Objectives
This video lesson introduces the concept and history of environmental justice, and provides students with opportunities to describe their own environment using their senses, to carry out a mini-investigation while comparing two Columbus sites using Google Earth, and to find additional resources about environmental justice.
Learning Standards
Grade 6 Introduce soil contamination:
6.ESS.4: Soil is unconsolidated material that contains organic matter and weathered rock.
6.ESS.5: Rocks, minerals and soils have common and practical uses.
Grade 7 Emphasis on interconnectedness of humans and environment, drawing on the concepts below
7.ESS.3 The atmosphere has different properties at different elevations and contains a mixture of gases that cycle through the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
7.LS.1 Energy flows and matter is transferred continuously from one organism to another and between organisms and their physical environments.
7.LS.2 In any particular biome, the number, growth and survival of organisms and populations depend on biotic and abiotic factors.
Grade 8 Humans have an impact on the geologic record, and humans are also impacted by the geology where they live (loose connection to concepts below):
8.ESS.3 A combination of constructive and destructive geologic processes formed Earth’s surface.
High School This lesson draws on themes from the following content areas:
ENV.ER.1: Energy resources – Mining and resource extraction
ENV.ER.2: Air and air pollution – Primary and secondary contaminants • Greenhouse gases • Clean Air Act
ENV.ER.3: Water and water pollution – Potable water and water quality • Hypoxia, eutrophication • Clean Water Act • Point source and non-point source contamination
ENV.GP.1: Human Population
ENV.GP.2: Potable water quality, use and availability
ENV.GP.9: Waste management (solid and hazardous)
PG.ER.1: Energy resources – Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources and efficiency • Alternate energy sources and efficiency • Resource availability • Mining and resource extraction
PG.ER.2: Air – Primary and secondary contaminants • Greenhouse gases
PG.ER.3: Water – Potable water and water quality • Hypoxia, eutrophication
PG.ER.4: Soil and sediment – Desertification • Mass wasting and erosion • Sediment and contamination
The activities included in this module address Visions into Practice: Demonstrating science knowledge • Interpreting and Communicating science concepts, and apply the Nature of Science Categories: Scientific Inquiry, Practice and Applications • Science is a Human Endeavor • Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence
Lesson Content
Activity #1: Describing your environment (1:45)
Activity #2: Compare two environments (6:24)
Location 1
Location 2
Activity #3: Find more Environmental Justice Resources (10:58)
Tell us what you find on Twitter (#SESEnvJustice) or by emailing sesgrads@gmail.com!