Essential Questions

• How, as educators, can we create a classroom culture that promotes the 4Cs: collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity
• What are bio solutions and what are the ways they impact our daily lives?
• What types of jobs are in biotechnology?

Time Needed

• Time needed to prepare or gather and set up materials.- 1 -2 days
• Time needed to facilitate the activity. 2-3 weeks
• Time needed to wrap up/ review the activity. 1 week

Standards

• The North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate allows for deeper student learning and skill attainment and bridges the gap between K-12 education and workforce readiness.
• LS.8.1.1 Construct an explanation to compare the basic characteristics of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites relating to the spread, treatment and prevention of disease.

Background

To launch this PBL, students will visit a bio-solutions company and watch a video to gain a basic understanding of bio-solutions. Students will research what bio solutions are and the impacts they have on our daily lives.

Students will be grouped to further research a particular bio solution and the companies that manufacture the product, as well as the types of jobs and job skills that are needed to work in this industry.

The Activity

Part 1: Launch

• Trip to a biotechnology company
• Watch the video on a biosolution
• How Plastic Made With Algae Can Clean Waterways | World Wide Waste

Part 2: Individual Student’s initial research

• Students will complete a KWHL Chart
• Students will begin research on biotechnology/biosolutions
  • 10 killer presentation tips for students
  • 14 Dos and Don’ts for an Effective Presentation | Renderforest
• What are Biosolutions Research Form

Part 3: Creating Group Contracts

• Copy of The Good News Project- Group Contract-Specific Jobs
• Dayton-Regional-STEM-School-Collaboration-Log

Part 4: Group Research
Students share the information from their KWHL charts and research notes to decide on a topic for the presentation.

Part 5: Presentation
Students will decide how they will present their information, get feedback from peers on their presentation, and practice their presentations.

Wrap Up and Action

Informal evaluation will be through meetings with groups and asking them what they have learned and what they found to be most interesting. Formal assessment will include group and self-reflections, along with feedback forms from peers, and the use of a presentation rubric and a collaboration log.

• Self-Group and Reflection Project Work
• Dayton-Regional-STEM-School-Collaboration

Extensions

Connecting a biosolutions company with a school to create a curriculum that engages students in biotech processes that could potentially lead to jobs within the company.

Appendix

Project Example

About the Author

Heather Graham is a sixth and seventh-grade Project-based learning (PBL) teacher at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy in Holly Springs, NC. In her current position, she works to challenge students to think critically, collaborate, and create solutions.

She is a 2022-23 Kenan Fellow and has participated in the Nuggets on Mars project offered through the Koci Lab at NC State. In 2022-23, she was also selected as the Middle School Teacher of the Year by her peers and recognized by the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce as the October Educator of the Month 2023.

About the Fellowship

Graham’s fellowship was supported by the Biogen Foundation. Her mentor during her industry immersion at Novozymes was Arlan Peters. During her time at Novozymes, Graham had the opportunity to and learn about different job opportunities within the company, from research and development and waste management. Graham also visited the company’s labs in RTP, where she helped set up an experiment to test the effects of a protein on the growth of a plant similar in makeup to corn.