Overall Goal of the Unit
NGSS: Interdependant Relationships in Ecosystems
NGSS: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
NGSS: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
Driving Question and Student Sub-driving Questions
How does landuse impact water quality in my community, in my state or in the Mississippi River Basin?
Possible Student Subdriving Question
Possible Student Subdriving Question
- How does Agricultural Runoff creating Dead Zones (Aquatic Health)
- Endocrine Disruptors in the Waterways (Human Health)
- Emerging Contaminants in the Water (Human Health)
- Overfishing of the Oceans
- Unequal Distribution of Water, your Water Footprint
Assessments
Pre & Post Assessments
Formative Assessments- Quizzes, Class Discussions, Project Presentations, Performance Expectations, Lab Write-Ups
Cumulative Assessment- 5 paragraph argumentative essay (topic student choice)
Formative Assessments- Quizzes, Class Discussions, Project Presentations, Performance Expectations, Lab Write-Ups
Cumulative Assessment- 5 paragraph argumentative essay (topic student choice)
Benchmark Lessons
Create Your Own Watershed
National Geographic Case Studies Jigsaw
Water Quality Tests Presentations
MacroInvertebrate Dichotomous Keys
Field Trip Performance Event
ArcGIS Online Mapping Activity
Research Paper
National Geographic Case Studies Jigsaw
Water Quality Tests Presentations
MacroInvertebrate Dichotomous Keys
Field Trip Performance Event
ArcGIS Online Mapping Activity
Research Paper
Technology
My webpage
water quality tests
ArcGis Online
Microsoft Word
Internet
water quality tests
ArcGis Online
Microsoft Word
Internet
Rubrics
Project presentation rubrics and writing rubrics are uploaded on the student webpage portion of this unit.
Narrative
Student's misconceptions of ecosystems in nature and human impact are numerous. Studies show that at the 8th and 9th grade level when asked to draw a watershed, student's drawings depicted a mountainous stream with no mention of the water cycle nor the relationship between the land and water streams. (Shephardson et al, 2007) The book Making Sense of Secondary Science points out that misconceptions of pollution from human impact include the thought that harm to plants does not constitute environmental pollution, pollution kills rather than just harming wildlife, particularly fish but also plants, that anything natural is not pollution, biodegradable materials are not pollutants, the oceans are a limitless resource and that solid waste in dumps is safe and the human race is an indestructible species.
