Students learn how to survive in the wilderness by collecting water through a process called "transpiration" in this interactive Project Based Learning lesson.

1. PBL: Transpiration
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING

2. Objectives and Overview
 Students conduct research to find a
viable strategy for collecting water,
given a specific situation and known
methods for reference.
Summary of lesson:
 Study various sources in a group setting
 Derive relevant and meaningful sources and
formulate a plan of action using those
sources
 Conduct an experiment for one possible
method of collecting water that
demonstrates the use of prior knowledge
and has a concise thesis statement
 Complete one method and 2-3 revisions by
the end of the lesson
SWBAT:

3. Materials & Technology
Reading
 Age-specific books and science magazines
 Articles
 Suggested online resources
Project
• Plants, plastic wrap, heat source
• Computers, projector, student journal
• Selected scientific sources on plants and water
collection

4. Suggested scientific sources
Information Packet:
 Secondary derivatives of scholarly information that give a
summary of different water collection methods that suit
the specific challenge
 Vetted primary sources on water harvesting including
Newsweek, Popular Science and other online sources

5. Class Procedure
1. Introduce
Give an intro of the story. The
students are stranded in the
wilderness or a desert environment.
Discuss water as a necessity in these
situations and what we might do if
faced with this challenge. Projector
can be used to introduce the
storyline in animation format.
2. Make a Plan
Do research on methods for
harvesting water and write or draw a
specific method or device and briefly
present it in groups. Discuss helpful
strategies for carrying out the plan.
3. Execute & Revise
Choose a method as a class and carry
out the method in groups to
demonstrate its efficacy. The class
can be guided toward a certain
method, in this case “transpiration”,
which is to gather the water which is
a byproduct of plant “breathing.”

6. Why this lesson?
This lesson incorporates all the facets of a
good PBL lesson:
Key knowledge, understanding and
success skills
Challenging problem or question
Sustained inquiry
Authenticity
Student voice & choice
Critique & Revision
Reflection

7. Real world connections
Kids in this age group can
become public advocates!
Writing to a newspaper or
sending out a public
brochure that notifies people
of the dangers in the wild
and spreads public
awareness about how to
survive if stranded.

8. Assessments
Formative: Summative:
• Ask leading questions
before and during
activity
• Five fingers
• KWL chart
• Presentation of plan
• Constructed-response and
selected-response test at
end of unit

9. The Process
A plant is used to collect water vapor onto a
plastic covering

10. References
Eichholz, Terri (2016). “25 Creative Ways to Incorporate More
Project-Based Learning in the Classroom”. Retrieved July 23,
2017 from http://www.fusionyearbooks.com/blog/project-
based-learning/
“What is Project Based Learning (PBL)?” (2017). Buck Institute of
Education. Retrieved July 23, 2017 from
https://www.bie.org/about/what_pbl