Title: Marketing Enzymes as Biomass to Biofuel Converters
Length of Time: Four to Five 50 minute class periods (depending on class sizes and presentation lengths)
Objective: Students convince an audience of the importance of using biological methods effectively to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs.
Standards: Describe how the sun’s energy is captured and used to construct sugar molecules that can be used as a form of energy or serve as building blocks of organic molecules. (B.3.1, B.3.2, B.3.3) Diagram how matter and energy cycle through an ecosystem. (B.3.4, B.3.5)
21st Century Skills: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication.
Materials:
Final Product Prompt and Rubric, computers, possible tools like glogster, google docs, google voice, audacity, poster board, cell phones for picture taking.
General Procedure:
Day One:
1.) Pose the Culminating Investigative Question: How can biological methods be effectively used to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs?
2.) Task: Students will develop a way to present to an audience their thoughts and answers about the question and why they think it is important for enzymes to be used in the conversion of biomass to biofuels.
Possible Prompt/Entry Document: A biochemist is seeking public support for their enzyme research. They need media materials to help their cause and convince the public that this is a worthy cause.
Develop a way to show others (assume they know very little about biology and enzymes) how and why biological methods can be effectively used to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs.
3.) Assessment: Observing how students worked in groups. Students write one way their group can improve tomorrow and one piece of information their group would like to know.
Day Two:
1.) Debriefing: Going over obstacles and reminding students how to improve from yesterday. Pose the question “What criteria should we use to evaluate our productions?”
2.) Work Time: Working on media material production in groups.
3.) Assessment: Draft of media piece due tomorrow.
Day Three:
1.) Debriefing: Any questions you have over biomass/biofuels for their media piece?
2.) Task: Students write what they want reviews to focus on. Gallery walk of draft of presentation media piece.
3.) Students then revise their presentations.
4.) Assessment: Tomorrow’s presentation
Day Four:
1.) Final Presentations
Day Five:
1.) Finish Final Presentations
2.) If extra time, Post-Test
3.) If extra time, Groups pair up to form circles of 6 and have a "Group Wrap-a-around" where students reflect and share on the following questions, "What will I remember about this week?" "What may I still not understanding about this week/unit?"
Assessment: Rubric on final product prompt
Length of Time: Four to Five 50 minute class periods (depending on class sizes and presentation lengths)
Objective: Students convince an audience of the importance of using biological methods effectively to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs.
Standards: Describe how the sun’s energy is captured and used to construct sugar molecules that can be used as a form of energy or serve as building blocks of organic molecules. (B.3.1, B.3.2, B.3.3) Diagram how matter and energy cycle through an ecosystem. (B.3.4, B.3.5)
21st Century Skills: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication.
Materials:
Final Product Prompt and Rubric, computers, possible tools like glogster, google docs, google voice, audacity, poster board, cell phones for picture taking.
General Procedure:
Day One:
1.) Pose the Culminating Investigative Question: How can biological methods be effectively used to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs?
2.) Task: Students will develop a way to present to an audience their thoughts and answers about the question and why they think it is important for enzymes to be used in the conversion of biomass to biofuels.
Possible Prompt/Entry Document: A biochemist is seeking public support for their enzyme research. They need media materials to help their cause and convince the public that this is a worthy cause.
Develop a way to show others (assume they know very little about biology and enzymes) how and why biological methods can be effectively used to convert biomass to biofuel to meet our energy needs.
3.) Assessment: Observing how students worked in groups. Students write one way their group can improve tomorrow and one piece of information their group would like to know.
Day Two:
1.) Debriefing: Going over obstacles and reminding students how to improve from yesterday. Pose the question “What criteria should we use to evaluate our productions?”
2.) Work Time: Working on media material production in groups.
3.) Assessment: Draft of media piece due tomorrow.
Day Three:
1.) Debriefing: Any questions you have over biomass/biofuels for their media piece?
2.) Task: Students write what they want reviews to focus on. Gallery walk of draft of presentation media piece.
3.) Students then revise their presentations.
4.) Assessment: Tomorrow’s presentation
Day Four:
1.) Final Presentations
Day Five:
1.) Finish Final Presentations
2.) If extra time, Post-Test
3.) If extra time, Groups pair up to form circles of 6 and have a "Group Wrap-a-around" where students reflect and share on the following questions, "What will I remember about this week?" "What may I still not understanding about this week/unit?"
Assessment: Rubric on final product prompt