National Groundwater Awareness Week (March 3-11, 2023) by Activate Learning https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl NGSS-aligned, phenomena-based, curriculum units on water and the natural environment. #ActivateLearning #PhenomenalFutures en-us 2023-03-06 19:43:35 UTC 2025-11-17 22:42:38 UTC hello@padlet.com Global Climate Change activatelearning https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl/wish/2505737930 Chapter Challenge: Students write a series of articles about global climate change.
Students examine fossil pollen, ice cores, deep-sea sediments, glacial sediments, and tree rings as evidence of climate change. They also examine how Earth’s orbital variations, plate tectonics, ocean current, and carbon-dioxide concentrations affect global climate. Students use projections of areas around the North and South Poles to determine how the melting or growth of ice sheets would affect sea level and use their calculations to determine its effect on the U.S. Then they consider how global warming might affect their community.

ABOUT EARTHCOMM

A full-year Earth and Space System Science curriculum developed by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI). The philosophy and design of EarthComm’s Third Edition, Project-Based Earth and Space System Science supports the key conceptual shifts in the Next Generation Science Standards. This Earth-systems science curriculum adopts the philosophy of three-dimensional learning, which is closely related to its original design.]]> 2023-03-06 19:56:17 UTC https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl/wish/2505737930 Land, Water, and Wind activatelearning https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl/wish/2505748010 The Land, Water, and Wind topic encourages children to develop a view of the earth’s surface as dynamic and constantly changing. During this topic, the children:

  • Discover some of the landforms and bodies of water that make up Earth’s surface . 
  • Build models of landforms and bodies of water . 
  • Examine and create maps that identify where different landforms and bodies of water are located . 
  • Explore how water and wind change the shape of land . 
  • Design solutions to prevent water and wind erosion . 
  • Observe how some changes to Earth’s surface are quick, while most other changes take place over a long period of time.
]]> 2023-03-06 20:04:40 UTC https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl/wish/2505748010 Earth’s Resources & Human Impact activatelearning https://padlet.com/activatelearning/8pj6ggj2fa1mdrrl/wish/2505769767 How do changes in the Earth's system impact our communities and what can we do about it?

This unit on Earth’s resources and human impact begins with students observing news stories and headlines of drought and flood events across the United States. Students figure out that these drought and flood events are not normal and that both kinds of events seem to be related to rising temperatures. This prompts them to develop an initial model to explain how rising temperatures could cause both droughts and floods and leads students to wonder what could cause rising temperatures, too. This initial work sets students up to ask questions related to the query: How do changes in Earth’s system impact our communities and what can we do about it?

Students spend the first lesson set gathering evidence for how a change in temperature affects evaporation, precipitation, and other parts of Earth’s water system. They use evidence to support a scientific explanation that two climate variables (temperature and precipitation) are changing precipitation patterns in the case sites they investigated. Students figure out that the rising temperatures are caused by an imbalance in Earth’s carbon system, resulting in a variety of problems in different communities. The unit ends with students evaluating different kinds of solutions to these problems and how they are implemented in communities. Students work through a systematic evaluation process to consider (1) each solution’s potential to solve the carbon imbalance, (2) tradeoffs associated with solutions based on student-identified constraints, and (3) whether the solution in question makes sense for their community’s stakeholders.

ABOUT OPENSCIED

OpenSciEd creates free, high quality, NGSS-aligned science materials and outstanding professional learning support that empowers educators to inspire all students with the beauty and wonder of science. One classroom at a time, OpenSciEd is proving that when given the opportunity to experience high quality curriculum facilitated by teachers who have had the professional learning they deserve, all students can excel in science.

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