Monday, November 11, 2019: No School (Veteran’s Day)

Tuesday, November 12, 2019: Unit 1 Final Project Presentations (4 of 6 groups)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019: Unit 1 Final Project Presentations (last 2 groups)

After completing the final presentations for the unit, we reviewed the major economic benefits shared by each group with respect to farming photosynthetic aquatic organisms.  We concluded with the key idea that plants use the process of photosynthesis to remove carbon dioxide from the environment in order to create glucose which they then use as both an energy store and also to build biomass.  We call this process “fixing” carbon – taking carbon dioxide from the air to build biomolecules – helps drive home the point that carbon dioxide gas (difficult to observe under everyday conditions) can be removed from the environment and utilized by photosynthetic organisms to make glucose (an energy-rich molecule) which can then be used by all organisms as a source of food and raw materials to build other biomolecules (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids).

For the final few minutes of class, students watched the TedTalk video below where scientist / artist / designer Suzanne Lee shares her efforts to create clothing from fabric derived from bacteria  found in kombucha tea.  The bacteria consume glucose (produced from plants during photosynthesis) and produce cellulose fibers that may one day be engineered to have properties that make these clothes a must-have for wardrobes of the future:

Unit 2: Ecosystems

Thursday, November 14, 2019: Our ecosystem unit begins with a virtual road trip to Yellowstone National Park.  To help introduce students to Yellowstone, we watched the video below:

Working with a partner, create a Google Doc and include your responses to the following tasks:

1. Plan your route: Map how you will travel from Burien to Yellowstone and back.
2. Research the natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park. (Check out the Old Faithful Live-Stream)
   • List the top five non-living natural wonders you want to see while at the park.
   • List all the living things you hope to see while visiting the park.

Friday, November 15, 2019 (LS2-6):

Agenda for the day:

1. Define biotic and abiotic factors.
2. Watch Yellowstone video below and write down all biotic and abiotic factors observed.  Update Google Doc with any new factors.
3. Read article by Emily Gertz (see below).
4. Write a summary comparing the video and the article in your Google Doc (title = Effect of wolves on Yellowstone).  Does the evidence support or not support the claim that reintroduction of wolves has changed Yellowstone?  Use evidence from both sources to support your position.

Now that we have a plan to virtually travel to Yellowstone, we set our sights on the ecosystem of the park.  For today’s lesson, students will learn about how the reintroduction of wolves nearly 75 years after their extinction appears to have led to profound changes to both the biotic (living) and abiotic (not living) factors in the ecosystem of the park.

The video (below) features images about the wolves and other organisms in Yellowstone, with George Monbiot narrating.  The narration is actually a segment from a longer TED talk by Mr. Monbiot.

During the video, make a list in your Google Doc (from yesterday) of the biotic and abiotic factors you see in Yellowstone.  After watching the video, write down the claim being made by the narrator in the Google Doc, and then make of list of evidence used to support the claim.  Next, students will read an article titled Has The Reintroduction Of Wolves Really Saved Yellowstone? published on March 14, 2014 by Emily Gertz in Popular Science.  After reading the article, students will write a summary of what they learned and write down evidence presented in the article that refutes the claim that wolves have altered Yellowstone.

Monday, November 4 (HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2): Your team is tasked with researching which species of photosynthetic organism is best suited to grow in your company’s aquatic farm. Photosynthetic aquatic organisms consume carbon dioxide during photosynthesis to produce glucose and oxygen, so aquatic farming may help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the water and reduce acidification of the surrounding water.

As described in detail on the Unit 1 Project Scoring Rubric, a complete project (Google Doc, Google Slides, video, web page, or poster) must include:

• An explanation of ocean acidification and research into sources of ocean acidification.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cqCvcX7buo

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (GlobalChange.gov)

Ocean Acidification Chemistry (Monterey Bay Aquarium)

• Research into photosynthetic organisms found naturally in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Phytoplankton: NASA Earth Observatory
  • Forests of the Sea: MarineBio
  • Cyanobacteria Farming: Frontiers in Environmental Science
• An explanation of how aquatic farming can help reduce or reverse acidification in the Pacific Ocean.
• Your team’s first choice for which organism to farm, along with a description of the criteria (needs) and constraints (barriers to success) for farming the organism.
• An explanation of how, when, and where the aquatic farm will be established, how long it would take to impact acidification, and how the farmed organism will contribute to the economy.
  • Article: Algae might be a secret weapon to combating climate change

All credible scientific sources must be cited.

Resources provided are examples to help teams get started.  High-performing teams will find additional scientifically credible resources.

Projects will be shared with the class on Friday, November 8.

Tuesday, November 5 (HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2): By the end of class today, student groups should have the following work completion goals:

1. Ocean acidification research completed
2. Photosynthetic aquatic organism research completed
3. Group agreement on how project will be shared with the class on Friday

Wednesday, November 6 (HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2): By the end of class today, students should have a clearly constructed explanation of the connection between aquatic farming and ocean acidification.  A strong explanation will include:

• connection between photosynthesis of aquatic organisms, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean, and ocean pH
• rate of photosynthesis of two or more photosynthetic aquatic organisms researched

Student groups should use this data to inform their choice of organism to farm.  Once that decision has been made, groups should research at least three criteria for successfully farming their organism.  Groups should also research at least three constraints (challenges) for successfully farming their organism.

Thursday, November 7 (HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2): For the final work day, students should research the following:

• how, when, and where the aquatic farm will be established;
• three ways the farmed organism will contribute to the economy;
• how long the farm will take to impact acidification

Finally, the presentation should be completed and practiced in advance of sharing with the class tomorrow.

Friday, November 8 (HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2): After working incredibly hard this week, students were rewarded with one final work day to prepare for presentations that will take place next Tuesday.  Today, students will complete a worksheet where they share their experience working with their team members, and the information will contribute to the individual scores for the project.  By the end of today, students should have presentations complete, with the following information included in the presentation:

• Explanation how ocean acidification happens and why it is a problem
• Research about the photosynthetic organism selected for farming
• Connection between a) photosynthesis of the selected organism, b) carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean, c) and ocean pH
• Where the aquatic farm will be located
• How the farmed organism will contribute to the economy

Practice!  Practice!  Practice!  Students groups will have 5 minutes