Lesson Sequence | Plants and Conserving Water for Humans

Plants have ingenious ways of collecting and storing water. In Lesson 1, students will explore ways in which water is conserved, stored, and collected by plants. In Lesson 2, students will explore the ways and manners in which humans have conserved, stored, and collected water. They will connect this to their prior findings with plants to develop possible prototypes. In Lesson 3, students will synthesize their learning of plant conservation, storage, and collection techniques with those of humans to create prototypes. The emphasis will be placed on looking at some existing techniques and improving them.

Through engaging in this challenge, students will learn…
• NGSS 3-ESS3-1: Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the
impacts of a weather-related hazard.
• NGSS K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate
how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
• NGSS 1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking
how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and
meet their needs.