6

This lesson sets the stage for students to develop sustainable intelligence. They begin by playing an interactive game that illustrates how innocent actions can turn into unsustainable practices that impact everyone and the Earth we call home. Students then discuss how the game illustrates a concept called the tragedy of the commons. Next, they watch a video and discuss the concept of sustainability. Together, the elements of this lesson help students create a base of understanding from which they can begin to exercise sustainability thinking as they analyze and explore a range of topics and apply what they learn in their everyday lives.

This lesson sets the stage for students to develop sustainable intelligence. They begin by playing an interactive game that illustrates how innocent actions can turn into unsustainable practices that impact everyone and the Earth we call home. Students then watch a video and learn what the term sustainability means and begin exploring specific sustainable and unsustainable things they do at school and at home.

NEED

At the end of Module One, students accurately input their first meter reading into the STEMhero software and create a plan for collecting at least three more readings to establish a baseline of their actual water and/or energy consumption.

NEED

By this point, students have determined at least one utility meter that they will track, whether that meter is at their home or school. Now, students will identify the parts of that meter so they have a shared vocabulary with other students, as they collaborate to record an accurate reading. A worksheet and video will teach the parts of the meter, and an interactive online quiz will verify learning.

This lesson revolves around the ideas and practices of biomimicry – looking to Nature to help us solve our problems. Students will study examples of biomimicry and then apply what they have learned to a problem that they identify in their home, school, or community.

In this lesson, students consider options to traditional fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. The lesson begins with students reviewing the most common alternative vehicles via a presentation. Then they work in groups to research and make three recommendations for an appropriate alternative vehicle to suit a family of four. Groups consolidate their findings in a presentation, share their presentation with the class, and vote to determine the best choice for their hypothetical family. The lesson concludes with students discussing their personal thoughts and feelings about the role alternative vehicles might play in our society.

In this lesson, students explore how transportation systems have evolved as human populations have transitioned from most people living in rural areas to more people living in urban areas. They examine how transportation infrastructure is used to support large populations, and they examine some ways in which transportation systems impact society and the environment. Then students take a close look at the area around the school and role-play urban planners who make recommendations for how transportation in the area might be improved for a more sustainable future.

In this lesson, students explore the fact that air is a mixture of gases. During the first session, they identify the main gases within air and represent the proportions in which they occur in the atmosphere. During the second session, they demonstrate that we are all part of a system in which atmospheric gases and living organisms play interconnected roles in maintaining a balance that is necessary for maintaining life on the planet. At the end of the lesson, students reflect on the importance of protecting air and the balance of nature.