Saving our Planet

This five-week unit focuses on the impacts of human activity on ecosystems locally, regionally, and globally. The goal of the project is to raise awareness of the long term affects that human activity have on the environment around the world, connecting them to a basic understanding of what an ecosystem is and what factors attribute to its longevity, while encouraging them to protect their environment. Students will be applying conclusions that they have developed through extensive research by creating a brochure that offers tips and tricks to reduce waste, pollution, prevent litter, or share something interesting that they have learned in their project. 

In the five weeks students will learn how to do research by effectively using resources such as the Internet for journal articles, newspaper articles, and magazines. They will individually brainstorm ideas for problems that affect or alter the environment. Students will then form groups of 2-3 individuals and select one major problem that affects a specific ecosystem anywhere in the world. They will begin their research by finding 3-5 specific articles pertaining to their topic choice and evaluate its credibility. During their project, students will be participating and learning about the basic components of an ecosystem and how relationships among different biological organisms are important for its functions. Students will present their ecosystem and its human disturbance to the class and include possible solutions and preventions. Finally, the students will produce a brochure that brings awareness to the importance of that ecosystem, how it is changing due to human activity, and make some suggestions for conservation and prevention based upon their research.

Students will be using a variety of resources for their project. Most importantly this includes computers with Internet access and Microsoft Office. They will be using the technology for their research and for their construction of a brochure. Other materials that the students will need include supplies that can be purchased at a local Wal-Mart. This includes bottles of spring water, small freshwater snails, Elodea, markers, 200 ml beakers, tweezers, salt, motor oil, fertilizer, and composite journals. The students’ main source of reference for a basic understanding of ecosystems will include the Prentice Hall Science Explorer for 7^th grade.

Students are not required to already be familiar with the terms and concepts of ecosystems and human activity. However, they should have some previous knowledge over the basic understanding of the environment and it is the requirement of the teacher to activate what they already know so that they can apply it to their projects and make connections. There are a variety of resources on the Internet that students and teachers can use to get more information over the problems of human activity around the world and how it is changing ecosystems. For example, the NOAA (noaa.gov) provides up to date current events, information, and resources that are open to the public.