*Note for the Teacher: This calendar is provided as a guide and can be adapted to the needs of you and your students.
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Day 1
Students will watch the BLOSSOMS video lesson, “Will an Ice Cube Melt Faster in Freshwater or Saltwater?” and participate in the activities presented in that lesson. Teacher preparation for presenting this lesson can be found in the Video Teacher Guide segment at 12:08. Tonight’s homework will be on what students took away from that lesson and on what they know about water.
- Instructions to download or stream BLOSSOMS videos (PDF format, Word format)
- Student Homework for Day 1 (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 2
Today’s focus will be to transition from the BLOSSOMS video lesson to this Project-based Learning unit and also to assess the students’ prior knowledge of water. Students will participate in a whole class discussion centered on their completed homework assignment. Next, the PBL unit is introduced to students, explaining that the first part will include an overview of water’s unique properties with hands-on labs and demonstrations, while the second part will involve working in teams to deeply research one property of water (or possibly two) that interests them the most. This would be a good time to show the power point presentation listed below, "Special Properties of Water—Why Is Water a Good Place to Live," as an introduction to the lessons that will be presented over the next five days. While working with students on the four water lessons, frequently remind them that eventually they will need to select one property that interests them most to research for their project. Students should review the Handout for the Solvency Lesson as homework
- Day 2 Teacher Notes (PDF format, Word format)
- Special Properties of Water—Why Is Water a Good Place to Live (PDF format, PPT format)
- Student Handout for Solvency Lesson (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 3
Water as the “Universal Solvent” is the first lesson to be presented on the Special Properties of Water. In today’s lab demonstration, students will look at different solutions of some common compounds dissolved in water and test their ability to conduct electricity. See Lesson One, Part 1 document. The results will help students gather evidence about how water is able to dissolve certain materials, and indirectly, prove the existence of ions and ionic bonds. To further students’ understanding of today’s lesson, it would be good to have them explore this PHET Interactive Simulation resource on one of these two days, either in class or at home.
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Day 4
Today, after a review of concepts presented in the previous lesson, students will continue and complete their lab investigation on water as the “Universal Solvent.” See Lesson One, Part 2 document. Today’s lab will focus on dissolved gases in water. While the concept of dissolved gases in water is often difficult to grasp, students will conduct a simple experiment that will test to see if there are dissolved gases in a sample of water by “undissolving” any gases in solution. There should be time to review this first lesson on water’s solvency and answer any questions.
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Days 5-6
These two days will cover a lesson on the “Stickiness of Water” – focussing on cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension. Students will be involved in activities that demonstrate the properties of cohesion and adhesion, as well as the phenomena of capillary action and water surface tension. This lesson, with several ideas for demonstrations, can be found in the Lesson Two document. It is also suggested that students would benefit from watching the following video to better undertand the concepts presented: “Water: A Polar Molecule”
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Day 7
After reviewing concepts introduced on the Stickiness of Water, today’s lesson will focus on the High Heat Capacity of Water—that is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of water. Through discussions and demonstrations, students will come to understand important phenomena they see all around—such as why water is great at cooling things down and why once it’s warm, it stays warm. See Lesson Three document.
- Lesson Three (PDF format, Word format)
- Lesson Three Potential Project Ideas (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 8
After a review of concepts introduced in the previous lesson, today students will learn just how unique it is to water—and how fortunate it is for those of us living on Earth—that ice floats. See Lesson Four document. Through this lesson, students will come to understand the importance of this property on a molecular and global level. Here it would be good to connect students back to what they learned in the opening BLOSSOMS video lesson about Thermohaline Circulation. (See document below) To help students gain a better understanding of phase changes at the molecular level, have them explore the following PHET simulation, either in class or at home. Homework will be for students to provide their feedback on the four “Special Properties of Water” lessons. (See handout)
- Lesson Four (PDF format, Word format)
- Sea Ice and Ocean Circulation (PDF format, Word format)
- Lesson Four Potential Project Ideas (PDF format, Word format)
- Day 8 Homework Handout (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 9
Students now transition from the four lessons to the project phase of this unit. Through an all-class discussion centered around the homework, it will be important to explore their experience of the labs, clarify any remaining questions, and begin to get a sense of which property(s) of water each student may want to investigate further. This discussion should also flow easily into an introduction of the Driving Question of this PBL unit. As students report back on a topic they are interested in learning more about, the teacher can help them see how their topics are centered around a common basic question: “Why are water’s unique properties so important for life on Earth and how do those properties impact our lives and community?” Read more about the Driving Question here. Overall, it is an anchored question that reminds students about the goal they need to get to. By the end of class, it is hoped that students will be divided into four large groups by the property of water that interests them most. For homework, students in each four large groups can research project topics that answer the Driving Question, using the appropriate Potential Project Ideas handout to initiate their thinking.
- Lesson 1 Potential Projects Ideas (PDF format)
- Lesson 2 Potential Projects Ideas (PDF format)
- Lesson 3 Potential Projects Ideas (PDF format)
- Lesson 4 Potential Projects Topic (PDF format)
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Days 10 -11
Today each large group will begin to discuss their ideas for further exploration related to each of the four properties. The goal will be for each large Property of Water group to agree upon 5 or 6 possible topics for project exploration and research. By the end of these two days, each student will join a team of 3 or 4 members on a project topic that he or she is excited about! Once this is accomplished, these new student teams will meet to discuss and begin to narrow the focus of their project topic. They will also spend time developing new skills that will help them work more successfully in their teams as they prepare to start their projects. We suggest using team contracts, which are documents that state what teams will agree to and what will happen if they do not keep to these statements. Have teams start their team contracts for the upcoming project. For homework, student teams should begin searching for sources of information on their particular topic. Sources can include newspapers, websites, books, online articles or experts from their community. Students should also be considering whether there are any community members who may be interested in the results of their projects and should be invited to the Final Event.
- Blank Team Contract (PDF format)
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Day 12
First of all today, student teams should arrive at a consensus on the topic of their water project. Then they will be introduced to the requirements of those projects. Hand out copies of the Project Unit Goals, the Presentation Rubric and the Collaboration Rubric to each student and discuss it with the entire class. These documents can be adapted by teachers to meet the level and needs of their students. To help keep students on task and on time, we suggest using a task log, a live task list that makes it easy for teams (and the teacher) to know what has been done, what is in process, and what has just started.. You can read more about this useful tool here. During the remainder of class, student teams will work to clearly definine their project topic.
- Water Project Unit Goals (PDF format, Word format)
- Presentation Rubric (PDF format, Word format)
- Collaboration Rubric (PDF format, Word format)
- Student Task Log (PDF format, Word format)
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Days 13-15
Student teams work on their project Presentation Initial Draft, making sure to follow the requirements listed in the Goals and Rubric documents. During these days, the teacher will guide students in their work, and teams will have the opportunity to meet with their teacher for feedback, direction, and suggestions on how best to meet project requirements. Copy of project proposal and initial draft for presentation is completed and submitted by Day 15.
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Days 16-20
Guided by their teacher, student teams continue to work on their presentations, following closely the requirements provided in the Goals and Rubrics documents. By day 20, research is wrapped up, slide show is completed, script is edited and in final form, presentation is rehearsed and bibliography is prepared. Student Reflection Questionnaire is distributed.
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Day 21
Final Event: Typically the final presentation day of PBL work is a celebration. This Final Event is hosted ideally during a longer period than one class, such as after school where parents, stakeholders, the community, and other school officials are present. This is where students get to showcase their work. If such a time frame is not possible, then hold this public event during normal class times, but try to make sure that stakeholders are present during the class event. It is imperative to have outside connections as part of the audience, watching students present. Or if stakeholders are not possible, invite administration and other adults that are part of the school.
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Day 22
Required documents, including Student Reflection Questionnaire, are handed in. Refer to Water Project Unit Goals document for a complete list of products to be handed in..
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