Habitats PBL Project Design

Created Jan. 24, 2024 by Laurie Newhouse


        PROJECT DESIGN: OVERVIEW        page 1
Name of Project: HabitatsDuration: 4
Subject/Course: Reading, Writing, ScienceTeacher(s): Newhouse, YapGrade Level: 1
Key Knowledge and Understanding(CCSS or other standards)RI1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
RI1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas
W1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure
W1.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions)1.L.1 Understand characteristics of various environments and behaviors of humans that enable plants and animals to survive.
  • 1.L.1.1 Recognize that plants and animals need air, water, light (plants only), space, food and shelter and that these may be found in their environment.
  • 1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
1.L.2 Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.2 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth.
Success Skills(to be taught and assessed)Critical Thinking/Problem SolvingSelf-Management
CollaborationXOther:
Project Summary(include student role, issue, problem or challenge, action taken, and purpose/beneficiary)Students will select and research a biome and become experts on the plants, animals, and environments there. They will not simply present what they’ve learned about their habitats but teach other first graders through learning activities that they plan.Each first grade class will be a different habitat:
  • Desert (Hot and Dry/Semiarid/Coastal/Cold)
  • Tundra (Arctic/Alpine)
  • Aquatic (Freshwater/Marine)
  • Forests (Tropical/Temperate/Boreal)
  • Grasslands (Savanna/Temperate/Steppes)
We will take “Habitat Field Trips” to each other’s classrooms where students will both teach and learn.
Driving QuestionIf you could be any plant or animal, where would you live and why?
Entry Event
ProductsIndividual: Hand-out to teach their researchSpecific content and success skills to be assessed:
Team: Learning Activity (game, etc)Specific content and success skills to be assessed:
        PROJECT DESIGN: OVERVIEW        page 2
Making Products Public(include how the products will be made public and who students will engage with during/at end of project)Each class will host a “field trip” to their biome. They will transform their classroom into their biome, plan and create learning activities for their peers, and share their research in the form of their choice of informational writing. Students will work as “rangers” of the habitats.
Resources NeededOn-site people, facilities:**Erin Gillikin (art teacher) can have students create their self-portrait as an animal at the conclusion of the project when students have learned about all the animals in different biomes
Equipment:
Materials:**Supplies to decorate classroomPadlets:
Community Resources:**Durant Nature Park
Reflection Methods(how individual, team, and/or whole class will reflect during/at end of project)Journal/Learning LogFocus Group--Students practice their learning actvity with another group in the classroom and do “Feedback Friends”X
Whole-Class DiscussionXFishbowl Discussion
SurveyOther:
Academic Vocabulary


TIP
main
topic
idea
environment
need
shelter
space
nutrients
specific
facts
summarize


PROJECT DESIGN: STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE
Project: Habitats
Driving Question:
Final Product(s) Presentations, Performances, Products and/or ServicesLearning Outcomes/Targetsknowledge, understanding & success skills needed
by students to successfully complete products		Checkpoints/Formative Assessmentsto check for learning and ensure
students are on track		Instructional Strategies for All Learnersprovided by teacher, other staff, experts; includes
scaffolds, materials, lessons aligned to learning outcomes and formative assessments
Organism Trading CardW1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure

  • First Draft
  • Final Copy
  • Modeled writing
  • Mentor texts
  • Clear expectations for writing continuum rubric
W1.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions)
  • Synergizing Rubric
  • Collaboration protocols with talking stick
  • Sentence frames
1.L.1 Understand characteristics of various environments and behaviors of humans that enable plants and animals to survive.
  • 1.L.1.1 Recognize that plants and animals need air, water, light (plants only), space, food and shelter and that these may be found in their environment.
  • 1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
  • Rubric on final copy
  • Variety of text - digital, books, etc.
  • Academic Vocabulary - TIP Charts
  • Themed text in guided reading groups
  • Discovery Ed videos
  • Brainpop
  • Epic books
  • Big Universe
1.L.2 Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.2 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth.
  • Rubric on final copy
  • Variety of text - digital, books, etc.
  • Academic Vocabulary - TIP Charts
  • Themed text in guided reading groups
  • Discovery Ed videos
  • Brainpop
  • Epic books
  • Big Universe
Research PageRI1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
  • Fact Collecting Page
  • “Main Idea” bags
  • Practice with a variety of text types
  • Sentence frames
RI1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas
  • Citations on fact collecting page
  • Modeling and mini-lessons in literacy block
  • Sentence frames
Activity/Game for teaching other first graders1.L.1 Understand characteristics of various environments and behaviors of humans that enable plants and animals to survive.
  • 1.L.1.1 Recognize that plants and animals need air, water, light (plants only), space, food and shelter and that these may be found in their environment.
  • 1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
  • Rubric score
  • Discovery Ed videos
  • Brainpop
  • Epic books
  • Big Universe
1.L.2 Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.2 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth.
  • Rubric score
  • Discovery Ed videos
  • Brainpop
  • Epic books
  • Big Universe        
Reflection Writing: What plant or animal would you like to be and why? Where would you live?1.L.1 Understand characteristics of various environments and behaviors of humans that enable plants and animals to survive.
  • 1.L.1.1 Recognize that plants and animals need air, water, light (plants only), space, food and shelter and that these may be found in their environment.
  • 1.L.1.2 Give examples of how the needs of different plants and animals can be met by their environments in North Carolina or different places throughout the world.
Pre and post assess - before the project and after the project when students have been to each “biome field trip”
  • Rubric score on opinion writing rubric
1.L.2 Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.1 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
  • 1.L.2.2 Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different animals (including air, water, and food) for energy and growth.

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