Effective strategies for identifying and prioritizing technical challenges, as well as estimating R&D timelines include:

a. Relying on the experience of the engineering team

b. Seeking input from engineers involved in similar projects

c. Drawing insights from foundational knowledge in relevant engineering disciplines

d. All of the above

e. Only b and c

Identify which challenge you will participate in and which city you will design or redesign. You research the climate and geography of the city's location to identify how the city design is influenced by climate and natural disasters.

Sim City

CP1:Identifying Environmental Issues

[Student Name]        [Class Block/Period]

Student Work: Challenge Choice and City Description

Student Work: Main Environmental Issues

Student Work: MLA Citations

Self-Assessment

Level

Rationale - Write a short paragraph justifying the numerical level score you chose using key terms from the rubric and examples from your work.

Checkpoint Directions

As you design or redesign your city, there are many possible environmental issues that you must address in your plan. All cities must deal with pollution issues, therefore all plans for this project must address water pollution, air pollution, and solid waste.  After you have addressed those issues, you must also identify additional critical environmental issues your specific city faces.  These could be due to population size, climate, landscape, ecology, past development, climate change, development or any other environmental, social, or economic factor.  In this checkpoint you will research and identify the environmental issues. In the next checkpoint you will research and identify solutions to each issue.

Check for Resources and Activities under this checkpoint that will help you complete this checkpoint.

Read the “City and Challenge Choices” resource that accompanies this checkpoint. Refer to it for more detailed directions for this checkpoint and what to write in the student work sections.

Choose a challenge and describe your choice in the appropriate box above.

Choose a city based on your challenge choice and describe it in terms of climate, geography, geology, population, and ecology.  Choose details that will affect development, agriculture, and industry.  Cite sources for information about your city.

Identify environmental issues that your city will have to address. There should be a wide variety of issues including, but not limited to, pollution, water use, climate change, resource use, land use

For each environmental issue, cite information from at least one source.

Create a works cited list in MLA format in the space provided above for all the sources you cite. You can use Easybib.com as a guide.

Checkpoint Checklist

Prepare Notes

Outline your response to the prompt in the box below. Then, write a few questions to ask your peers to better understand their environmental outlooks.

I bring a variety of experiences, attitudes, and perspectives when considering environmental science issues. Firstly, my experiences living in both rural and urban environments have given me the opportunity to see firsthand the various environmental challenges faced by different communities. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel and see the impacts of environmental issues on a global scale. These experiences have fostered within me a deep appreciation and respect for the natural world and a desire to protect it.

In terms of attitudes, I am strongly motivated by a sense of social and environmental justice. I believe that it is our responsibility to be stewards of the planet and to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy and sustainable environment. I also believe that addressing environmental issues requires a holistic and intersectional approach, considering the impacts on both human and non-human communities.

As for perspectives, I approach environmental science issues with a scientific mindset, valuing evidence-based decision making and a willingness to consider multiple viewpoints. However, I also recognize the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge and the perspectives of marginalized communities into the conversation.

Questions for Peers:

What experiences have you had that have shaped your environmental outlook?

What values do you prioritize when considering environmental science issues?

How do you approach environmental issues from a scientific perspective?

How do you incorporate the perspectives of marginalized communities into your understanding of environmental science issues?

Final Product: Socratic Seminar on Sustainability

Instructions: For this final product, you will engage in a college-style Socratic seminar on sustainability. You will submit your Preparation notes, and use those notes to support you as you actively listen and contribute to the discussion.

Preparation

Paste your final Preparation notes below.

Before the Discussion

As you get ready for the discussion, set at least two specific goals for your participation during the discussion. Use the  Contributing to Evidence-based Discussions and Norms/Active Listening rubrics in the Platform to inform your goals.

Sample Goals:

I plan to share at least one piece of information from my Preparation notes during the discussion.

I plan to connect my ideas to something another person says during the discussion.

What is your first goal?:

What is your second goal?:

After the Discussion

To what extent did you accomplish your first goal?

To what extent did you accomplish your second goal?:

How did you do with CONTRIBUTING TO EVIDENCE-BASED DISCUSSIONS? Give yourself a score based on the Cognitive Skills Rubric and explain why you deserve this score:

How did you do with NORMS/ACTIVE LISTENING? Give yourself a score based on the Cognitive Skills Rubric and explain why you deserve this score:

What did you enjoy or find the most interesting in the discussion?:  

Was there anything you wish the discussion talked about but didn’t?:

Any other notes or reflections on today’s discussion:

In this project you address 5 related to the environment. Choose which issue you will work to solve with the project. Write a guiding question.

Student Work: Global Issue

Student Work: Essential Question

Student Work: Misconception and Counterclaim

Self-Assessment: Asking Questions

Level

Rationale - Write a short paragraph justifying the numerical level score you chose using key terms from the rubric and examples from your work.

Checkpoint Directions

Choose a global issue to research for this project:

Check for Resources and Activities under this checkpoint that will help you complete this checkpoint.

Go to the GIN 20 Global Issues page and choose one of the issues from the first column, “Sharing our planet: Issues involving the global commons”.  There are six to choose from. You can click on the issues to read more about them.

Describe the issue you chose (your own words in complete sentences) in the box above, Student Work: Global Issue.

In your description connect your issue to human population growth.

Write an essential question. Use the rubric as a guide. Write your question in the box above, Student Work: Essential Question. Your question should be related to a solution for your issue.

Identify a misconception about your issue and critique it.        

Use the attached Resource: Common Environmental Misconceptions if you need help identifying a misconception.

Research the science concepts related to the misconception.

Write your critique. Part of your critique must address science concepts and/or data. Check with your teacher if you think yours is an exception.

Your critique should conclude with an explanation for why it is a misconception and what the correct concept it.

Checkpoint Checklist

Done

These things must be done or included for this CP to be completed.

Use the rubric for additional guidance.

Issue from GIN Global Issues: Sharing our planet: Issues involving the global commons chosen and described.

Essential question written to guide your research. The question should focus on a solution.

One misconception identified and a critique is written about it.

The critique of the misconception leads to an explanation of the correct concept based on science facts and/or data.