PROJECT

__Group members__  JJ Merrill, Genal West, & Alyssa Carricato

__Course number__  EDIM 502 – Project Based Learning

__The Big Idea__  Human Impact on the Environment: Pollution

__The Essential Question__  How do humans impact the environment and how can we reverse those effects.

__The Challenge__  Identify local sources of pollution and create logical solutions to improve the environment for the future in our community and the world.

__Guiding Questions__
 * How can you identify the sources of pollution and explain their effects on the ecosystem?
 * How have human actions impacted the survival of organisms in the ecosystem?
 * How can we evaluate the effects of air, water, and soil pollution on society?
 * What remediation practices will allow the environment to return to its original state; which will not?

__Guiding Activities__ //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Setting the Foundation // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Student groups brainstorm everything they know about different types of pollution, then search the Internet for basic pollution information and the top pollution issues. See “Guiding Resources“ websites to start this research.

//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Investigating Water Pollution // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students will investigate different water sources around the area where they live. They will conduct an experiment of different water samples and filter them. They <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">will collect and compile their findings, justifying why one source may have more pollutants than another and make a video explaining their findings.

//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Top 10 Most Polluted Places on Earth // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students will investigate top 10 most polluted cities on Earth. Using what they have learned about pollution, the causes and effects, they will choose one city and investigate why it is on the top 10 list. Students will write a two-three paragraph paper along with an action plan outlining possible ways to remedy the pollution in their city.

//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What Does Good Air Quality Look Like? // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students will do research on different air pollutants and illustrate a poster depicting both a polluted and pollution free scene. These scenes should come from their daily lives - things they do and see every day. They should illustrate how these things could look before and after exposure to air pollution. //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Emissions Affecting the US // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Department of Public Information issued a press release in 2007 regarding the increase in population over the next 40 years. Read this press release to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.66px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">familiarize yourself with trends in global population. Once you have read the press release please look at the data provided on population growth as well as the data on CO2 emissions for the countries of the world. Compare the CO2 emissions of the top 5 countries in population growth with that of the United States. Use this information with what you have already learned about pollution to hypothesize the effects that population growth will have on global pollution (1-2 pages).