Lesson Plan 8
/No Impact/Solutions
Objectives
/ Students will learn from what “No Impact Man” did with his experiment and start brainstorming solutions to reducing our carbon footprint, and finding simple ways to save energy, which, in turn, will also save money.Vocabulary
(5 min)
Have students help define these terms. It can be done at the beginning or throughout each lesson / Negative Impact – refers to contributing negatively to the environment by increasing your carbon footprint (transportation, food, recreation, etc.) Carbon Neutral (a.k.a. net zero carbon footprint) – refers to achieving zero carbon emissions by reducing your carbon footprint. Closed-loop System – not being dependant on things outside the system and does not negatively affect external environments. In this case, “systems” means community and refers to the community sustaining itself without having a negative impact on the environment in which they live. Positive Impact - refers to contributing positively to the environment by not only decreasing your carbon footprint (perhaps reaching carbon neutral), but producing energy that is renewable (solar power producing more than is needed) and assisting in natural ways by planting trees, preserving the rainforest from deforestation, etc.
MA Frameworks
Grades 6, 7, 8 /Science
Strand: Life ScienceTopic: Changes in Ecosystems Over Time
18: Recognize that biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations.
Activity One
(35 min)
Supplies Needed
“No Impact Man” movie, TV and DVD player or laptop, projector, and screen, and
Scavenger Hunt worksheet (one per student)
Scavenger Hunt answer key
journals
Activity Two
(35 min)Supplies needed:“Climate Change Scorecard,” “12 Steps to a Sustainable Home or School,” “What can you do to reduce your Ecological Footprint?”, Factoid sheet, –under ‘action guide, and journals / “No Impact Man” Part 2
Instructions:Continue playing movie
**to make this more interactive, do the scavenger hunt for the movie, have one sheet per student. Encourage students to write in their journals any other fun facts, tips, and things learned in their journals**
Learning Moment/Teachback Q’s (5 min): “What was the overall message of this movie?” (balance between man-made things we have and the environment) “Would you go to the extreme measures and try this experiment yourself, why/why not?
Practical solutions to reducing ecological footprint
Instructions:Now that we have talked about trash, carbon footprint, and fossil fuels vs. recycling, composting, and using alternative clean renewable energies, it is time to get the word out and help others “go green” by offering simple ways to save energy, which will, in turn, help save money. You can either have the students get into groups or you can do it as a whole class. In the journals, have the students break down into sections and discuss solutions and proper ways to live a sustainable life with these topics: Food, Energy/Electricity, Water, Create Less Waste, and School/Community. This is the last step before beginning to put together the blog/webpage. You can do this in groups and have groups present in front of the class or as a class with a scribe (take turns).
Example: Food
Buy local and organic
Plant a garden or be a part of a community garden
Energy
Take shorter showers and have an annual savings of $24 per person per year
Turn off lights and save $14 per light switch per year
Reflection Journal Question (10min): Just conduct the website emphasis