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.
- 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.
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:
- Ocean acidification research completed
- Photosynthetic aquatic organism research completed
- 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
The Art of Science 