Creative Climate Solutions: Repurpose Byproducts Through Innovation
Created byRoberta Villarreal
1 views0 downloads

Creative Climate Solutions: Repurpose Byproducts Through Innovation

Grade 1ScienceEnglishArt1 days
In the 'Creative Climate Solutions' project, first-grade students integrate science, art, and communication to creatively repurpose daily and industrial byproducts to mitigate environmental impacts. Through a series of engaging entry events and activities like Mystery Box Investigation and Artistic Waste Creation, students explore the effects of human actions on the environment, develop cross-disciplinary solutions, and express these ideas through visual art. Learning objectives align with NGSS and Common Core Standards, ensuring a focus on understanding environmental impacts and communicating solutions effectively.
Environmental EducationCreative RepurposingArtistic CommunicationCross-Disciplinary LearningProject-Based LearningFirst Grade ScienceClimate Change Awareness
Want to create your own PBL Recipe?Use our AI-powered tools to design engaging project-based learning experiences for your students.
📝

Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we creatively repurpose daily and industrial byproducts to positively impact our environment, using insights from science, art, and communication?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • How do our daily actions affect the environment and contribute to climate change?
  • What are the effects of industrial byproducts on our planet?
  • How can different academic disciplines help us understand and solve environmental problems?
  • What are some creative ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle to help the environment?
  • How can art be used to communicate solutions to environmental problems?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Understand the impact of daily human actions on the environment and climate change.
  • Identify and describe industrial byproducts and their effects on the planet.
  • Explore how different academic disciplines can contribute to solving environmental problems.
  • Develop creative ideas for reducing, reusing, or recycling waste materials.
  • Use art to effectively communicate environmental issues and potential solutions.

Next Generation Science Standards

NGSS-1-ESS3-1
Primary
Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.Reason: Aligns with understanding the impact of daily and industrial byproducts on environments.
NGSS-1-ESS3-3
Primary
Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.Reason: Directly supports the project goal of developing solutions for the environmental impacts of human actions.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2
Secondary
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.Reason: Supports the communication of ideas and solutions which is a core part of the project.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5
Supporting
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.Reason: Aligns with the project component of using art to communicate solutions.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Mystery Box Investigation

Students are presented with a sealed mystery box filled with various items representing pollutants and byproducts. Their task is to identify the items through touch and sound and then brainstorm potential uses or solutions. This hands-on activity ignites curiosity about hidden environmental challenges and solutions.

Pollution Detective: A Day in Your Life

Students jot down everything they use and the waste they produce in one day. Examining this list, they then role-play as detectives to trace how these items impact the environment, sparking discussions on how to repurpose or eliminate waste entirely using cross-disciplinary innovations.

Art from Waste: The Sculpture Challenge

Invite students to create a piece of art from waste materials they collect at home or in school. This entry event connects their personal experiences with the broader environmental impact while stimulating artistic expression and critical thinking.

Animated Stories of Waste Transformation

Kick-off with a short, animated story showing the journey of a piece of waste from consumption to regeneration into a useful item. Students will be sparked to imagine and sketch their stories, exploring the narratives of waste and innovation.

Superhero Science: Save the Planet

Position students as superheroes tasked with creating solutions for environmental issues. This imaginative approach connects their love for superheroes with scientific inquiry as they design tools, powers, or plans to combat pollution creatively.
📚

Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

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

Mystery Box Brainstorm

This activity ignites curiosity by allowing students to use their senses to identify mystery items that represent pollutants and byproducts. They brainstorm uses and solutions, introducing them to environmental challenges.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Present students with a sealed mystery box containing various items symbolizing pollutants and byproducts.
2. Instruct students to use touch and sound to identify the contents of the box.
3. Encourage students to brainstorm potential uses or solutions for these items.
4. Discuss students’ ideas and relate them to environmental challenges and solutions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA list of identified items and proposed uses or solutions.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with NGSS-1-ESS3-1 by fostering an understanding of how pollutants impact environments.
Activity 2

Daily Impact Detective

Students act as detectives tracing how their daily actions affect the environment. This involves listing daily items used and their waste products, understanding their environmental impact, and brainstorming cross-disciplinary solutions.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Have students jot down everything they use in one day and the waste produced from them.
2. Guide students to role-play as detectives, analyzing how these items impact the environment.
3. Facilitate a discussion on how different disciplines (science, art) can help address these environmental issues.
4. Students brainstorm creative solutions to repurpose or eliminate identified waste.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detective report outlining the items used, their impact, and potential solutions.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports NGSS-1-ESS3-3 by developing solutions for human environmental impacts.
Activity 3

Artistic Waste Creation

Students create sculptures using waste materials, connecting personal experiences with environmental impact through art.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Instruct students to collect waste materials from home or school.
2. Explain the goal of creating a piece of art from these materials that reflects environmental themes.
3. Guide students in designing and constructing their sculptures.
4. Facilitate a sharing session for students to explain their artwork and its meaning.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA sculpture made from waste materials and a presentation on its environmental significance.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5 by using art to communicate ideas and solutions.
Activity 4

Animated Storyboard of Change

Students create storyboards that illustrate the journey of a waste item from consumption to transformation into usefulness, enhancing narrative skills.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Show a short animated story about waste transformation to students.
2. Have students choose a waste item they want to illustrate transforming.
3. Guide students in sketching a storyboard to show the transformation journey of their chosen waste item.
4. Encourage students to share their storyboards and explain the narrative.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA complete storyboard presenting the journey of waste transformation.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2 by developing narrative and explanatory skills through storytelling.
Activity 5

Superhero Solution Showcase

Students position themselves as superheroes tasked with creating innovative solutions to solve environmental issues, linking imaginative and scientific inquiry.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Prompt students to identify an environmental issue they are passionate about.
2. Guide students in designing superhero characters with powers or tools to address the issue.
3. Instruct students to create a visual representation of their superhero and tools.
4. Facilitate a showcase where students present their superheroes and the environmental solutions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA superhero character and visual display illustrating their solution to an environmental issue.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports NGSS-1-ESS3-3 by focusing on developing creative solutions for environmental challenges.
🏆

Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Creative Environmental Solutions Rubric

Category 1

Understanding of Environmental Impact

Assesses students' grasp of how daily actions and industrial byproducts affect the environment and climate. Involves identifying pollutants and proposing educational responses.
Criterion 1

Pollutant Identification

Measures ability to identify pollutants and understanding of their environmental impact.

Exemplary
4 Points

Identifies pollutants accurately and explains their impact comprehensively, including connections to wider environmental challenges.

Proficient
3 Points

Accurately identifies most pollutants and explains their basic impact on the environment.

Developing
2 Points

Identifies some pollutants with a basic understanding of their impact but lacks depth.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to identify pollutants and shows minimal understanding of their environmental impact.

Criterion 2

Cross-Disciplinary Connections

Measures ability to connect science, art, and communication to understand and solve environmental issues.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates insightful connections across disciplines to propose innovative environmental solutions.

Proficient
3 Points

Connects ideas from multiple disciplines to propose effective environmental solutions.

Developing
2 Points

Makes some connections between disciplines but solutions are underdeveloped or unclear.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to connect disciplinary ideas to environmental solutions.

Category 2

Creativity and Innovation

Assesses creativity in proposing solutions to environmental problems through inventive thinking and artistic expression.
Criterion 1

Originality of Ideas

Measures the creativity and originality in proposed solutions or artistic expressions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Proposes highly original and imaginative solutions or artistic expressions that effectively address environmental issues.

Proficient
3 Points

Proposes creative solutions or artistic expressions that address environmental issues.

Developing
2 Points

Proposes solutions or artistic expressions with limited creativity or originality.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to propose original solutions, relying heavily on examples or common ideas.

Criterion 2

Artistic Communication

Assesses the ability to effectively use visual art to communicate ideas and solutions for environmental problems.

Exemplary
4 Points

Artistic pieces are highly effective, conveying clear and impactful environmental messages.

Proficient
3 Points

Artistic pieces effectively communicate environmental messages.

Developing
2 Points

Artistic pieces convey simple messages but lack clarity or impact.

Beginning
1 Points

Artistic communication is unclear and fails to convey the intended message.

Category 3

Quality of Final Product

Evaluates the completeness, organization, and presentation of the final product, including ideas lists, reports, sculptures, storyboards, or designs presented.
Criterion 1

Completeness and Organization

Assesses the thoroughness and logical organization of the final work.

Exemplary
4 Points

The final product is complete, well-organized, and presents a detailed and logical flow of ideas or solutions.

Proficient
3 Points

The final product is complete and organized, presenting ideas or solutions coherently.

Developing
2 Points

The final product is partially complete with limited organization of ideas.

Beginning
1 Points

The final product is incomplete and poorly organized, with fragmented ideas.

Criterion 2

Clarity and Presentation

Evaluates the clarity and articulation of ideas and solutions presented in the final product.

Exemplary
4 Points

Presentation is clear, engaging, and effectively communicates ideas and solutions with confidence.

Proficient
3 Points

Presentation is clear and communicates ideas and solutions adequately.

Developing
2 Points

Presentation is somewhat clear but lacks engagement or thorough communication of ideas.

Beginning
1 Points

Presentation is unclear and fails to communicate ideas effectively.

Reflection Prompts

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

Reflect on how your understanding of the impact of daily human actions on the environment has changed throughout this project.

Text
Required
Question 2

On a scale of 1 to 5, how confident do you feel in using art as a tool to communicate solutions for environmental problems?

Scale
Required
Question 3

Which entry event did you find most engaging, and why?

Text
Optional
Question 4

Select the academic discipline (science, art, or communication) that you believe contributed the most to your learning during this project. Why did you choose this discipline?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Science
Art
Communication
Question 5

Reflect on your creative process in developing a solution to repurpose or recycle waste materials. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Text
Required