Activity One: Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Materials: The Lorax, poster paper to be used by the teacher, writing paper, writing instruments
Using Dr. Seuss’s, The Lorax, the teacher will introduce the topics of what the environment is and how urbanization has changed much of what the world looks like. The final quote of this book is, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
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The teacher can explain that there are people called environmental engineers who care a whole awful lot who are trying to fix some of the problems in the environment that people create and that in this new unit we get to act as if we are environmental engineers.
Using the poster paper students will list some of the environmental problems that occurred in the book due to urbanization and factorization. Some examples are loss of habitats, air pollution, water pollution, and destruction of natural resources. During this time it is also important to discuss that we still need to build things such as houses and cars, however can these things be done in a way that is more environmentally friendly?
After creating this list students will have a discussion on why we should work to protect our environment instead of doing things that harm it. The teacher can explain that environmental engineers often do research on these topics to help them decide on how to help the environment.
To close the lesson, students will write about what environmental engineers are and what they do. Using the anchor chart list they will write about certain problems that they work on to help the environment.
Activity Two: Urban Heat Islands
Materials: Grassy area outside, concrete or brick area outside, paper, writing instruments, spray bottle with water, poster paper to be used by teacher.
Students and teacher will go outside to compare which is hotter; grassy areas or concrete and brick areas. Students will start out in the brick and concrete environment. They will discuss and write down the temperature and how they feel in this environment. Next they will move to a grassy area, once again they will discuss and write down how the temperature feels in this environment. If this is done on a dry, hot day the teacher may also want to bring a spray bottle with water in it outside. When the teacher sprays the water out of the bottle the students will experience the effects of evapotranspiration. If the temperature is hot enough, after the water is sprayed it will evaporate in the air. The students will feel cooler due to the droplets evaporating in the air. It is critical in this activity to ensure that the droplets are not landing on the students but actually changing states in the air.
Upon returning into the classroom students will compare and contrast the two environments. Which was hotter? Which was cooler? Why do you think the grass is cooler than the brick or concrete? If completing the evapotranspiration activity they can also discuss the results of the cooling effects that they experienced.
Students will discuss their findings as a group and write about how green, grassy areas of vegetation help to cool down the urban heat island effect. With the help of the teacher they will create an anchor chart which explains that urban environments which use certain materials in their construction are hotter than the areas that surround it. As well as the fact that vegetation has a cooling effect on these areas.
Activity Three: Wind Energy
Materials: Wind energy kit (car or light bulb or both), paper, writing instruments, poster paper to be used by teacher
Depending on the weather students will either be inside using their breath to create wind or go outside and use the natural wind energy. Using the wind energy kits students will use wind energy to either turn on a lightbulb or make a toy car drive. They will see firsthand that we can use an alternative energy source that is around us to make things go or turn things on. Students will actively track data on how much energy is needed to turn the light on or to make the car drive.
After the hands-on, exploration activity students will discuss what they learned about wind energy in this activity. They will use the data that they collected to support their findings during the discussion. With the help of the teacher students will create a poster so they can have a visual anchor in the classroom that explains what wind energy is and how we can harness and use what is already around us to power different things.
Activity Four: Solar Energy
Materials: Solar energy kit (powers a car, solar cell phone charger, or both), paper, writing utensils, poster paper to be used by teacher
Similarly, to the wind energy activity, students will engage in a hands-on activity where they will either charge a phone battery or power a toy car using solar energy provided by the sun. Students will actively track data and see how long it takes for these things to charge or drive depending on how much sunlight they are getting.
Afterwards, students will have a discussion where they will use their data to discuss and support what they learned in this activity. With help of the teacher the class will create an anchor chart using key terms and vocabulary which will help them to explain solar energy and how we can use it to power things around us. Controls can be used in this experiment to bring it to the next level. For example, using two solar panels with one in direct sunlight and one blocked from the sun. This would show the students that the solar panel needs the sun to produce power, this adds an element of critical thinking to this experiment.
Activity Five: Designing a more sustainable community
Materials: Class made anchor charts, poster paper, writing paper, drawing and writing utensils.
After learning about different types of alternative energies, green city models, the urban heat island effect, and how environmental engineers are trying to make cities more sustainable, the students will be able to take what they have learned from the whole unit so far and design a solution to the original broad question of “how can we make our community more sustainable?”
We will come back to the original broad question from the beginning of our unit and we will reassess all the data and information that we have tracked about the urban heat island effect, urban farming, wind energy, and solar energy using our class anchor charts. From here the students will decide what change they would implement in our community to make it more sustainable.
Students will draw and write about their design. This is the third step in the engineering design process, students should be encouraged to explore all their options and even work on more than one design. They can draw, write, and discuss what their potential solution would be.
In this activity there is no “right or wrong” answer, there are only potential solutions. Students should be using the class anchor charts and data from the previous activities to help them design. However, they are acting as environmental engineers and should be given the freedom to explore their ideas as they desire to. After an adequate amount of time designing students will share their ideas with the class.