NGSS
- MS-ESS-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.*
- MS-EtS1-1 Define the criteria constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions
- DCI: ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things.
- DCI: MS-ESS3-3. Human Impacts on Earth Systems Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
- SEPs
- **Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- **Asking Questions and Defining Problems
- **Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- **Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence
- CCCs
- **Cause and Effect
- **Influence of Science Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World
**Patterns
Learning Targets:
- Can I recognize environmentally-friendly actions that scientists, non-profit organizations, teachers, students, “green” research groups take to achieve sustainable results?
- Can I identify actions that counter-act negative human impacts on the Earth and its inhabitants?
- What are the benefits of interacting with nature? Can I take some time to get outside and celebrate the nature outside my house?
Science Connections at Home
Hello, my fine 7th Grade Green Team Students! (YES, YOU!)
Today we begin our Project Based Learning – or Problem-Based-Learning…. with Sustainability Projects.
This is a cool way to learn, to be creative, and to solve a problem that revolves around Environmental Science / Sustainability / Human impacts to the Environment.
Day 1— Make it Rain!
I will share a Google.Doc – “Action Plan: Sustainability Problem Solving” via Google.Classroom.
2. You may work with a partner online with this, brainstorm together, talk over your ideas and work together – or – you may choose to work on this alone.
3. Decide a “Team Name,” or this could be your “Green Business Name”sometime this week.
4. Your goal = start to identify 5+ environmental concerns or problems in our community or your neighborhood, the West MI area, or AMS School. You may also loo at Global problems (like some problem with the oceans) – but if you think globally, you need to to take action globally.
5. Name / identify these 5+ problems / concerns- on the “storm clouds”– on the worksheet i shared. OR create your own Google.Slides for this project. it is really up to you how you will write this up. It will probably be easiest if it is online- because then you can copy and paste when you need to later on. But if you like brainstorming by writing (like I do ) just do this part in your notebook.
6. You may refer to the websites below. I will share others tomorrow. Just start thinking about ideas! That is it for today! Have fun with this! The students in the years past have come up with 100s of problems – you will be able to to see this also.
7. *****Your problem / solution cannot just be “pick up trash.” Because you are in 7th grade – I will want you to think more original and better than that. (Besides we- will do a trash count soon and so this activity will be done as a class).
Here are some websites to look for more ideas – the top 4 sites have great lists and I think you should find something on one of those — or check out some of the others:
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/project_ideas/
http://solveoregon.org/sites/default/files/documents/55slideas.pdf
https://www.edutopia.org/environmentally-conscious-lesson-ideas
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ess-nep-envactivities_306107_7.pdf
http://karacarrero.com/earth-day-make-a-difference/#_a5y_p=1534549
http://www.schoolingamonkey.com/stem-activities-for-earth-day/
http://munchkinsandmoms.com/sorting-recyclables-activity/
kellychr7AMS 