Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

Day

Lesson
topic/title

The Amazing
Journey of Water

Objectives

Overview of activities

Evidence of
differentiation; language
support

Students will be able to

discuss the various
aspects of and locations
involved in the water
cycle.

Water Journey activity: Students will act as

water and travel through various stages and
places of the water cycle, collecting beads of
water to represent where they have been, while
recording the locations they have been to as
well (Example: Rain, ocean, river, etc.).

Kinesthetic Learners: The

water journey activity
requires students to move to
various stations set up around
the classroom to represent the
various movements of water.

Brain Pop video: The Water Cycle. A

discussion will follow at the conclusion of the
video to check for student comprehension.

A word wall of vocabulary

associated with water and the
water cycle will be displayed
in the classroom.

A think-pair-share will be conducted to allow

students to figure out what the rationale for this
unit may be. The teacher will then conduct a
whole-class discussion to explain the purpose
and rationale of the unit.

The Water Journey activity

will be conducted before the
Brain Pop video in order to
provide a concrete experience
to help students better
comprehend the video.

Students will be able to

predict the purpose and
importance of this new
unit.

A chart will be distributed to students for them

to record their and their families water use.
The teacher will model how to fill out the chart.
They will start recording this information as
part of tonights HW.

The Brain Pop video supports

visual and auditory learners.
It also includes closed
captioning as an extra
support.
Suggestion for newcomer
students: I would have
students interview their
relatives about what the water
supply conditions were like
in their home country.

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

Water Filtration
Challenge

Students will be able to

construct filtration
systems and assess the
effectiveness of the
filtration systems.

Water Filtration Challenge activity: Using the

materials provided to them (coffee filters,
straws, cotton balls, funnels), the students will
work in groups to determine how to filter dirty
water.

Students will be able to

evaluate the difficulty of
filtering polluted water.

A whole-class discussion will follow the water

filtration challenge activity, talking about the
various plans/methods students tested to try to
filter the water, difficulties the students faced,
and how this connects to issues of filtration and
water pollution in real life. The discussion will
also explore how this issue of water pollution
and filtration relates to the unit topic of water
conservation. This discussion will be done in
the form of a Socratic seminar.
The second night of recording water use on
water use chart.

The water filtration challenge

worksheet contains portions
for writing explanations and
portions for illustrating the
model students created. The
illustration portion supports
students who struggle with
writing. The worksheet is
scaffolded to further support
students, especially those
who struggle with writing.
The Socratic seminar format
for the whole-class discussion
of the filtration challenge
activity will extend the
opportunity for students to be
in control of their learning.
The teacher does very little
talking, acting more as a
participant or observer rather
than a leader of the
conversation.
For students who finish early:
Students will be asked to
research different filtration
and water catchment systems
used in by various groups in
different parts/climates of the
world and in the U.S.
Students will have a list of
locations to choose from,
such as Eskimos in the Arctic
climate, various locations in
Africa, and various locations

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

in Southeast Asia. Once

students select a location and
conduct research, they will
construct a Venn Diagram to
compare it to the water
system in our geographical
location in the U.S.
Students will be able to
construct a graph or
chart to display data that
has been collected over a
period of two days.

Graphing Our
Water Usage

Students will be able to

analyze data that has
been collected for two
days and presented in a
graph or chart.
Students will be able to
calculate the amount of
water they use over
various periods of time
with the use of
preexisting data that has
been collected.

Students will bring their water use charts back

to school to calculate and compare the results
of their charts. Based on the results, students
will have to figure out how to represent the
class results (graph, chart, etc.). Students will
use the constructed chart to determine how
water is used among them most frequently
(shower, drinking, etc.). They will also have to
use their results to figure out how much water
they use in a week, month, and year.
Students will write a response to the graphs and
data.

The graphs support visual

learners.
Before writing, students will
participate in a turn and talk
about the results of the graph
and their opinions regarding
these results. This will help
students who struggle with
writing, as well as students
who may be English
language learners, formulate
ideas before they begin
writing.
Sentence frames will be
provided for students to use
to describe the information
presented by the graph(s)
they constructed. The
sentence frames will say:
Based on the graph we
made, our class uses the most
water _____________. This
activity uses __________
gallons of water. Our class
uses the least amount of
water _____________. This
activity uses

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

______________ gallons of
water. Based on the results
shown in the graph, student
explains his or her
opinion/reaction to the
results. The teacher will also
model an example
explanation.
Students will be able to
collect information,
through research,
regarding water
conservation.

Water Conservation
Investigation

Students will be able to

prepare presentations in
small groups on water
conservation, which will
be presented to the class.

In a whole-group setting, the class will

complete a Frayer model for the word,
conserve.
Brain Pop video: Water Supply. This video also
talks about the health risks associated with not
having clean water.
In small groups, the students will research
various steps they can take to reduce their
water usage and prepare presentations to share
their findings with their classmates.

Completing a Frayer model

before watching the Brain
Pop video will provide
students with some
background knowledge that
will help them further
comprehend the information
presented in the video.
Additionally, it is an effective
support for visual learners.
The Brain Pop video supports
visual and auditory learners.
It also includes closed
captioning as an extra
support. Since it is a longer
video, it will be stopped
periodically to check
students understanding of the
information being presented
to them. This will be done
through the use of questions
that require both lower and
higher-order thinking.
A choice board will be
distributed to students for
them to determine how to

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

present what they found.

Some of the choices include,
but are not limited to:
writing, a news broadcast,
and a poster.
A flexible grouping model
will be used, in which
students will work in small
groups to formulate a plan,
conduct research individually,
and then return to their small
groups to pool their
information together to
prepare a presentation for
their classmates.
Water conservation
vocabulary will be added to
the word wall.
A checklist will be provided
to students in order for them
to make sure they have the
appropriate components in
their presentation. The
checklist will include, but not
be limited to, the following:
Did I collect my information
from reliable resources? Did I
cooperate with my group
members? Did I use proper
academic vocabulary in the
presentation? Is the
presentation easy for the
audience to follow?

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

5
How Can We
Conserve Water?

Students will be able to

prepare presentations in
small groups on water
conservation that will be
presented to the class.
Students will be able to
report in a variety of
formats on various water
conservation practices.

Students will be able to

discuss and explain why
everyone does not have
access to clean water.

Clean Water for

Everyone?

Students will be able to

compose a letter, as a
whole group, to propose
a plan of action for
helping those in need of
clean water.

Students will finish preparing their

presentations and present them to the class.
Water challenge: A chart will be distributed to
students for them to record their and their
families water use again for two days, but this
time, they have to try to implement some water
conservation practices. They will start
recording this information as part of tonights
HW.

In a read-aloud setting, the class will read a

trade book about how some people do not have
clean water: Clean Water For Elirose, by Ariah
Fine, and some sections of Every Last Drop:
Bringing Clean Water Home, by Michelle
Mulder. The concept of finding the main idea
and supporting details will be explored during
this read-aloud. The teacher will model the
strategies used to find the main idea and
identify supporting details. Then, a main idea
and supporting details worksheet will be
distributed. Using, Clean Water For Elirose, as

A choice board will be

distributed to students for
them to determine how to
present what they found.
Some of the choices include,
but are not limited to:
writing, a news broadcast,
and a poster.
A checklist will be provided
to students in order for them
to make sure they have the
appropriate components in
their presentation. The
checklist will include, but not
be limited to, the following:
Did I collect my information
from reliable resources? Did I
cooperate with my group
members? Did I use proper
academic vocabulary in the
presentation? Is the
presentation easy for the
audience to follow?
A picture walk will be
conducted before reading to
help with students
comprehension of the story.
Important vocabulary from
the trade books will be added
to the word wall.
The letter to the principal will
be constructed as a whole
class, using a language

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

Students will be able to

compose various
activities in small groups
to present their
knowledge on water
conservation to other
members of the school.

the text to be analyzed, the teacher and students

will complete part of the worksheet together
and then the students will complete it on their
own.
The class will begin a discussion of how we
can help people in need of water, and the
teacher will introduce to the students the idea
of Water Conservation Day. As a whole group,
the class will write a letter to the principal to
propose our idea. The concept of letter writing
will be explicitly taught by conducting a
discussion of what goes into a persuasive letter
like the one we would be creating. A sample of
a generic letter that the teacher wrote with
various parts of the letter labeled and
explained- such as the header, indentations,
opening sentence, and closing phrase- will be
distributed to the students as a visual support.
Students will research various organizations
and select one to donate money to (Example:
Project Water). They will also form groups to
begin brainstorming activities or presentations
to conduct for other classes during Water
Conservation Day. As the students are
conducting their research, they will be applying
their newly acquired skills of identifying the
main idea and supporting details to determine
which sources would be beneficial to use in
their projects.
The second night of recording water use with
conservation practices.

experience approach and the

model letter as a guide for
our format. The class will
then revise the letter as a
whole group, with the teacher
asking questions about the
organization of various ideas
and sentences, and additional
information that could be
incorporated into the letter to
strengthen our proposal to the
principal.
The groups students work in
will be formed based on the
results of an interest survey.
This way, the teacher can
create heterogeneous groups.
However, she will try to
group some students with
similar learning styles- such
as visual or kinesthetictogether to make it easier for
them to decide on what
activity or presentation to
conduct for the school.
Each member of a group will
have a specific role, such as,
but not limited to, recorder
and facilitator, to ensure
everyone participates.
Students who do not feel
comfortable performing
activities and presentations in

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

front of other members of the

school will be provided with
the option to organize and
manage the Water
Conservation Day bake sales,
while still helping other
groups prepare their
activities.
Students will be able to
analyze data that has
been collected for two
days and present it
through the construction
of a graph or chart.

Graphing Our
Water Usage Take
Two and Spreading
the Word About
Water Conservation
Day

Students will be able to

examine the differences
that exist between the
results of water use with
conservational practices
and the results of water
use without
conservational practices.
Students will be able to
apply
persuasive/argumentative
writing skills to write
letters to various
government and
organization officials.

Students will calculate, compare, and graph the

results of their water use charts. They will then
analyze their results to see how they compare
to the first set of results collected at the
beginning of the unit.
The students will promote awareness for a
school-wide Water Conservation Day. Students
will create posters and flyers, write
advertisements to broadcast over the
loudspeaker during morning announcements,
and write letters- using the letter writing skills
developed the previous day- to county and state
representatives to both inform them of the
water supply/conservation issue and invite
them to our Water Conservation Day. As a
whole group, the students will write a letterusing the letter writing skills developed the
previous day- inviting someone from the
organization the students selected (Example:
Project Water) to come speak at Water
Conservation Day. The students will also
continue working on their projects for the
event.
Students will write a response to the graphs and
data.

Before writing, students will

participate in a turn and talk
about the water conservation
practices they used, the
results of the graph, and their
opinions regarding these
results. This will help
students who struggle with
writing, as well as students
who may be English
language learners, formulate
ideas before they begin
writing.
Sentence frames will be
provided for students to use
to describe the information
presented by the graph(s)
they constructed. The
sentence frames will say:
Based on the new graph we
made, our class uses the most
water _____________. This
activity uses __________
gallons of water. Our class
uses the least amount of
water _____________. This
activity uses

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

______________ gallons of
water. The results of our
second graph are
similar/different from the first
graph we constructed
explanation. The water
conservation practices I used
include list conservation
practices used. Based on the
results shown in the graph,
student explains his or her
opinion/reaction to the
results.
Each member of a group will
have a specific role, such as,
but not limited to, recorder
and facilitator, to ensure
everyone participates.
Students who do not feel
comfortable performing
activities and presentations in
front of other members of the
school will be provided with
the option to organize and
manage the Water
Conservation Day bake sales,
while still helping other
groups prepare their
activities.
The class will create a
rubric/check-list to ensure its
activities and presentations
for Water Conservation Day

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

meet various requirements

established by both the
students and the teacher.

Water Conservation
Day Preparation

Water Conservation
Day Preparation

Students will be able to

prepare activities and
informational
presentations in small
groups to promote
school-wide awareness
of water conservation.

Students will continue promoting awareness for

Water Conservation Day and finish working on
their projects for the event.

Students will be able to

prepare activities and
informational
presentations in small
groups to promote
school-wide awareness
of water conservation.

Students will continue promoting awareness for

water conservation day and practice conducting
their activities or presentations for the event.
After their practice presentations, the students
will make any necessary revisions to their
presentations based on their peers evaluations
and their self-evaluations.

Students will be able to

assess their finished
projects and revise them
based on their
assessments.

Each member of a group will

have a specific role, such as,
but not limited to, recorder
and facilitator, to ensure
everyone participates.
Students who do not feel
comfortable performing
activities and presentations in
front of other members of the
school will be provided with
the option to organize and
manage the Water
Conservation Day bake sales,
while still helping other
groups prepare their
activities.
The class constructed
rubric/check-list will be used
by the students to evaluate
both their peers presentations
and their own presentations
so that any necessary
revisions can be made before
conducting the activities and
presentations at Water
Conservation Day.

Project Based Learning Water Conservation Unit for Sixth Grade

10
Water Conservation
Day!

Students will be able to

organize and carry out a
school-wide Water
Conservation Day in an
effort to raise money to
donate to the
organization of their
choice (Example: Project
Water).
Students will be able to
measure their level of
knowledge on water
conservation based on
the final product of their
presentations and how
they were able to
conduct them.

The students will hold Water Conservation Day

at the school. All students in the school will be
asked to bring in either two dollars or a water
bottle, and all teachers will be asked to bring in
three dollars. These items and money will be
donated to the organization my students chose
(Example: Project Water). A representative
from the chosen organization will come to talk
to the school. My students will hold a bake sale
before school, during lunch periods, and after
school to raise more money to be donated. My
class will have various stations set up in the
gym or all-purpose room with activities and
presentations to conduct to other classes to
inform them about the water cycle, water
supply, and water conservation. The classes
will move around the gym or all-purpose room,
visiting and exploring the different stations.
After the Water Conservation Day activities,
the students will participate in a cubing activity
to reflect on all of the information discussed
during the unit. Then, they will write a
reflection on Water Conservation Day and their
presentations.

The cubing activity requires

students to form groups and
orally answer questions that
fall under the categories of,
describe it, compare it,
associate it, analyze it,
apply it, and argue for or
against it. This will help
students, especially those
who struggle with writing,
reflect on the unit and
formulate ideas before filling
out their exit cards.
An exit card will be
distributed at the end of the
day asking students to
identify three things they
learned throughout the unit,
one positive thing that
occurred during their activity
presentations, one thing they
would change or do
differently with their activity
presentations, and one thing
they would like to learn more
about on the subject.