Monday, January 13, 2020 (HS-LS2-7, HS-ETS1-3): Student groups have the class period to meet and write the group consensus sections of the Team Continent Project Google Doc. By the end of today, teams should reach consensus on which three biomes they want to research for the project, and the list should be numbered in order of preference (1 = top choice, 2 = second choice, 3 = third choice).
Biome Assignments:
- Team Africa: Savannah
- Team Australia & Oceania: Tropical Rain Forest
- Team South America: Alpine
- Team Asia: Temperate Deciduous Forest
- Team North America: Temperate Grassland
Tuesday, January 14, 2020: No school (snow day)
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 (HS-ETS1-4): One of the major learnings from our work last week is that humans have made major changes to the environment, often as a result of using the land to produce food. As our population increases, farmers and food scientists must find ways to feed more people. One technique being used is genetic modification. By altering the DNA of certain crops, traits can be introduced that allow more food to be grown than was possible previously. Students will work through the Gizmo: GMOs and the Environment. The Gizmo is designed to “help students weigh the positive and negative effects of growing genetically modified (GM) corn in a farm setting. Students can experiment with different types of GM crops, modify pesticide amounts, and view the resulting corn yields and long-term environmental effects. This Gizmo is meant to simulate the decisions made on a farm and does not endorse the use of GMO crops.”
Thursday, January 16, 2020: Work on the “GMOs and the Environment” Gizmo from yesterday. The Gizmo is due tomorrow at the end of class. Students who complete the work should continue to Friday’s activity.
Friday, January 17, 2020: Complete the “GMOs and the Environment” Gizmo. The Gizmo is due tomorrow at the end of class. The remainder of class should be spent completing activity 8 on the Continent Team Biome Project shared Google Doc (click the link below for team docs).
Activity 8 on the Team Google Doc asks students to work with their team to complete the following work:
- Using BiomeViewer, navigate to your team’s continent and identify a region that includes your assigned biome.
- Next, select the Anthromes view and set the year to 2000. Look for regions of overlap (biome and anthrome) that show the most human activity.
- Cross-reference the developed area with a map of your continent showing major cities. You may need to conduct an Internet search for a good map of the region you are searching for. List as many named areas as possible in the space below.
- Using the Anthromes view, describe how the region has changed over time.
- Conduct an Internet search to investigate how the way people live in the region has changed over time. Research should include things like diet (what they eat), housing (structures they live in), clothing (common things to wear), work (common ways people earn a living), and entertainment (what people do for fun). Include pictures as needed and include sources!
The Art of Science 