G5 PBL How to improve the school’s composting system
The big idea created by students led their own learning through the whole unit: Global warming is changing and influencing all living things. We started with global warming and zoomed into the school’s nature garden to help students identify and describe how people and animals are connected to the environment. They could recognize the importance of the environment and see that people have different views.
Through visiting the garden, students found the following problems: No Bees! Overgrown Grass! Few varieties of flowers and wildlife! It Looks messy and dirty! The composting system doesn’t work! Students considered how they could take care of the nature garden and what they could do?
Students learnt that soil plays an important role in our environment and how it connects to all living things. They realized that the composting system is built to improve the quality of soil and fight against global warming.
Students researched and found facts about global warming. Using the facts they gathered they then proceeded to have a debate over the topic ” Do you think global warming is a problem?” This helped them to look at the situation objectively and in turn come up with a pros and cons list with regards to Global warming.
Students made their own compost within bottles as an experiment. They observed and recorded any changes which took place over a two weeks period. They also used a consequence flow chart to identify and describe the impact that composting has on our environment. Meanwhile, there were more questions which would arise.
Students embarked on a field trip to Wanjia Nature Garden to learn about the farmland’s ecosystem. They got the chance to participate in compost making and had a discussion with experts about the application and impact of composting. This experience not only provided a professional reference for children to solve practical problems, but also gave them a deeper understanding of sustainable development.
Students then designed a survey to gather information from teachers, school staff and students to find out why the composting system did not work.
Students analyzed the survey data through observation, interview and study, then summarized and formed a survey report. They put forward suggestions and action plans to improve the school’s composting system. The students had a lot of ingenious, creative and interesting ideas, but there were also some ideas that were unrealistic and difficult to implement. Next semester, we will conduct a trial run of the plan in the fifth grade to test the effectiveness of the operation of the composting system. So stay tuned!