Students are introduced to the concept of geoengineering, "the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system, in order to moderate global warming" (The Royal Society). The goal is for them to leverage their acquired knowledge from previous units in physical oceanography, ocean chemistry, biodiversity, and ecosystem ecology to evaluate the validity and/or the risk of geoengineering (systems thinking). Current and future generations will be required to make informed decisions on whether they support strategies that result in irreversible changes in Earth's carbon cycle.

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Humans not only reside in the Critical Zone, they depend upon the land and water to provide sustenance. This unit will examine how humans affect soil resources and ecosystem services in the Critical Zone through food production. In addition, it will discuss farming practices that led to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Finally, it will examine emerging efforts to grow food locally such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) and urban gardening programs.

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Peer review is an important process in determining priorities for scientific research. Students will participate in a panel review of proposals for new CZOs and as a class decide on the proposal most worthy of funding. Students will read proposals, craft a detailed review of the merits and limitations of the proposal, and then discuss the proposals during an in-class panel review. Proposals will be evaluated on how well the proposed CZO would help address global challenges and advance Critical Zone science and require students to use knowledge gained in previous modules to assess and communicate which proposals meet these goals.

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For this unit plan, see the old unit calendar (link on left sidebar, click ALT7 tab at the bottom).  Once we update this unit to the new Doc template, we will post it here. This is now unit 7, but it used to be unit 4 (we will update file and folder numbering as we continue to revise the units). Thanks for your patience as we work hard this year to update all of the materials to the new unit template and unit/standards arrangements.

A variety of symbiotic relationships exist between sharks and other marine species in this segment from Nature.

In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Inuit observers describe how their traditional understanding of weather patterns is being challenged by unpredictable weather behaviors.

In this video segment from Louisville Life, high school students in Louisville, Kentucky describe the benefits of creating rain gardens as a solution to non-point source water pollution.

11.941 and 11.942 make up a one-year seminar. The goal of this seminar is to explore the role of science and scientists in ecosystems and natural resources management focusing on joint fact finding as a new approach to environmental policy-making. Increasingly scientists and science organizations are confronting a conundrum: Why is science often ignored in important societal decisions even as the call for decisions based on sound science escalates? One reason is that decision-making is often driven by a variety of nonscientific, adversarial, and stakeholder dynamics. Thus, even though science helps inform choices, it is only one of many values and interests considered by each stakeholder. In response to this emerging challenge, scientists, and science agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey, are embarking upon research that explores the problems of incorporating science into value-laden societal decisions. This research includes designing experiments that will assess the appropriateness of using the new and emerging approach of Joint Fact Finding to address some of the Nation’s most contentious environmental conflicts. In the first few sessions we will examine the problems of using science in environmental disputes. In following sessions, students will analyze and discuss cases that involved or that should have involved Joint Fact Finding of various kinds.

This course makes up the second half of a year-long seminar on Joint Fact Finding in Science-Intensive Disputes. In 11.941, the first half of the seminar, students analyzed and discussed cases that involved or that should have involved Joint Fact Finding of various kinds. In this portion, students concentrate on gathering information to assist in resolving the Cape Wind project, the dispute concerning the placement of wind farms in waters adjacent to Nantucket. Students will lay the groundwork for a collaborative project that includes Federal and State agencies, academic institutions and non-profits.

In this EarthLabs activity, learners explore the concepts of coral bleaching, bleaching hot spots and degree-heating weeks. Using data products from NOAA's Coral Reef Watch, students identify bleaching hot spots and degree-heating weeks around the globe as well as in the Florida Keys' Sombrero Reef to determine the impact higher-than-normal sea surface temperatures have on coral reefs.

A primary feature of this "Water and Sustainability" course is a series of 10 debates on controversial sustainability topics. Each student in the course participates in one of the debates.

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Using quadrats along line transects in two different habitats, students will gather data which will provide evidence that shows the interrelationships between vegetation types and small mammal populations

This activity offers one of the reflection activities we developed in our learning community "Exploring Natural History in Word and Field." In this class, the students learn about natural history by reading natural history essays and participating in field trips. In this activity, we use reflection before and during a field trip to an Old Growth Forest to help our students clarify their own stance for a Position Paper on whether and under what conditions logging should be allowed in Old Growth Forests.

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In this lab activity students use the pH scale and the reaction of carbon dioxide with water to understand ocean acidification and make predictions regarding the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms by experimentally determining the effect of pH of calcite dissolution.

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This video segment adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explores the role of the wetlands in our environment, including providing habitats for wildlife, acting as natural water filters, and playing a part in the greater water cycle.

Interactive online tutorial about growing urchin larvae in a lab setting. Students manipulate data and are led through a lab-based situation. There is a module on ocean acidification. Lesson plans can be downloaded from website.

We examine the factors of race and environmental contamination, starting from the premise (and data proving) that race is not a biological, scientifically valid category, but a social, historical construction with real world consequences for equal access to health, resources, and power.

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In this video, students learn that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 was not the sole cause of the decline of species in the local ecosystem. Rather, an explanation is posited for why some animal populations were already in decline when the spill occurred. Many of these animals share a common food: the sand lance, a fish whose populations have shrunk with the steady rise in ocean temperature that began in the late 1970s.

This video documents the challenges that climate change presents for four specific Arctic predators: polar bears, Arctic foxes, beluga whales, and walruses.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson activates students’ background knowledge about water and allows them to make connections while introducing the types and locations of water in the world.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson discusses water, where it is located, spatial extent on Earth, the different forms of water, including estuaries, and how humans can connect with it for abstractive and non-abstractive purposes without altercation. It also provides clear insights for students to understand water resources and the interactions within the marine ecosystem. The images, videos, and accompanying materials in the lesson are well-sourced, and this lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson builds an understanding of the importance of water in our lives.
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning as students move their bodies into yoga poses.
-Students develop an understanding of different types of water.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 4 in our K-2nd grade Water and Plant Survival unit.
-You will need a copy of Wet by Carey Sookocheff or a similarly themed book for this lesson.
-You will need a large open area for students to complete the yoga exercises. This could be in the classroom or outside.
-Students need green and blue colored pencils or crayons for the Inspire section of the lesson.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The Shared Reading Guide in the Teacher Document includes several discussion questions. Choose the ones that are best for your students’ interests and experiences with the topic.
-Students can think-pair-share during the read aloud to make predictions or answer questions.
-Sentence frames in the Inquire section are differentiated for student proficiency:
-Circle = basic
-Triangle = target
-Square = challenge
-You can pause the read aloud for students to make observations and predictions about the story.
-There are multiple graphic organizers to choose from in the Investigate section. Use the option menu in the Teacher Slideshow to choose the option that best suits your classroom and students.
-Students with restrictions in mobility can participate in mindful breathing and enjoy as many of the yoga poses as are comfortable for their bodies. Suggestions for modifications are listed in the speaker notes of the Teacher Slideshow.
-If specific directions for yoga poses prove difficult, read the prompts about the living things and play the videos. Instruct students to move their bodies naturally mimicking what they see.
-The Student Document includes several options for the Inspire section. Provide students with scaffolding as appropriate to their reading and writing level.
-Possible extension: Look at the map to find an estuary near your school.