CFES Fourth Grade STEM Video.mp4

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.

4th Grade on MTV.mp4

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?

Responsible Gardeners 4th CFES PBL (Revised 12/7)