H2 Oh! Watershed Investigation
Students will be able to construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
Overview
Students investigate how growing populations and per-capita resource use affect Earth's systems. They predict their daily water use and calculate it with WaterCalculator.org, then collect U.S. population data by decade from 1970 and look for trends. Using a micro:bit soil moisture sensor with a MakeCode project, they test dry, wet, and mystery soil. Students then analyze local watershed graphs with a See, Think, Wonder chart, learn watershed vocabulary, and build a crumpled-paper watershed model in which sprayed rain carries marked pesticide. In the final task, groups use data from these activities to write a claim, evidence, and reasoning argument.
Lesson Objectives
- Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
Standards
NGSS · 1
- MS-ESS3-4Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increasing in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.
CCSS ELA · 3
- WHST.6-8.1.bSupport claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
- WHST.6-8.2Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
- WHST.6-8.1Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CSTA · 9
- 02Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.
- 03Systematically identify and fix problems with computing devices and their components.
- 07Represent data using multiple encoding schemes.
- 08Collect data using computational tools and transform the data to make it more useful and reliable.
- 09Refine computational models based on the data they have generated.
- 12Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures, including nested loops and compound conditionals.
- 13Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.
- 17Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.
- 19Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.