Creative Climate Solutions: Repurpose Byproducts Challenge
Created byRoberta Villarreal
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Creative Climate Solutions: Repurpose Byproducts Challenge

Grade 4EnglishScienceArt1 days
The 'Creative Climate Solutions: Repurpose Byproducts Challenge' is a fourth-grade project that integrates English, science, and art to address climate change awareness and action. Students explore the environmental impacts of byproducts from daily and industrial activities, using interdisciplinary methods to propose innovative solutions that repurpose these byproducts. Through activities like treasure hunts, storytelling, and sculpture creation, students develop creative and scientific approaches to solving environmental problems, demonstrating the importance of interdisciplinary connections in climate solutions.
Climate SolutionsByproductsInterdisciplinary LearningArt and ScienceEnvironmental AwarenessInnovationSustainability
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we creatively transform the byproducts of our daily activities and industrial processes into useful solutions that benefit our environment, and in what ways can art, science, and interdisciplinary understanding play a role in this transformation?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • What are the visible and invisible impacts of our daily actions on the climate?
  • In what ways can understanding different academic disciplines help us solve environmental problems?
  • How do the byproducts of industrial activities affect the environment, and what creative solutions can be developed to mitigate these effects?
  • How can art and design contribute to raising awareness about climate change and potential solutions?
  • What role do innovations in biology and chemistry play in addressing environmental challenges?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will understand the concept of byproducts and their environmental impacts.
  • Students will explore and identify interdisciplinary methods to solve environmental issues related to climate change.
  • Students will develop creative solutions to repurpose or reuse industrial and daily life byproducts.
  • Students will effectively communicate their ideas through various artistic and written forms.
  • Students will learn to integrate knowledge from science, art, and other disciplines to address real-world problems.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1
Primary
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.Reason: Students will be required to articulate and support creative solutions for transforming byproducts of daily activities through written communication.

Next Generation Science Standards

NGSS.4.ESS3-1
Primary
Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.Reason: The project involves researching byproducts of energy and fuel use and their impacts on the environment.

Visual Art Standards

CREATE.4.VA:Cr3.1
Secondary
Refine and complete artistic work.Reason: Students will create visual representations or prototypes that showcase creative solutions to environmental issues.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

The Great Plastic Hunt

Kick off the project with a treasure hunt around the school or local community to find and collect plastic waste. Turn this activity into a collaborative challenge by documenting the journey and analyzing the types of plastics found. This hands-on experience ties into the larger goal of exploring how to repurpose or reduce plastic waste impact.

Climate Change Show & Tell

Invite students to bring an item from home that they believe impacts the climate, either positively or negatively. Facilitate a discussion on each item’s lifecycle, including production, usage, and disposal, sparking curiosity about unseen environmental consequences. This personal connection ignites interest and frames the broader issue of daily actions on climate.

Story of A Smokestack

Begin with a storytelling session featuring a fictional tale of a smokestack, embodying pollution, trying to find a new purpose. Engaging students’ imagination, this narrative invites them to reimagine industrial byproducts as characters in need of transformation, aligning closely with the project's creative and problem-solving objectives.

Eco-Sculpture Challenge

Launch the project by tasking students to create sculptures using trash collected from their homes and surroundings. This artistic endeavor highlights the amount of waste generated daily and encourages students to think critically about waste repurposing, while integrating art, science, and sustainability into a tangible, creative project.

Microbe Mysteries

Create intrigue with a science experiment demonstrating how certain microbes can digest different types of waste. Use this as an entry point to discuss potential biology-based solutions to waste problems and invite students to design their own 'super microbe' as a team, blending creative art with scientific inquiry.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Plastic Patrol Treasure Hunt

Engage students in a hands-on activity to explore the prevalence of plastic waste by organizing a school-wide treasure hunt. This activity will help students identify the types of plastic waste common in their environment and think critically about their impact.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Organize students into small groups and provide them with gloves and bags for collecting plastic waste around the school or community.
2. Ask students to document the types of plastics they find by taking photos or making notes.
3. Facilitate a class discussion to analyze the types of plastics collected and their potential environmental impacts.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA documented collection of plastic waste types found in the local environment.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsStands with NGSS.4.ESS3-1 as it involves research and documentation of byproducts and their environmental effects.
Activity 2

Climate Impact Show & Tell

Students bring items from home and explore their environmental impacts through a show and tell session, discussing each item's lifecycle from production to disposal, and sparking awareness of their carbon footprint.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Each student selects an item from home they believe impacts the climate, positively or negatively.
2. Research the lifecycle of each item, including production, usage, and disposal stages.
3. Present findings in class, emphasizing the environmental impacts of these items.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA personal presentation exploring an item's lifecycle and its environmental effects.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 by supporting opinions with researched information.
Activity 3

Story of the Transformative Smokestack

Students use storytelling to reimagine a typical polluting smokestack as a character seeking to transform its purpose, weaving creativity and environmental knowledge into a fictional narrative.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Introduce the concept of industrial byproducts through a narrative about a fictional smokestack.
2. Encourage students to brainstorm ways the smokestack could find a new, environmentally friendly purpose.
3. Write a short story or draw a comic strip about the smokestack's transformation.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA short story or comic strip illustrating the transformation of an industrial byproduct.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsFits with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 by writing creative narratives to support sustainability ideas.
Activity 4

Trash to Treasure Eco-Sculpture

Utilize creativity in arts to repurpose waste materials collected from home and surroundings, transforming them into eco-friendly sculptures.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Collect waste materials from home that can be reused or repurposed.
2. Design and create a sculpture using the collected materials, considering how art can communicate environmental messages.
3. Present the sculpture to the class, explaining the concept and materials used.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityAn eco-sculpture made from repurposed materials, accompanied by an explanatory presentation.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports CREATE.4.VA:Cr3.1 by refining and completing artistic work with environmental themes.
Activity 5

Design a Super Microbe

Explore biological solutions to pollution by designing a hypothetical 'super microbe' that can break down specific pollutants, combining art and science to create innovative environmental solutions.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Research microbes that digest waste and understand their functions.
2. Design a 'super microbe' using drawing or modeling that targets a specific pollutant.
3. Present the design and explain how it can help tackle pollution.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA design and explanation of a 'super microbe' model with environmental benefits.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsConnects with NGSS.4.ESS3-1 and CREATE.4.VA:Cr3.1 by integrating science and art to solve environmental challenges.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Interdisciplinary Environmental Solutions Rubric

Category 1

Understanding of Environmental Impact

Evaluates students' ability to identify and understand the environmental impacts of byproducts from daily and industrial activities.
Criterion 1

Identification of Byproducts

Ability to identify and explain byproducts and their possible environmental impacts.

Exemplary
4 Points

Identifies a comprehensive range of byproducts and provides detailed explanations of their environmental impacts across multiple contexts.

Proficient
3 Points

Identifies several byproducts and clearly explains their basic environmental impacts.

Developing
2 Points

Identifies some byproducts with limited explanation of their impacts.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to identify byproducts and provides minimal explanation of impacts.

Criterion 2

Interdisciplinary Connections

Ability to connect knowledge across disciplines to understand environmental impacts and solutions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates advanced ability to connect multiple disciplines, showing high-level understanding of integrated problem-solving.

Proficient
3 Points

Effectively connects a few disciplines, demonstrating logical understanding of interdisciplinary approaches.

Developing
2 Points

Shows basic attempts to connect disciplines with emerging understanding of integration.

Beginning
1 Points

Minimal or no attempt to connect disciplines, presenting fragmented understanding.

Category 2

Creativity and Innovation in Solutions

Assesses the originality and creativity of proposed solutions to environmental problems using interdisciplinary approaches.
Criterion 1

Originality of Solutions

Original and innovative thinking reflected in the proposed solutions to environmental issues.

Exemplary
4 Points

Proposes highly original and innovative solutions that challenge conventional approaches, showing depth and creativity.

Proficient
3 Points

Proposes creative solutions that demonstrate originality and effective problem-solving.

Developing
2 Points

Offers conventional solutions with some creative elements.

Beginning
1 Points

Relies on existing solutions with little to no original thinking.

Criterion 2

Practicality and Feasibility

Ability to propose solutions that are practical and feasible.

Exemplary
4 Points

Proposes highly feasible and practical solutions with well-thought-out implementation plans.

Proficient
3 Points

Proposes feasible solutions with clear plans for implementation.

Developing
2 Points

Proposes solutions with partial feasibility and some implementation gaps.

Beginning
1 Points

Proposes impractical or unfeasible solutions with little regard for implementation.

Category 3

Communication and Presentation

Evaluates the clarity, organization, and persuasiveness of communication in both artistic and written presentations.
Criterion 1

Clarity and Organization

The clarity and logical organization of information in presentations and written communications.

Exemplary
4 Points

Presents information in a highly organized, clear, and engaging manner with exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

Proficient
3 Points

Presents information clearly and logically with good communication skills.

Developing
2 Points

Information is presented with some clarity and organization, but with areas needing improvement.

Beginning
1 Points

Information is poorly organized and hard to understand with basic communication skills.

Criterion 2

Engagement and Persuasiveness

The ability to engage the audience and persuade them of their proposed solutions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates outstanding engagement and persuasiveness, effectively convincing the audience of the value of the solutions.

Proficient
3 Points

Engages the audience well and presents convincing solutions.

Developing
2 Points

Shows some engagement and persuasiveness with mixed effectiveness.

Beginning
1 Points

Limited engagement and persuasiveness with little impact on the audience.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on how your understanding of the invisible and visible impacts of daily actions on the climate has changed through this project.

Text
Required
Question 2

How confident do you feel in your ability to propose creative solutions to environmental problems using knowledge from different academic disciplines?

Scale
Required
Question 3

Which activity or entry event did you find most engaging, and why? Choose from: 'Plastic Patrol Treasure Hunt', 'Climate Impact Show & Tell', 'Story of the Transformative Smokestack', 'Trash to Treasure Eco-Sculpture', 'Design a Super Microbe'.

Multiple choice
Optional
Options
Plastic Patrol Treasure Hunt
Climate Impact Show & Tell
Story of the Transformative Smokestack
Trash to Treasure Eco-Sculpture
Design a Super Microbe
Question 4

Reflect on how this project has influenced your view on the role of art and design in raising awareness about environmental issues.

Text
Required
Question 5

To what extent do you agree with the statement: Innovations in biology and chemistry are crucial in addressing environmental challenges?

Scale
Required