In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), the main problem the students will solve is to determine which brand of soil the client will use in their new garden center. The student teams will take on the role of an Agricultural Review Board that is composed of top scientists who will help organizations and companies review information related to plant life. The MEA will explore students reviewing different brands of soil that have been submitted by the Franklin Farming Agency that plans to develop community garden centers within the state of Florida. The students will need to examine the data submitted by the agency and respond in a letter as to what brand of soil they think is best. The students will consider price, composition, and consumer commentary to determine a ranking system. The students may need to reconsider their thought process if they encounter a conflict with any of the data points submitted by the agency.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx