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AC Symposium: LEGO Gardens_FSA_Project Planner
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Project Planner

Project Planner

1. Project Overview

Project Title

LEGO Gardens

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Grade Level/ Subject

7-8th / Math, Science, ELA

Time Frame

6 weeks (2-3 days a week)

Project Summary

Students will explore and photograph plants and animals within the Gardens at the Paine Arts Center. Students will choose a photographed organism to deep dive their learning towards by researching the background and function of the organism. Students will create a visual product with LEGOs to draw interest to their learning.

→Symposium Slide Show

Public Product(s) Individual

7-8th: Scaled LEGO pixel art of their individually photographed organism.

2. Learning Goals

Standards

7th:

7.G.A.1: Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.

8th:

MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function.

MS-LS1-4: Use arguments based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.

Key Vocabulary

Organism; Plant; Animal; Habitat; Ecosystem; Scaling; Pixel; Model

Literacy Skills

  • Reading informational text
  • Research skills
  • Informational writing
  • Organizational skills of writing
  • Engaging in collaborative conversations
  • RACES writing skills (paragraph formatting)
  • Artist Label
  • W.2
  • W.9
  • L.5
  • L.6

Success Skills

Critical thinking; Collaboration; Self-management/self-directed learning; Complex communication; Creativity

Rubric(s)

-Summative Rubric


3. Project Milestones

Milestone #1

Entry Event (2 Days)

Milestone #2

Milestone #3

Milestone #4

Milestone #5

Milestone #6

Public Product

Take a field trip to the Gardens at the Paine Arts Center.

Learn about photography from the PAC Educator.

→ Explore the Gardens and photograph a living organism in the habitat. (Plant or Animal)

→ Print photographs for reference & display

Research chosen organisms

→ Complete graphic organizer

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Use template to organize writing

→ Produce final research writing product

Arts Integration Lessons

→ 7/8th: Mini lessons about the history of pixels and the art created with pixels

Plan LEGO design

→ 7/8th: Rough draft scale of image with grid and color dot stickers

Design LEGO build

Write Artist Label

Display photograph, Research Writing, LEGO Product, and Artist Label.

All pieces on display for Student Showcase Gallery

Key Student Question

Key Student Question

Key Student Question

Key Student Question

Key Student Question

Key Student Question

What lives in the Gardens?

→Can you capture a photograph of a living organism in its environment?

→Can you see the needs of the organism in its environment?

→What is the habitat for the organism?

→How does the organism survive in its habitat?

What is the cell structure of the organism?

→Why do scientists make models?

→What does 3-D mean?

→What is a pixel?

→How are pixels used in technology?

→How are pixels used in art?

→How do I plan out a build design?

→How can you combine your elements into one model?

→How does scale affect your product?

→What materials do we have?

→How will we create our design?

→How will you show depth?

→Does your product represent your organism?

→How did we share our learning?

Formative Assessment(s)

Formative Assessment(s)

Formative Assessment(s)

Formative Assessment(s)

Formative Assessment(s)

Formative Assessment(s)

→Photography Success Share - Thumb up, side, down

→Need to Knows

→Research graphic organizer

→Writing Template

→Advisor Conference: Writing Status (Research paragraph - independent)

→Need to Knows Check-in

→Vocab Exit Ticket

→Need to Knows Check-in

→Design rough drafts

→Need to Knows Check-in

→Peer 1-point Rubric for building process

→Advisor Conference: Build Status

→Need to Knows Check-in

→Advisor Conference: Writing Status (Artist Label - Independent)

→Advisor: Summative Rubric

→Self: Summative Rubric

4. Project Calendar

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Week # 1

1: Days 1-2

Project Milestone #1

Entry Event: Field trip to the Gardens at the paine Arts Center

Key Student Question(s)

What lives in the Gardens?

Can you capture a photograph of a living organism in its environment?

Can you see the needs of the organism in its environment?

Day 1

Day 2

Day

Day

Day

Entry Event:

Field trip to the Gardens at the Paine Arts Center.

Learn about photography from the PAC Educator.

→ N2K: Opportunity to ask questions.

→ Explore the Gardens and photograph a living organism in the habitat. (Plant or Animal)

Entry Event:

→ Print photographs for reference & display

→ Share Out: Photography Success Share - 👍👎

→ N2K: Opportunity to add questions.

Additional Notes: https://www.thepaine.org/gardens/

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Week # 1 - 3

1-3: Days 3-10

Project Milestone #2

Research Based Learning: Students will build background knowledge about their chosen organism

Key Student Question(s)

What is the habitat for the organism?

How does the organism survive in its habitat?

What is the cell structure of the organism?

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

→ Complete graphic organizer

→ Complete graphic organizer

→ Cell Diagrams

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Use template to organize writing

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Use template to organize writing

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Produce research writing product from template

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day

Day

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Produce research writing product from template

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Peer edit of research writing

Research Paragraph Writing

→ Produce final research writing product

→ Fixing peer edits

Additional Notes:

https://www.brainpop.com/topic/cells/

https://www.brainpop.com/topic/cell-structures/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12WpsXM_etSAB5HW599ueXKNTDew_TBKH/view?usp=drive_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ASI9Cw0FT2O38B8BWZOi5F4q8nG0jBb9/view?usp=drive_link

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Week # 4

Days 11 - 12

Project Milestone #3

Arts Integration Lessons

→ 7/8th: Mini lessons about the history of pixels and the art created with pixels

Key Student Question(s)

What is a model?

What does 3-D mean?

What is a pixel?

How are pixels used in technology?

How are pixels used in art?

Day 11

Day 12

Day

Day

Day

Arts Integration Lessons

→ 7/8th: Mini lessons about the history of pixels and the art created with pixels

  • BrainPop - Television
  • The Art & Evolution of Pixel Art article
  • Read & discuss
  • Mario Pixel Art Practice

Arts Integration Lessons

→ 7/8th: Mini lessons about the history of pixels and the art created with pixels

  • BrainPop - Cameras
  • Explore pixel art with Pixilart Online

Additional Notes:  

https://medium.com/@mohamedbensfia03/the-art-and-evolution-of-pixel-art-389291294976#:~:text=Historical%20Background%3A,of%20320x240%20pixels%20or%20less.

https://www.pixilart.com/draw#

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MTsfYzIhUP0B7vRLBaNERrOA4OpQ1bvA/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107497114828165135166&rtpof=true&sd=true

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Week # 4

Day 13

Project Milestone #4

Plan LEGO design

→ 7/8th: Rough draft scale of image with grid and color dot stickers

Key Student Question(s)

How do I plan out a build design?

How can you combine your elements into one model?

How does scale affect your product?

Day 13

Day

Day

Day

Day

Plan LEGO design

→ 7/8th: Rough draft scale of image

  • Apply Grid to photo & tagboard
  • Determine single color per grid square
  • Use color dot stickers to create pixel copy of original photo

Additional Notes:  

Driving Question

What organisms thrive in the Gardens and why?

Week # 5 - 6

Day 14 - 18?

Project Milestone #5

Design LEGO build

Write Artist Label

Key Student Question(s)

What materials do we have?

How will we create our design?

How will you show depth?

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Design LEGO build

→ 7/8th:

  • Apply Grid to photo to match LEGO Base Plate
  • Determine single color per grid square
  • Use LEGO dots to create pixel copy of original photo

Design LEGO build

→ 7/8th:

  • Continue

Design LEGO build

→ 7/8th:

  • Continue as needed

Write Artist Label

  • All grades will produce this writing product
  • Previously practiced in Humanities

Design LEGO build

→ 7/8th:

  • Continue as needed

Write Artist Label

  • All grades will produce this writing product
  • Previously practiced in Humanities

Write Artist Label

  • All grades will produce this writing product
  • Previously practiced in Humanities

Additional Notes:  

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is designed by PBLWorks to be adapted by teachers and shared with students in the classroom.  

www.pblworks.org