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Eco-Smart School Café Creation

Grade 6EconomicsMathScienceEnvironmental Science5 days

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The 'Eco-Smart School Café Creation' project for 6th graders integrates economics, math, and environmental science to design and operate a profitable and sustainable school café. Students engage with local businesses, conduct environmental impact assessments, and use mathematical modeling to optimize design and operations. They simulate business scenarios, create visual finance projections, and analyze customer data, fostering skills in sustainability, economic strategies, and real-world math application.

SustainabilityMathematical ModelingEnvironmental ScienceEconomic StrategyLocal BusinessProfitability

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we design and run a school café that is both profitable and environmentally sustainable, while incorporating local business insights and mathematics to enhance its success?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

What are the key considerations in setting up a business that is both profitable and environmentally friendly?
How can math be used to plan and run a successful school café?
What role does local business input play in establishing a school café?
How can we measure the environmental impact of our school café and work to minimize it?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Students will apply algebraic reasoning to predict financial costs and profits, enhancing their decision-making skills.
Students will optimize layout planning by calculating area, applying spatial reasoning to real-world business scenarios.
Students will explore human impacts on the environment, emphasizing sustainable practices in their café operations.
Students will analyze data on consumer behavior and preferences to make informed decisions to improve café profitability and sustainability.

Pennsylvania Academic Standards

M06.A-R.1.1.1

Primary

Recognize and represent relationships between variables using equations, inequalities, and tables.Reason: Students will use algebraic methods to establish and predict financial outcomes for the café, aligning with real-world financial decisions.

M06.C-G.1.1.1

Secondary

Determine the area of squares/rectangles to solve real-world problems.Reason: Students will calculate the space required for café setup, helping to optimize the layout for both environmental and economic efficiency.

3.3.7.A2

Supporting

Describe how human activities have changed the earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere.Reason: Helps students understand the broader environmental implications of establishing and operating a café.

M06.B-E.2.1.1

Primary

Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by using mean, median, mode, and range.Reason: Allows students to analyze customer data to understand trends and make informed business decisions for the café.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Cafe Simulation

Kick off the project with a virtual reality or augmented reality simulation where students can simulate running a business. They'll experience the challenges of running a business and get to 'interact' with customers and play with prices and profits, sparking curiosity about what it takes to implement these in a real-world setting.

Green Audit Exploration

Conduct a 'green audit' of the current school facilities, where students investigate energy use, waste production, and other environmental factors. This audit would reveal opportunities for improvement and set the stage for designing a sustainable cafe, directly connecting their surroundings to the project goals.

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Portfolio Activities

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

Activity 1

Dream Café Blueprinting

Students begin by conceptualizing the ideal environmentally-conscious school café by brainstorming both the aesthetic and functional aspects, integrating both business and environmental considerations.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Discuss the driving and essential questions to deepen understanding of project goals.

2. Sketch initial ideas for the café, focusing on environmental sustainability and efficiency.

3. Research sustainable materials and resources for constructing the café.

4. Draft a simplified blueprint outlining the café layout, highlighting eco-friendly design elements.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed draft blueprint of the school café showcasing environmental and functional design ideas.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsM06.C-G.1.1.1 (Determine the area of squares/rectangles to solve real-world problems)

Activity 2

Eco-Impact Analysis

Students perform an environmental impact analysis, understanding how the café's operations will affect the local environment and what steps can be taken to minimize negative effects.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Conduct a green audit to identify current environmental impacts at school.

2. Analyze the implications of potential café operations on energy use, waste management, and conservation.

3. Create a report detailing environmental considerations and sustainability strategies for the café.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA comprehensive environmental impact report with recommendations for sustainable practices at the café.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standards3.3.7.A2 (Describe how human activities have changed the earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere)

Activity 3

Profit Forecast Wizardry

Using algebraic methods, students calculate and predict financial outcomes for the café, exploring the balance between cost, pricing, and profitability.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Identify key financial variables such as ingredient costs, labor, pricing, and sales forecasts.

2. Use equations and inequalities to model financial scenarios and predict profits.

3. Create tables and graphs to visualize financial predictions and compare potential business strategies.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA set of financial models and visual data representations predicting the café's profitability.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsM06.A-R.1.1.1 (Recognize and represent relationships between variables using equations, inequalities, and tables)

Activity 4

Consumer Insight Dashboard

Students analyze customer data, evaluating trends and preferences to make informed decisions regarding café offerings and business strategies.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Gather data on potential customers' preferences and purchase behaviors through surveys or studies.

2. Use statistical methods to summarize and interpret the collected data (mean, median, mode, range).

3. Develop strategies to align café offerings with customer insights, enhancing both profitability and sustainability.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA dynamic dashboard displaying consumer trends and strategic recommendations for the café.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsM06.B-E.2.1.1 (Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by using mean, median, mode, and range)

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Environment-Conscious School Café Evaluation Rubric

Category 1

Environmental Design and Planning

Checks how well students plan and design the café to be environmentally friendly.

Criterion 1

Research on Sustainable Materials

Looks at how well students research and use eco-friendly materials in their café design.

Exemplary

4 Points

Well done with lots of research on eco-friendly materials and new ideas in the café design.

Proficient

3 Points

Good research into sustainable materials and they are used well in the design.

Developing

2 Points

Some research done and some sustainable materials used in the design.

Beginning

1 Points

Little research and few sustainable materials used in the design.

Category 2

Financial Planning and Math Skills

Evaluates how students use math to plan finances and predict café profits.

Criterion 1

Financial Models

Checks how well students use math to predict the café's finances.

Exemplary

4 Points

Attempts higher level math concepts to make accurate and creative financial predictions.

Proficient

3 Points

Good use of known math for accurate financial predictions.

Developing

2 Points

Basic use of math with some correct predictions.

Beginning

1 Points

Limited or incorrect use of math for predictions.

Criterion 2

Graphs and Charts

Evaluates how well students create and understand visuals like charts and graphs for café finances.

Exemplary

4 Points

Excellent and clear visuals that explain financial data well.

Proficient

3 Points

Good visuals that accurately explain financial data.

Developing

2 Points

Basic visuals with some errors.

Beginning

1 Points

Poor visuals with errors and lack of clarity.

Category 3

Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Assesses understanding of the café's impact on the environment and sustainability strategies.

Criterion 1

Environmental Impact Report

Checks students' understanding of environmental impacts and plans to address them.

Exemplary

4 Points

Thorough understanding and excellent strategies for minimizing environmental impact.

Proficient

3 Points

Good understanding and solid strategies for minimizing impact.

Developing

2 Points

Basic understanding with some strategies.

Beginning

1 Points

Limited understanding and few strategies.

Category 4

Customer Understanding and Strategy

Evaluates how well students understand and use customer data to improve the café.

Criterion 1

Analyzing Customer Data

Checks how well students analyze data about customer preferences and behaviors.

Exemplary

4 Points

Excellent understanding of customer data with input for business improvement

Proficient

3 Points

Good understanding of customer data and strategies.

Developing

2 Points

Basic understanding of customer data.

Beginning

1 Points

Little understanding of customer data.

Reflection Prompts

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

Question 1

What did you learn about making a green school café that helps the Earth and makes money? How did it change how you think about business, math, and taking care of our planet?

Text

Required

Question 2

How good do you think your café plan is at saving the Earth and making money?

Scale

Required

Question 3

What was the hardest part of making the school café, and what did you do to fix it?

Text

Optional

Question 4

What did you learn from working with local shops and how did it change your café plan?

Multiple choice

Optional

Options

Made it more Earth-friendly

Made it make more money

Helped get more customers

Brought in new cool ideas

Question 5

What was it like to use math to figure out how much money the café might make? Did it change how you see math outside of school?

Text

Required