Stewardship For A Small Planet - Learning from the Past, Planning for the Future

Names of Participants: Mal Cutaiar, Bryan Gottlob, Kate Messner, Barbara Napper

Overview of Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to challenge students to explore the concept of stewardship of the earth, its environment, and its natural resources from a historical perspective, noting patterns in human activity and the way those patterns have impacted the earth. Students will use this historical perspective to analyze modern environmental and ecological challenges, design and evaluate remediation plans on a local and global level, and use persuasive language in writing and producing digital video presentations to suggest solutions.

Our team selected this high interest theme because of its timeliness, as international leaders grapple with the issue of global climate change and national leaders collaborate on solutions to America’s energy crisis. We expect to use an abundance of current scientific articles on these and related topics including threatened species, environmental impacts on human health, emerging pathogens, and adaptation of living things to work with our students on the intense content area reading comprehension skills that are so essential for state assessments in all subject areas. Our piloting of the Harvard-based River City Project last year provided us with rich insight as to its ability to help students with inference-based thinking, real world problem solving, and interpretation of scientific data. As graphing skills and data analysis continue to play a key role in the Grade 7 math curriculum, we also believe that the differentiation of this project in terms of readiness and learning styles will help many more of our students to achieve MST standards.

NYS Learning Standards Addressed:

ELA:

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

Social Studies:

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live – local, national, and global – including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

MST:

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating the reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world setting, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning
Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

PCSD Standards Addressed:

Critical Thinker
Responsible Citizen
Effective Communicator
Lifelong Learner
Healthy Citizen

Understandings:

Throughout history, human beings have made use of natural resources and altered their environment to meet their immediate needs.
Human activity can have positive and negative impacts on the environment.
The scientific method can be used to evaluate human impacts on the environment over time.

Essential Questions:

How do human beings use natural resources to meet their needs?
How can human beings have an impact on the environment?
How have environmental issues impacted our local community?
What is sustainability?
What individual actions can we take to positively impact our environment and remediate environmental problems?

Content Knowledge:

Declarative: Students will know/understand:

A list of six strategies for active reading comprehension.
Steps for evaluating Internet sites’ points of view and validity.
Steps for creating a bibliography.
Rules of netiquette.
Definitions of the 6+1 Traits of writing.
The proper format for writing a business letter.
A list of vocabulary words relating to environmental issues, ecology, and climate change.
Attitudes of different groups of historical peoples toward ecology, environmental conservation, and the use of natural resources.
Effects of water quality on wildlife.
Steps for testing water samples for dissolved oxygen and pH.
Steps for gathering data.
Kinds of graphs and appropriate times to utilize each kind of graph.
Persuasive techniques.
Steps for using a digital video camera.
Definitions of fact and opinion.

Procedural:

Students will:

Use appropriate mathematical computations to solve problems.
Use specialized equipment to test samples for water quality.
Read and analyze graphs
Gather data.
Create several kinds of graphs.
Compose and send emails.
Use a digital video camera.
Write a script for a public service announcement.
Create a storyboard for a public service announcement.
Use digital video editing software.
Share ideas in an online forum.
Upload links and documents to an online forum.
Write effective paragraphs with ideas and supporting facts.
Write effective business letters, using persuasive techniques.
Write response journals.