4th Grade PBL
Responsible Gardeners
What stage of the Engineering Design Process are you currently working on? CREATE
Unit Driving Question
How can we responsibly care for our school garden during changes in weather throughout the year?
Unit Overview
Students will use what they learn during investigative research about weather, seasonal patterns, water cycle and energy needs to create water irrigation prototypes for our school gardens.
Our service learning project is growing produce for our school market in partnership with other grade levels. Our profits and additional produce will benefit a local organization that feeds families in our community.
Teaching and Learning
Ask - Presenting of Problem: STEM Activity Teacher, Mr. McConnell will introduce our problem. “School’s out for Summer.” It is hot in the summer and our garden and teachers are far away. What will happen to our garden?
Students will tour the school produce gardens and pollinator gardens.
Introduce Driving Question: “How can we responsibly care for our school garden during changes in weather throughout the year?”
Imagine - During Big Idea Lessons students will be investigating and researching about different needs of plants and how weather and seasonal patterns affect them.
Water and Weather
Watery Planet Activity - How do we use water? How much water is in the world?
Sources of Water
Water Cycle Stop Motion Video
Weather Tools and Predicting Weather
Rain Gauges - Create our own rain gauges to the nearest ⅛ of an inch and collect weather data in our STEM journals.
Ecosystems - What role does water play in a functioning ecosystem?
Energy Needs and Ecosystems
Roles in an Ecosystem
Our Local Ecosystem Lesson & Investigation Activity
Seasons and Weather Patterns
Day and Night
Sun, Earth, and Moon Relationships
Seasons and Gardening Activities
Master Gardener Guest - Differences in watering habits for various seasons
Moon Phases
Moonlight & Gardens Wonder
Simple Machines - How can simple machines be used to transport water?