How The Work Works: Geography, Biology and Nature
An inquiry into nature and the relationships between humans and the environment. This inquiry will focus on cell and plant biology, and the interactions between humans and the environment; learning how these interactions affect the environmental balance, and how in turn, changes to the environment affect human populations. The unit will see the students investigate cell biology, photosynthesis, symbiotic relationships in nature and the interdependence of organisms on the world around them as a means to looking at concepts relating to sustainability. There will be a strong focus on geography, with students looking at the connections between geographical features and human populations. We will be asking ourselves "Why do people choose certain places to settle and not others?". In the theme of investigating self-sustainability, students will research, design, model, budget for and then create an "aquaponics" system for the lower school, combining concepts of hydroponics, aquaculture and environmental engineering.
Science: Cell Biology and Plants: How we can use science and technology to help our community and the environment. Students will research, design, model, estimate a budget for and propose a design for an aquaponics system. The class will vote on a design, make amendments where necessary, then work together to build one of the proposed systems. Throughout the process, students will be learning and implementing knowledge and skills related to engineering, science, math and social sciences. The unit will culminate with the students realising an environmentally friendly and self-sustainable hydroponics and aquaculture system stocked with fish and plants for the lower school.
Social Studies: The Environment and Geography: Looking at human interactions with the environment in early modern history (1500-1800 C.E), from colonialism to the industrial revolution, and investigating the long-term effects of human settlement on nature. Can we learn from ancient sustainable land-use practices that pre-date the modern era? Learning about taking care of our surroundings and how this affects us in our daily lives. Learning how geographical features influence land us, which in turn affects the environment and human settlement. Learning standards and terminology related to globes, navigation and mapping.
Literature: Stories and informational text that focuses on how humans interact with the natural environment.
Writing: Using the knowledge gained throughout process of building an aquaponics system to create an informational written piece describing steps in a process.
Science: Cell Biology and Plants: How we can use science and technology to help our community and the environment. Students will research, design, model, estimate a budget for and propose a design for an aquaponics system. The class will vote on a design, make amendments where necessary, then work together to build one of the proposed systems. Throughout the process, students will be learning and implementing knowledge and skills related to engineering, science, math and social sciences. The unit will culminate with the students realising an environmentally friendly and self-sustainable hydroponics and aquaculture system stocked with fish and plants for the lower school.
Social Studies: The Environment and Geography: Looking at human interactions with the environment in early modern history (1500-1800 C.E), from colonialism to the industrial revolution, and investigating the long-term effects of human settlement on nature. Can we learn from ancient sustainable land-use practices that pre-date the modern era? Learning about taking care of our surroundings and how this affects us in our daily lives. Learning how geographical features influence land us, which in turn affects the environment and human settlement. Learning standards and terminology related to globes, navigation and mapping.
Literature: Stories and informational text that focuses on how humans interact with the natural environment.
Writing: Using the knowledge gained throughout process of building an aquaponics system to create an informational written piece describing steps in a process.
Essential Questions
Science:
Social Studies:
- How do cells work?
- How are animal and plant cells different?
- Why do some organisms live in symbiotic relationships?
- How do plants function?
- Which is the better medium to grow plants; hydroponics, aquaponics or the traditional method?
- How do we create a high-tech hydroponics and aquaponics garden in the lower school?
- How will different materials affect the effectiveness of our aquaponics system?
- How can aquaponics technology assist our community?
- How is this technology applied in the real-world?
Social Studies:
- How does the natural world affect human societies?
- How do human societies affect the natural world?
- What is Geography?
- What are the 5 themes of geography?
- How are location, distance, direction, scale, movement and region important concepts?
- How do we use maps and globes to make sense of the world around us?
- How do groups, societies and nations interact?
- Should humans care about other creatures on the Earth?
- How does reading a narrative written piece differ from an informative written piece?
- How does genre affect how I interpret the text and how information is shared?
- How does having different noun types help to clarify a written piece?
- Are regular and irregular nouns helpful for the reader to understand a written piece?
- What is the structure of a paragraph
- What is a subject/verb/compound sentences?
- How does creating a pre-writing ritual, such as cluster webs and drafts improve my writing?
- Why write?
- Why are speaking and listening important aspects of understanding?
- How can I use informational texts, such as "The Diver and the Dolphin" and "Everglades", to express my opinions and ideas regarding the positive and/or negative interactions between people and the environment?