Plant Two Trees Project Real World Project Based Learning Sue Boudreau and Marshall Sachs Orinda Intermediate School Resources at:

Where are you with PBL? Why you have come to this workshop? Where are you with PBL? Talk to your neighbor(s). Share out.

SEP 1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems SEP 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations SEP 4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data SEP 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence SEP 8: Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information Rooted in NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

Why Trees? Started with a heat wave – a real problem students and teachers face at our school

Why Trees? Trees are BEAUTIFUL and MAJESTIC – Students have a real interest

Why Trees? Provided a CONCRETE and VISIBLE “reward” for hard work that students could see for years to come

Why Trees? Fits in with our garden / outside (Chores and Choice) curriculum

What does YOUR school need? Are there any needs at your school you could design a project around? Take two minutes to think and share with someone nearby!

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 1: Started with quick brainstorm – “What are the benefits and dangers of trees?”

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Organized into 7 categories based on student responses 1. Benefits to Wildlife 2. Benefits to Climate 3. Benefits to Soil 4. Psychological Benefits 5. Products for people 6. Benefits of native vs non- native species 7. Cons / Dangers of trees

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 2: Online Research Students chose categories most interesting to themselves and conducted online research

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 3: Planning Outside Research in Notebooks -Students planned their own investigations to gather their own experimental evidence to support the benefits / dangers of trees they were interested in -Teachers read / discussed experiments with students to offer feedback and coaching before beginning the next day

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Days 4 and 5: Outside Investigations -Students conducted the experiments they had planned and recorded the data in their notebooks

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Days 4 and 5: Outside Investigations -Students conducted the experiments they had planned and recorded the data in their notebooks

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 6: Each class chooses 4 ranked locations -Based on the evidence gathered from research and experiments students decided on 4 possible locations for planting on a map

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 7: Each class chooses TREE SPECIES for each location

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 9-12: Writing Grant Proposals! -Students researched cost, planting, and care of saplings -Used evidence from notebooks and posts on bulletin boards to write proposal -Template provided structure, and included graphics / diagrams

And see student work samples

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 9-12: Writing Grant Proposals! -Students researched cost, planting, and care of saplings -Used evidence from notebooks and posts on bulletin boards to write proposal -Template provided structure, and included graphics / diagrams Share student work samples

What we did: A BRIEF Overview of The Plant Two Trees Project Day 13: Present to Principal and/or Parents Club Presidents. We gave the principal several of the best grant proposals from each class to choose from. He then came in and announced his decisions and gave a certificate to students whose grants won. Several district-level problems came out at this late stage – run it by grounds staff/chief, check policies about fruit trees on campus etc. Day 14: Decision day and Planning: Schedule buying and procuring of equipment, saplings and day to plant. In addition to the saplings, we purchased fertilizer, gopher small gauge chicken wire baskets to protect the root balls, netting and 6ft sticks to hold the netting.

Once we knew what trees and supplies were needed we partnered with a local nursery that delivered the trees later on in the year. A staff person from the nursery came out to some periods to teach how to plant the trees properly. Planting Days!

How to manage this chaos!? The PBL Class Management Tool Kit Our favorite strategies to ensure fair participation and engage students

A.Developing Group Norms B.Rotating Jobs C.Whiteboards / Brainstorming D.“Poker Chip” voting E.Idea Bulletin Boards F.Notebooks for deeper reflection PBL Management Toolkit: Full list at descriptions at: takeactionscience.wordpress.com

A.Developing Group Norms B.Rotating Jobs C.Whiteboards / Brainstorming D.“Poker Chip” voting E.Idea Bulletin Boards F.Notebooks for deeper reflection PBL Management Toolkit: Full list at descriptions at: takeactionscience.wordpress.com

Other Links / PBL Resources - TONS of blogs and resources for PBL workshop-pagehttps://takeactionscience.wordpress.com/get-started-with-pbl-ousd- workshop-page - “Get Started with PBL” Orinda Union School District PBL Workshop psychology/project-based-learning-education-psychologyhttps://takeactionscience.wordpress.com/category/education- psychology/project-based-learning-education-psychology - Sample Projects Developed at Orinda Intermediate School tool-kit/ PBL Class Management Toolkit More “ready to go” PBL

QUESTIONS? Sue Boudreau Marshall Sachs All links / handouts / resources available at