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Environmental Impact Project

Technology • Year 8th Grade • -50 • 27 students • Created with AI following Aligned with Common Core State Standards

Technology
eYear 8th Grade
-50
27 students
13 October 2024

Teaching Instructions

Greenworld Two days later Christine and Simon arrived at John's house. It was very Carly - five o'clock in the morning - and they didn't knock at the door or try to wake anyone up. In fact, John wasn't there; Christine knew he had gone to Scotland to see Mary. He was coming back on the morning of the Enquiry. Christine and Simon walked quietly down to the boathouse by the river. Without talking, they put the boat in the water and sailed away across the river. On the other side of the river, they met two friends, Peter and Susan. Their friends were wearing white clothes, with Greenworld written on them. Simon and Christine also put on white clothes. Then they all got into the boat and sailed upstream, towards the paint factory. It was a windy morning, and the waves on the river were quite big. But Christine was a good sailor, and in about half an hour, they reached the factory. Two photographers stood by the river, taking photos of them. 'OK, Simon, where is it?' shouted Christine. 'Over there, look - in front of that post!' he said. Christine sailed the boat towards the post. When they were near it, they could see under the water. It was the pipe that took the waste products out of the factory. 'OK, here!' shouted Simon. Christine turned the boat towards the wind, and Susan caught hold of the post. Then Simon and Peter climbed out of the boat into the water. The water was moving fast here, and they had to hold onto the pipe and the boat. Peter then took several strong paper bags out of the boat. The bags were small but very heavy, because they were filled with building cement. Peter passed the bags one at a time to Simon, and Simon went down under the water and pushed each bag into the pipe. A few minutes later the mouth of the pipe was full of bags of cement. Simon came up out of the water for the last time. It's OK! he shouted. "We've done it! The cement is wet already, and in a few hours, it'll be as hard as a rock. Nothing can come out of that pipe now!' The two men climbed back into the boat and smiled at the photo-graphers. Then Simon stood up in the boat with Christine and held up a long white sheet. On the sheet as written WORLD This pipe kills seals! At that moment two things happened. A man ran out of the factory, shouting angrily. And the wind suddenly became stronger. It caught the sail and sent it quickly from one side of the boat to the other. The back of the sail hit Christine hard on the back of the head. She fell into the water, like a bag of potatoes. Then the wind caught the sail again and threw it back across the boat. This time the boat fell over on its side and lay with its sail under the water. Simon was under the sail. The sail and the sheet were all around him, and for several seconds he could see nothing. Then he came up, into the air. He saw a foot kicking hard in the water beside him. Someone was moving under the sail. Quickly, he went down under the water again and tried to help Peter. But Peter caught hold of Simon and pulled him under water too. There was a quick, frightening fight, and then Simon managed to pull them both up, into the air again. They held onto the side of the boat together, breathing deeply. Simon saw Susan holding onto the back of the boat. Then he heard someone shouting. He looked behind him and saw the man from the factory. He was shouting and pointing downstream. But Simon had water in his cars, and at first, he couldn't hear the words very well. Then he understood. "Look!' the man said. "The girl! She's drowning!' Simon looked downstream, where the man was pointing. He saw something white, floating, far away. It was not doing anything, just floating round and round, like a bag of old clothes on the water. Christine! The never was taking her quickly downstream, towards the sea. Hurriedly, Simon began to swim after her. He was a good swimmer, but the white clothes slowed him down. He swam as fast as he could, but he seemed to go slowly, so slowly. The water seemed heavy and held him back. For the rest of his life, he would dream about that long, slow swim, towards a white body that floated quickly away in front of him. At last, he reached Christine. She was floating with her face down, unconscious. He tried to turn her over, but it was so difficult. She was heavy, and her arms fell back in the water when he dropped them. He got her face out of the water, but her head fell backwards, lifeless, and she was not breathing. He caught hold of her face then, put his mouth over hers and blew into it. lie rested, and then blew into her mouth again, and again. Nothing happened. He looked around him. They were in the middle of the river, moving quickly downstream. Here, it was about twenty-five meters to the bank, but about two hundred meters downstream a second river came in from the left. The bank was further away there, and the water moved faster. Simon was tired, and afraid. It had rained last night, and there was a lot of water moving downstream to the sea. The

Environmental Impact Project

Objective

Students will understand the impact of industrial activities on local ecosystems, focusing on water pollution. They will engage in a project-based activity that simulates environmental activism and explore contemporary solutions to pollution, aligning with US Common Core Standards for Technology and Environmental Science.

Curriculum Standards

  • ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions — Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems.
  • ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems — Understand the relationships between society and the environment.
  • ISTE Standards for Students: Empowered Learner, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer.

Materials Needed

  • Copies of the text "Greenworld" (based on the narrative about Christine and Simon)
  • Projector and screen
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Art supplies (poster paper, markers, paints)
  • Access to internet for research (if available)
  • Timer or clock

Lesson Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)

  1. Hook: Begin by asking students about their understanding of water pollution and its effects on ecosystems. Encourage a brief discussion.
  2. Set the Scene: Present a summary of the narrative "Greenworld," explaining the story's conflict between environmentalists and a polluting paint factory.
  3. Learning Objective Presentation: Explain the day's objective is to explore how individuals and communities can address water pollution.

Activity - Environmental Impact Project (30 minutes)

Step 1: Group Formation and Role Assignment (5 minutes)

  • Divide the class into groups of four.
  • Assign roles within each group: Sailor (navigates the planning), Scientist (focuses on research), Activist (designs protest materials), and Reporter (documents and presents the project).

Step 2: Research and Planning (10 minutes)

  • Sailors and Scientists: Conduct quick research or brainstorming on local water pollution problems, similar to the spill story.
  • Activists: Design a protest banner that creatively expresses the group's stance on pollution, inspired by "WORLD This pipe kills seals".
  • Reporters: Begin documenting the group’s ideas, taking notes on discussions.

Step 3: Project Development (15 minutes)

  • Sailors and Scientists: Develop a feasible solution or strategy to combat the identified pollution, considering modern techniques like bioremediation or filtration systems.
  • Activists: Create the protest banner with provided art supplies.
  • Reporters: Prepare a brief presentation highlighting the group’s findings and solutions.

Presentation and Discussion (10 minutes)

  • Each group presents their findings and solutions to the class in a 2-minute presentation.
  • Facilitate a discussion following the presentations where students can ask questions and express their thoughts on the different solutions proposed.

Conclusion (5 minutes)

  • Wrap-Up: Highlight the importance of community involvement in environmental protection and how today's activity mimics real-world activism.
  • Reflection: Ask students to share one new thing they learned about combating water pollution.

Assessment

  • Evaluate students' participation and collaboration within their groups.
  • Assess the creativity and effectiveness of the protest banner and solution presented.
  • Use a simple rubric to evaluate presentations based on comprehension and clarity of solutions proposed.

This lesson plan taps into creative problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking while grounding students in real-world environmental challenges, aligning with US curriculum standards. The creative project-based approach aims to engage Year 8 students in a practical and impactful manner.

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