:
Unit A: Knowledge Outcome 1 - Students will Investigate and describe
relationships between humans and their environments, and identify
related issues and scientific questions:
- Students will identify human impacts on ecosystems, and
investigate and analyze
the link between these impacts and the human wants and needs
that give rise to
them.
- Analyze personal and public decisions that involve consideration of
environmental impacts, and identify needs for scientific knowledge
that can
inform these decisions.
Unit A: Knowledge Outcome 4 - Students will describe the relationships
among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life supporting
environments:
- Analyze a local environmental issue or problem based on evidence
from a variety
of sources, and identify possible actions and consequences.
Outcomes from Language Arts 7 Program of Studies:
General Outcome #3 - Students speak, read, write, view, and represent
to manage ideas and information.
General Outcome #5: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and
represent to respect, support, and collaborate with others.
Driving Question:
How can we better manage our school's garbage to lessen our impact
on the environment?
Entry Event: Humans are responsible for over 30% of the world's waste
generation. Waste products fit into the categories of biodegradable,
and non-biodegradable and affect ecosystems in many different ways.
Although this scenario is theoretical, it is highly possible and would
require action on behalf of the entire community of Lethbridge. The
Lethbridge city landfill is overfull with garbage from the city. The city
does not have the money to designate land for a new facility and
waste is beginning to leak into the Old Man River, poisoning the life
within it. The city has released a statement explaining that the
community needs to work together to produce less waste for the

landfill. School's need resources to support the learning of large

numbers of people, and thus, produce a large amount of waste. From
the worksheets that you work on in math, to the leftovers from the
food you consume at the cafeteria, the waste that the school produces
must go somewhere. Your job is to find a solution to reduce the amount
of waste produced by your school.
Before we begin, we will hear via VIDEO CONFERENCE from a town
council member about what would suggestions he has for reducing
waste in our community.
Specific content and competencies to be
Products:
Individual

assessed:
1. Weekly Learning Blog:
Will be used to assess individual students
achievement of knowledge outcomes 1 and 4,
described in the project summary. BLOGS ARE
GRADED ON THE BASIS OF COMPLETE, OR
INCOMPLETE. The blog is found at
http://guybeckerportfolio.weebly.com/thegarbage-solution-student-blog .
2Competencies: critical thinking and
communication.

Team

2. Outcome Based Checklist:

Given that the project serves the purpose of
addressing all of the above outcomes, this
checklist allows the instructor to examine the
inquiry process and contributions of each
individual student to judge their achievement
of various outcomes. Since these projects are
largely student choice, teachers use these
checklists to monitor student process through
individual learning as students work. Students
will be assessed using this checklist weekly,
and if students do not seem to be meeting
outcomes through the inquiry or profect
building process, the instructor should
provide verbal or written feeback for how to
meet the outcomes. Competencies: critical
thinking, collaboration, communication,
creativity/innovation.
Specific content and competencies to be
assessed:
1. Research Findings Worksheet:
Intended to help students with the inquiry
process in order to develop a proven and
effective solution. Addresses outcomes 1 and
4 from the science program of studies, as well
as general outcome #3 from the ELA program

of studies. Competencies: critical thinking.

2. Garbage Solution Rough Draft:
Students will complete the attached Garbage
Solution worksheet following the inquiry
process. The worksheet includes critical
questions about the solution, possible costs,
implementation, and school involvement. The
worksheet also includes a section for peer
review, and feedback from the instructor.
Competencies: critical thinking, collaboration,
communication, creativity/innovation.
3. Class showcase:
Students will showcase their solution to the
class in the same way they would at the
upcoming symposium. Class engages in
discussion and submits a second peer
feedback form to help students edit their
presentation for the final symposium. Here,
students are assessed for the first time using
the attached rubric. Competencies:
Collaboration and communication.
Final Symposium Presentation:
Judges drawn from parent council, school
administration, and city council will decide
which solution would be most effective for
lessening the schools garbage production and
effect on the environment. Groups present
their individual presentations to the panel of
judges in whatever format they have decided
on, this is all about student choice. Following
the symposium, judges deliberate and the
most popular solution will be announced. The
goal of this final symposium is to allow steps
to be taken to implement the chosen solution
and ultimately solve the problem presented in
the project. Here, students are assessed for
the last time using the attached rubric.
Competencies: Collaboration and
communication.

Public Audience: Groups will present their garbage solution to an

audience of students, parents, staff, administration, and available town
council members at a final symposium at the end of the project. A
panel of judges, made up of selected parents, administration, and town
council members observe the presentations, ask questions, and

ultimately choose one of the solutions to implement. A blog page on

the instructors personal profile also exists to allow students to peruse
this document to understand what the project is, and observe student
learning through blog posts.
Resources
Needed

On-site people, facilities: Student audience,

interested parents, administration team, members
of town council. The class will also require access
computer labs and the outdoors.
Equipment:
Computer
Video cameras (if needed for presentations)
Projector and screen
Sound system
Judge's table
Portable microphone for presenters
Portable microphone for judges.
Materials:
Largely student choice for presentation
Tri-fold
paint and paintbrushes
Poster paper
Community Resources:
Largely student choice, here are some possible
resources:
Community landfill statistics
Funding for chosen garbage solution
Media attention for symposium

Reflection
Method

Journal/Learning Log
Whole-class discussion
Survey
Focus Group
Other

Notes:
This project should be broken up into three parts.
Week One: Students are assessed with the first outcome based
checklist (to be completed twice), should complete their research
findings worksheet, and complete their first blog post.
Week Two: Students should work on their solution, completing their

rough draft of their idea by mid week. There should be a day for peer
review, and instructor feedback. Students can then begin to develop
their presentation for the class symposium at the beginning of week
three. Second blog post should be completed on the final day of week
two
Week Three: Students will present their solution to the class.
Respectful peer review will be presented in the form of class
discussion, and each of the other groups will submit a peer review
sheet to the presenting group. This process should be completed by
mid week, giving students the opportunity to use peer review to make
their presentation the best that it can be. The final symposium will be
held on the last day of the week if possible. Students will reflect on the
entire project through a blog post at the beginning of the following
week.