Pollution in Austin

Is Pollution a Problem in Austin?

By Shane Berning, Hope Fluegel, & Elizabeth Morrison

Dear Parent,

We are excited to tell you about your child’s upcoming six week project. They will be working on projects in chemistry and biology! The class will be investigating the issue of pollution in Austin as they learn fundamental concepts in chemistry and biology. We think it will be a valuable and fun experience for all of us! It is important to us that you understand what we will be doing and how your child will be assessed so that you can be involved in the project and encourage your child in the process. This project might require a little more initiative from your child than what has been asked of them so far, but encountering science in the context of real world problems is motivating and exciting! Please check on your child’s progress throughout the project and feel free to contact any of us if you have questions.

Much of the work done for this project will be in class, so attendance is crucial. In addition, there will be some homework assignments similar to your child’s typical homework, some field research that may require out-of-class time, and the students will be giving a final presentation during the last week of the six weeks.

Besides the homework assignments, your child will still need to be doing research in the field out of school time. We believe there is more to science than what is in textbooks; it is about humanity and society and has applications in many human endeavors. For this reason we believe an interdisciplinary approach is appropriate but also beneficial for your child. Be assured that your student will learn the necessary concepts in chemistry and biology.

Please sign below so that we know you have seen this letter and the accompanying calendar and project rubric. Thank you for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

 

Shane Berning                     Hope Fluegel                       Elizabeth Morrison

555.555.5555                       222.222.2222                       777.777.7777

sberning@mail.com                        hfluegel@mail.com             emorrison@mail.com

 

(Signature of guardian)_________________________________________