Stanford NGSS Integrated Curriculum...Stanford NGSS Integrated Curriculum 7th Grade Science Unit 1: A Balanced Biosphere Pop-Out: Environmental Ethics Student Version Stanford NGSS

StanfordNGSSIntegratedCurriculum7thGradeScienceUnit1:ABalancedBiosphere

Pop-Out:EnvironmentalEthics

StudentVersion StanfordNGSSIntegratedCurriculum2018 1

Pop-OutEssentialQuestion:Howcanhumansinteractethicallywithecosystems?Humansareinteractingwithenvironmentsinincreasingamounts.Asthathappens,humanscanchangepartsofecosystems,oftenleadingtoproblems.Whilescientificdiscoveriescanoftengivenewsolutionsforproblemsthatwereonceverydifficulttosolve,sometimesthesescientificdiscoverieshavedownfallsthatcomewiththeirbenefits.Whenascientificdiscoveryhelpssomepeoplebutnegativelyimpactsanecosystem,howdowedecidewhattodo?EngageAttheendofUnit1,youlearnedabouthowdifferentpartsofanecosystemchangewhenoneresourceischanged.Whenitishumansthataremakingthechange,thisposesanethicaldilemma.Theprocessofdecidingwhatisrightorwrongisknownasethics.Today,youwillbeapplyingyourownethicstoanumberofdifferentsituations.

1. Individually,takeacoupleminutestoreadthroughtheimaginarysituationbelow.Bacteriaarequicklydevelopingresistancetoantibiotics(thismeansantibioticscan’tkillthebacteria).Thismakesitharderandharderforscientiststomakemedicinesthathelppeoplewithcertainbacterialinfections.OneexampleofaresistantbacteriaisMRSA(atypeofbacteriathatisimmunetomostantibioticsandisabigcauseofhospitaldeaths).Manymedicinesaremadefromplants.AscientistjustdiscoveredthatacertaintypeofflowerintheAmazonianjunglecanmakeanantibioticthatcouldhelpsavepeoplewithMRSA.Tomakeonedoseofthemedicine,scientistswouldneedtogather200flowers.Theflowerhasimportantroleswithinthejungleecosystem.Itissymbioticwithatreethatgiveshomestomanyjunglespecies.Thismeansthetreeandtheflowerhelpeachothersurvive.Additionally,theflowerprovidesnectartothreespeciesofbirdsandgivespollenformanyinsects.Howlermonkeysalsoneedtheflowersforfood.

2. Withyourgroup,discussthequestionsbelowandthenusethetabletorecordyouropinions.Youmaybe

askedtoshareyourideasinaclassdiscussion.Whatarebenefitsofmakingthemedicine?




Whataredownsidesofmakingthemedicine?

Wouldyoumakethemedicine?Whyorwhynot?

ExploreThelastcasewasanimaginarycasetogetyouthinkingaboutcomplicatedethicalsituationscreatedbyscientificdiscoveries.Nowlet’sexploreascenariothathappenedintherealworld.Youalreadylearnedabouthowecosystemsshiftwhenresourceswithintheecosystemincreaseordecrease.KeepthatinmindaswediveintoacaseaboutaproblemcausedwithintheYellowstoneecosystemandwhatscientistsdidtosolveit.

1. Individually,readanarticleandwatchavideoabouttheWolvesinYellowstone.Whilereading:o Usetheannotationstrategiesyourteachergivesyoutohelpyoulearnfromthereading.

2. Withapartner,discussthefollowingquestions.Recordyourresponsesinthetablebelow.

Describethesituation:

o Whywerethewolvesoriginallykilled?

o Whathappenedtotheecosystemwithoutwolves?Why?

o Whathappenedtotheecosystemwhenwolveswerereintroduced?Why?




Describethepeopleinvolvedinthesituation:

o Whowantedtokillthewolves?Why?

o Whowantedthewolvestostayalive?Why?

Reflectonthesituation:IfyouwerethePresidentoftheUnitedStatesandcoulddecidewhethertoprotectlandowners’rights,protectthewolves,oracombinationofthetwo,whatwouldyoudo?Why?

ExplainPartofwhatmakesthecaseofthewolvesinYellowstonesuchatopicofdebateisthattherearemanydifferentperspectivesonwhatisbestfortheecosystemandthepeoplearoundit.Now,you’llhaveachancetohearyourclassmates’thoughtsandshareyourown.Listencloselyforinstructionsfromyourteacher.Youwillbedoingagroupdiscussion,calledaFishBowl.Asyoulistentotheothergroupdiscuss,takesnotesbelow.

o Remember,ethicalquestionsaretoughbecausetheyhavealotofdifferentperspectives.Berespectfulinlisteningto,andtryingtounderstand,yourclassmates.




ElaborateEventhoughthewolveswerefirstre-introducedin1995,ithassparkedadebatethatcontinuestoday.Allaroundtheworld,peoplearehavingconversationsliketheseabouthowwecanbestsupportecosystems.Onebigissuewehavebeenfacingoverthelastcenturyisinvasivespecies.Invasivespeciesarenewspeciesthatwehavepurposelyoraccidentallyintroducedintoanecosystemthatarenotnativetothatregion.Someofthesespecies“takeover”theirecosystembecausetherearenopredatorsforthemintheirnewecosystem.

1. Workingindividually,readtheZebraMusselCaseStudy.Asyou’rereading,thinkaboutwhatledtotheintroductionofzebramussels,thereasonstoaddressthesituation,andthereasonsagainstaddressingthesituation.Alsothinkaboutwhatyouwoulddotoaddresstheproblem.

2. Usingwhatyoulearned,individuallyanswerthequestionsbelow.Youwillbeaskedtosharethesewithapartnerandtheclasslaterinthepop-out.

Describethesituation:

o Howandwhydidzebramusselsspread?o Whataretheimpactsofthezebramussels

ontheecosystem?

WhatarethepositiveandnegativeaspectsofzebramusselsinCaliforniaecosystems?

Howwouldyouaddresstheproblemscausedbyinvasivespecies?




EvaluateandReflectionYouhaveread,talked,andthoughtalotaboutdifferentperspectivesontheethicsofhowhumansinteractwithecosystems.Nowusewhatyouhavelearnedtowriteanargumentthatanswersthefollowingquestions:Intheseethicalsituations,istheansweralwaysblackandwhite?Shouldwealwayssidewiththeenvironment

oralwayssidewithpeople?Whyorwhynot?Inyourargument,include:

o Aclearstatementofyouropiniononthesequestionso Multipleexamplesfromthescenariosandcasestudiesasevidenceo Aconclusionstatementthatexplainswhyitissometimeschallengingtodecidewhatisethical(rightor

wrong)inscience

StanfordNGSSIntegratedCurriculum7thGradeScienceUnit2:MatterMatters

Pop-Out:NaturalResources,Wealth,andFairness


Pop-OutEssentialQuestion:Howdonaturalresourcesaffectthewealthofaregionandaretheydistributedfairly?

Alotofwhatyou’relearningthisyearrelatestoEarth’sresources:howtheyaremadebyEarthprocesses,how

theyareusedbyhumans,andhowtheyinteractwithecosystems.AsyouhavelearnedinUnits1and2,naturalresourcesareresourcesthatcomefromtheEarth,suchasoil,water,soil,timber,naturalgas,etc.Giventhat

naturalresourcesaredistributedunevenlyaroundtheglobe,inthispop-out,we’regoingtofocusonsomebig

questions:wholivesintheareaswiththemostnaturalresources?Arethesenaturalresourcesbeingsharedina

waythatisfair?

EngageHaveyouevertraveledoutsideofyourneighborhood?Ifyouhave,youmayhavenoticedthatdifferent

communitieshavedifferentamountsofwealth.Morewealthinanareaoftenleadstomoreprivileges,suchas

accesstogoodschools,updatedcommunityspaces,varietyoffoodchoices,etc.Someareashavealotofwealth,

someareashavelittlewealth,andsomeareashaveamediumamountofwealth.

1. Belowyou’llfindamapandasetoftableswithinformationaboutfivecontinents.Inpartners,usewhat

youknowaboutthecontinentsonEarthtomakeyourbestpredictionsofwhichsetofinformation

describeswhichcontinent.Eachsetofinformationrepresentsonlyonecontinentlisted(excluding

AntarcticaandAustralia).Recordyourideasandexplainwhyinthechartbelow.

Continent IncomePerPerson($)

1 $5,441

2 $1,755

3 $27,242

4 $9,449

5 $49,804




Continent DataSetGuess Explanation

NorthAmerica

SouthAmerica

Africa

Europe

Asia

Withyourpartner,discussthefollowingquestions.Youmaybeaskedtoshareyourresponseswiththeclass.

1. Whatcountryhasthemostwealth(highestincomeperperson)?Whydoyouthinkthisis?

2. Whatcountryhastheleastwealth(lowestincomeperperson)?Whydoyouthinkthisis?

ExploreYouhavejustseenhowdifferentregionscanhavedifferentamountsofwealth.Nowlet’sexploreonereasonwhy

thisisthecase.Inthistask,you’llbeconsideringtwonaturalresources:waterandsoil.Torepresentthequalityof

waterandsoilinanarea,scientistsuseanindicatorcalled“agriculturesuitability.”Explorethedatatoseeifthere

isaconnectionbetweenthecountriesthathavehighagriculturesuitabilityandthecountriesthathavewealth.

1. Asagroup,explorethedataprovidedbyyourteacher.Itincludesanarticle,amap,andawebsite.




2. Asyoulearnfromthedata,answerthequestionsbelow.Youwillusetheinformationyougatherwhen

youcreateacomicstripinthenextsection.

TakealookattheAgricultureSuitabilityMapandtheWealthMap.

o Whatdoyounoticeaboutthecountriesthatcangrowfood?

o Whatdoyounoticeaboutthecountriesthathavewealth?

Thinkaboutbothmaps.Compareandcontrasttheinformationfromthetwomaps.

o Whatissimilarbetweentheinformationonthetwomaps?

o Whatisdifferentbetweentheinformationonthetwomaps?

Doyouthinkthereisaconnectionbetweenacountry’swealthandtheirabilitytogrowfood?Explain.

o Isthisfair?




ExplainNowthatyouhaveexploredtheconnectionsbetweentwonaturalresources(waterandsoil)andacountry’s

wealth,itistimetobringyourideastogetherandsharethem.

1. Inpartners,makeacomicstripthatanswersthequestion:Arecountrieswithmorewaterandsoil

wealthier?Yourcomicstripshouldsharewhatyoulearnedfromtheclassdiscussionatthebeginningof

thepop-out,informationfromthedata,andwhatyoutalkedaboutwithyourgroup.Usethenotesyou

tooktohelpyou.Remember,youcanbecreative!Comicsdonotneedtobefunny,buttheycanbe.You

canincluderhymes,color,orananalogytomakeyourcomicstripmoreinteresting.

ElaborateEarth’sdistributionofnaturalresourcesisnottheonlythingthataffectsaccesstoresources.Howpeoplechoose

tosharethemacrosscommunitiesalsoaffectsaccess.Forexample,evenintheheartofcitiesintheUnited

States,wherefoodisplentifulinsomeareas,foodcanbehardtofindinotherareas.Inthiscase,we’reexploring

theconnectionbetweenpovertyandlackofaccesstofood.Afooddesertreferstoanurbanareawhereit’sreallyhardorreallyexpensivetofindfreshnutritiousfood.Let’sconsiderhowfooddesertsappear.

1. Asaclass,watchthevideoaboutfooddesertsinLosAngeles.Then,individuallyrespondtothequestions

below:

EastLosAngeleshasanincomeof$54,242,comparedtothe$132,997incomeinSantaMonica.Compareandcontrastthetwofamilies.Hint:Wheredoeseachfamilylive?Whattypeoffoodispresentineachgrocerystore?

Whydoyoubelievesomepeoplehaveaccesstofoodwhileothersdon’t?

Isthisfair?




EvaluateandReflectionIndividually,takesometimetoreadthroughandthinkaboutthequestionsbelow.Providedetailedresponses

usingwhatyoulearnedoverthelastcoupledaysinclass.

1. Isthereaconnectionbetweenlocationofnaturalresourcesandthewealthofthoseregions?Whydoyou

thinkthisis?

2. Isthereaconnectionbetweenthecommunitiesthathavemoneyandtheiraccesstonaturalresources

likefood?Explain.

StanfordNGSSIntegratedCurriculum7thGradeScienceUnit3:MimickingNature’sDesign

Pop-Out:HowScienceWorks


Pop-OutEssentialQuestion:Inthescientificprocess,howdoesnewevidencedispelmisconceptionsandchangescientificknowledgeovertime?Scienceisaprocesswegothroughinordertolearn.Itteachesusabouttheworldaroundus.SciencetaughtusthattheEarthisround,thatClimateChangeisconnectedtohumans,andthatlivingthingschangeovertime.Butmanypeople(includingscientists)usedtobelievethattheEarthwasflat,thattheworld’schangingclimatewasnotrelatedtopeople,andthatlivingthingsstayedprettymuchthesame.Theseoriginalideaswouldnowbecalledmisconceptions,butatthetime,thesewerethebestideasbasedontheevidencetheyhadavailable.Howdoesthefieldofscienceclaimtoknowsomething?Whatcancausethisknowledgetochangeovertime?Thispop-outwillexplorethewaysciencemakesdiscoveries,bustsmyths,andchangesovertime.Engage

1. Usingwhatyoualreadyknow,individuallyrespondtothequestionsbelow.Wemightnothavetalkedabouttheseinclassbefore,andit’sokayifyoudon’tknowthe“right”answer.Dothebestyoucanbasedonwhatyouknowfromyourlife.

TrueorFalse:

1. _____Plantsbreathe.2. _____Plantsonlydophotosynthesis.3. _____Thingsjustdisappear(likerocksfromamillionyearsago,orasockinthedryer).4. _____Whensomethingchanges,itjustchanges–therearenotdifferenttypesofchanges.5. _____Plantsgeteverythingtheyneedfromthesoil.6. _____Sunlighthelpsplantsgrowbykeepingthemwarm.7. _____Plantsneed“plantfood”toeat.8. _____Allrocksarethesame,andwecan’ttellwheredifferentrockscamefrom.9. _____Whensomeoneburnsalog,thelogsimplydisappears.10. _____Plantsarenotalive.

2. Withyourpartner,shareyourresponses.Ifyouhaveevidenceforwhyyoupickedtrueorfalse,sharethat

withyourpartner.Youmaybeaskedtoshareyourideaswiththeclass.ExploreYouhaveseenhowtherearemanydifferentideasaboutwhatistruewhenthinkingaboutthesciencewehavestudiedinthisunit--matter,thecycleofmatter,andtheflowofenergy.Buthowdidscientistsdiscoverthatthesearemisconceptionsandnotscientifictruths?Let’srollupoursleevesanduseasimilarprocess,butwithanon-scientificexample.Inthistask,youwillreceiveaseriesofchecksthatyouwillexamineinordertouncoverthetruthbehindamystery.




1. Asagroup,listencloselyfortheinstructionsfromyourteacherabouttheactivity.Itisimportanttofollowinstructionsandnotjumpahead.Afteryoureceiveeachsetofchecks,recordyourtentativeexplanationinthetablesbelow.

Checks TentativeExplanationUsingthissetofevidence,whatdoyoubelievehappened?

#1Checks1-4

Claim:Evidence:Reasoning:

Checks TentativeExplanationUsingwhatyouinitiallybelievedandwhatyouhavelearnedfromthenewevidence,whatdo

younowbelievehappened?

#2Checks1-8

Claim:Evidence:




Reasoning:

Checks TentativeExplanationUsingwhatyouinitiallybelievedandwhatyouhavelearnedfromthenewevidence,whatdo

younowbelievehappened?

#3Checks1-12

Claim:Evidence:Reasoning:

ExplainYourgrouphasmadeyourownclaims,evidence,andreasoningaboutwhatyouthinkhappened.Eachcheckgivesyoupiecesofinformation,likeevidencedoesinscience.Theprocessyoudidisverysimilartotheprocessthatscientistsgothrough;Scientistsuseevidencetomaketheirbestguessesaboutwhathappenedorwhatishappening.Asnewevidenceisdiscovered,scientificideascanchangeandoldideasbecomemisconceptions.Thisisscience!

1. Nogrouphasseenallofthechecks,butothergroupshaveseenadifferentcombinationofchecks.Betweenallgroups,yourclasshaslikelyseenalltheevidence.Togetafullpictureofalltheevidence,discussyourexplanationswithothergroups.Youcanuseinformationfromtheconversationstomakeyourfinalconclusionaboutwhathappened.Thisiswhathappensinacommunityofscientists!




2. Individually,writeyourfinalscientificexplanationwithevidenceinfullsentencesbelow.Remembertobespecificanduseasmanydetailsaspossibletoexplainyourideas.

FinalScientificExplanation

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

ElaborateYouhavepracticedyourscientificskillsasyouuseddifferentpiecesofevidencetocreateaclaim.Let’sthinkaboutwhatourexperiencecanteachusaboutthescientificprocess.Withyourgroup,discussandanswerthefollowingquestions.

1. Reflectontheactivityusingthequestionsbelow.o Whatinformationonthecheckswasvaluableinmakingatentativeexplanation?Explain.




o Discussspecificplaceswhereyouchangedyourstoryandoldexplanationsbecamemisconceptions.Whydidyouchangeyourstoryinthoseplaces?

o Whichaspectsofyourstoryorexplanationwouldyouwanttogathermoreinformationabout?Whatinformationwouldyouwant?

2. Inscience,weusedifferentdefinitionstoclassifydifferentkindsofideas:○ Ahypothesisisaneducatedguess.○ Atheoryisahypothesisthathasbeentestedbyhundredsofdifferentscientistsandexplains

somethingimportantabouttheworld,likethetheoryofevolution.○ Abeliefisanopinionthatcan’tbescientificallyproven,likeyourspiritualbeliefs.

IntheChecksactivity,

a. Whatwasanexampleofahypothesisyoucreated?

b. Whatcouldbeconsideredatheory?Howisthisdifferentfromahypothesis?

c. Didbeliefscompromiseyourscientificprocess?Ifso,how?




EvaluateandReflectionIndividually,takesometimetoreadthroughandthinkaboutthereflectionquestionsbelow.Providedetailedresponsesusingwhatyoulearnedoverthelastcoupledaysinclass.

1. Howdoweuseevidencetodecidewhatishappening?

2. Isitpossibletogetdifferentideasfromthesamepiecesofevidence?

o Howdoesthisleadtomisconceptionsinscience?

o Howdoscientificideaschangeovertime?

StanfordNGSSIntegratedCurriculum7thGradeScienceUnit4:SavetheAndes!

Pop-Out:WhoisAtRiskinNaturalHazards?


Pop-OutEssentialQuestion:Aredifferentgroupsofpeopleaffectedfairlybytheaftermathofnaturalhazards?Naturalhazardsarehappeningmoreandmore–droughts,fires,hurricanes,tsunamis,volcanoes,landslides,avalanches,andearthquakesaretakingplaceacrosstheEarth.Inthisunit,youlearnedthatwecanforecastsomenaturalhazardstohelpreducetheeffectsonhumans.Whennaturalhazardsdotakeplace,thisresultsinInjuries,death,homelessness,lackofaccesstofood,andotherproblemswithgeneralwell-being.Thesepeopleneedhelpfromhumanaidorganizations,likegovernmentagencies,theAmericanRedCross,etc.However,theaidisnotalwaysgivenequallytodifferentgroupsofpeople.At-riskpopulationsarepeoplewhoneedextrasupportincertainsituations.Whothosepeopleareisoftenbasedonsocioeconomicstatus(theamountofmoneyyouhave),age,race,Englishproficiency,andhealthconcerns/physicalability.Inthispop-out,wearegoingtoexplorewhathappensonceanaturalhazardhastakenplacebylookingatwhogetshelpandwhodoesn’tgethelp.We’llaskourselveswhyandconsiderifitisfair.EngageWhenscientistslearnaboutanaturalhazard,theywarncommunitiesinvolved.Theybroadcastwarnings,updates,andhowtoevacuate.IntherecentNorthernCaliforniafires,firefighterswantedeveryoneincertaincommunitiestoevacuate.Almosteveryoneheardthenews,yetsomepeopleweren’tabletoleave.

1. Inpartners,takeacoupleminutestomakepredictionsaboutwhatgroupsofpeopledidn’tmakeitoutoftheirhouses.

Explore

1. Listencarefullytothearticleyourteacherreadsaloud.Then,inpartners,answerthequestionsinthetablebelow.Whowasn’tabletoevacuate

fromthefiresintime?Why?




Whydoesthatpopulationneed

specialsupporttoevacuatefrom

naturalhazards?

Basedonwhatyouknowabout

whythosepeoplecouldn’t

evacuate,doyouthinkthereare

othergroupsofpeoplewho

weren’tabletoescapethefires?

ExplainAsyoulearnedintheunit,scientistsareoftenabletoforecastwhennaturalhazards,likefires,willhitcertainareasandusethisinformationtotellpeoplehowandwhentoevacuate.However,youjustheardinthearticlethatthisinformationdoesnotaffectallpeoplefairly.Firstwithapartnerandthenasaclass,discussthefollowingquestions:

1. Whatat-riskpopulationsdoyouknowareunfairlyaffectedduringfiresandwhy?2. Youknowfromtheintroductionthatthereareotherat-riskpopulationsnotmentionedintheEngage

article.Whichofthesegroupsdoyouthinkmightalsobeaffectedduringfiresandwhy?3. Thereareothernaturalhazards,suchashurricanes,volcaniceruptions,tornadoes,etc.Howdoyouthink

thesegroupsmightbeaffectedduringthesetypesofnaturalhazards?Why?ElaborateThelastarticletalkedabouthowcertaingroupsofpeopleweren’tassafeduringanaturalhazardasothergroups.Nowlet’sexplorewhathappenedtotheentirecityofNewOrleans,LAafterHurricaneKatrinastruck.

1. Paycloseattentiontothephotosyourteachershowsyouandthevideoyourteacherplays.ItshowsthetimelinethatledtoHurricaneKatrinaarrivinginNewOrleans,LA.

2. Individually,readthroughtheHurricaneKatrinaSituation.Whilereading:

o Usetheannotationstrategiesyourteachergivesyoutohelpyoulearnfromthereading.

3. Withyourgroup,discussthefollowingquestions:o Whatgroupsofpeopleweresignificantlyaffectedbythehurricane?o Whatareexamplesofgroupsofotherpeoplewhowerenotdiscussedinthereading?o Explainwhatmadethehurricanesomuchharderforthesepeoplebasedonthesefactors:Age,

HealthConcerns/PhysicalAbility,SocioeconomicStatus(howmuchmoneyyouhave).




4. ImaginethatyouhadfamilyorfriendslivinginNewOrleanswhenHurricaneKatrinahit.Usingwhatyouhavelearnedfromthepop-outsofar,individuallywritealettertotheNewOrleansMayor.Yourlettershouldinclude:

o Anoverallstatementexplainingwhatgroupsofpeoplearemorevulnerableinnaturalhazards o Examplesofhowcertaingroupsofpeoplewereimpactedbythehurricane o Ideasforhowtoaddresstheproblemsinthefuture

EvaluateandReflection

Individually,takeafewminutestothinkaboutwhatyoulearnedinthispop-out.Thenreflectonthequestionsbelow.

1. Whichpopulationsareoftenmoreat-riskduringandafternaturalhazards?Why?

2. Inyouropinion,isitfairthatsomepopulationsaremoreimpactedbynaturalhazardsthanothers?

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Stanford NGSS Integrated Curriculum...Stanford NGSS Integrated Curriculum 7th Grade Science Unit 1: A Balanced Biosphere Pop-Out: Environmental Ethics Student Version Stanford NGSS