Students describe their favorite meal and ask questions about a world population graph. Then, to connect these two topics, students trace the impact of a hamburger on water, land, air and energy resources. They calculate the number of gallons of gasoline needed to get ingredients to their city and analyze the impact an increasing population will have on Earth’s natural resources. Finally, students design a menu that lessens the impact on natural resources.

Students take a walk through their community and observe how humans impact their environment, both positively and negatively. Then, they choose one local issue to investigate, become experts on their issue, analyze solutions and implement an action project to make a difference! Each part of the project is broken down into smaller, scaffolded steps to ensure success. Students are highly engaged and passionate about the projects they choose. This is a highlight of their year!

Students demonstrate how latitude and Earth’s tilt affect climate, graph average temperatures at different altitudes, model the Coriolis effect and investigate how land and water absorb heat energy. Then, they develop a climate-based travel brochure for a region of their choice. Finally, students research an extreme climate on Earth (the top of Mount Everest, a boiling hot vent, a burning desert) and the species that thrive there!