Driving+Question

DRIVING QUESTION How can we produce energy for our community from available biomass in a sustainable manner?

CONTEXT
 * Interdisciplinary project in Chemistry, Physics, or Integrated Chemistry and Physics (ICP).
 * grades 10-12
 * approx. 25 students per class, in groups of 3-4
 * this is not a gender specific problem, so the gender mix is not an issue; groups should be relatively even based on interest
 * time frame: 3 weeks

MEANINGFULNESS AND AUTHENTICITY

The question is meaningful because it is related to the core standards for chemistry, physics, and ICP for Indiana that are related to thermochemistry, temperature and thermal energy transfer, and electricity and magnetism. It is also meaningful because its a “real world” problem that current scientists are investigating. Because students are investigating their community and how it relates to the scientific community, the question is authentic (it’s a microcosm of students home life with the surrounding community and country).

PBL CRITERIA w/examples

**ill-structuredness**- The question is open-ended, allowing students to define the terms “sustainable,” “available,” and “community.”

For example, students could define “available” as either locally farmed biomass or domestic waste.


 * Interdisciplinary- **The question is related to chemistry and physics but also can be related to other sciences as well as mathematics (economics). Students have to assess the environmental impact as well.


 * Appropriate- ** The question is appropriate as a problem-based learning question because students have an opportunity to directly impact their environment and can choose how they do that.

INTEGRATION INTO CURRICULUM


 * Specific biomass content- ** Students will have to investigate what qualifies as biomass, how that biomass creates energy, and how we can capture that energy to power our lives. In other words, students will be defining what biomass is and which biomass is most appropriate for their community’s use.


 * Real-life and work beyond school- **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> students will be working with real world community data (both directly from the students homes and data gathered elsewhere). The students will eventually present their projects to varying members of the community (ie principal, school board members, community and business leaders, etc).


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategies for focusing students on the question- **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> student/group roles, daily/weekly checkpoints, presentation deadlines


 * Image Courtesy:http://educationvisionleadership.edublogs.org/2010/08/11/project-based-learning