Course Description Summer Challenge Program 2015 Chemistry, Ecology, Drama! - Puget Sound in the year 2050 Peter Donaldson & Ashley Choi Smith Hall, Room 404 In this challenging, fast-paced, fun-filled course students get a head start in understanding the fundamentals of chemistry from atoms to ecosystems. Intensive coaching in research skills, writing skills, acting skills and confidence in public speaking will dramatically improve their ability to think about complex systems, develop smart solutions and communicate results. Scientists say that the Puget Sound ecosystem is in crisis. The Governor has set up a new agency called the Puget Sound Partnership. Its mission is to bring the ecological health of Puget Sound back into balance within the next couple of decades. We need to understand chemistry, electricity, engineering and ecology to solve this problem. In this course we dissect the issues, understand the science and dramatize our results. We have regular science labs, daily research challenges and, most fun of all, we analyze the ecological teachings from an old Northwest Indian legend to produce a professional play! By analyzing patterns from the past, role playing issues in the present and scenarios for the future, we can create a blueprint for our lives in the year 2050 right here in the Puget Sound bioregion. Fifth graders will be 50 years old! 6th graders will be 51! The future is in your hands and this class is a blast. One BIG Question To achieve sustainability in the Puget Sound bioregion by 2050, how will we adapt the systems we depend on? Student Learning Outcomes 1. Understand the basics of chemistry, energy and the blocks of ecological systems. 2. Understand the patterns of the past & trends of the future seeking sustainable solutions to life in Puget Sound. 3. Improve your research, writing, reading and speaking skills by frequently presenting your knowledge to your peers. And develop your acting skills to produce a Northwest Coast Indian salmon legend! Instructional Strategies Our daily rhythm will include scientific inquiry, and small group reading, writing and research, plus drama skill. Wednesdays we are in a lab using microscopes to observe plant structures, classify microbial soil life and dissect salmon. Tuesdays and Thursdays we will be rehearsing our play in a real theater. Daily scientific inquiries will be on integrated themes selected from chemistry, energy, hydrology, salmon biology, stream ecology, nutrient cycling, and the science and engineering behind innovations for a sustainable future. We will journal, write, draw and discuss a lot, sometimes in character as visiting experts! Guthrie Annex II Box 351630 Seattle, Washington 98195-1630 206-543-4160 rcys@uw.edu http://robinsoncenter.uw.edu
Student Assessment We expect a fully engaged learning community at all times. When you come to class you have had plenty of sleep, good food to eat, and you are ready to totally commit to a day of learning. Frequent homework will be assigned. It should take less than half an hour to complete but eager students will be inspired to go further on their own. Scripts for our play will be handed out on the first day with auditions taking place informally throughout the week. Once your lines are set you will need to memorize them thoroughly and on schedule in order to support your fellow actors. At the end of each week, the instructors will be evaluating each student on his or her involvement during the past week. We notice hard work, teamwork, organized note taking, inspired thinking and genuine enthusiasm. In the rare event that student behavior needs reinforcing from home, we will be direct in communicating with both you and your parents. We are honest, fair and firm. The ultimate evaluation for this course will be in the spirit of our final play as witnessed by friends and family and a sense of personal responsibility for helping to create sustainable solutions as the future rapidly approaches us. What to bring on the first day 1. A three-ring notebook with dividers to organize assigned readings. 2. 20-30 sheets of unlined blank white printer paper for making drawings. This should be three-hole punched so that it fits in your notebook. 3. A fine point black ink pen for drawing black line sketches that can be photocopied. 4. Colored markers, highlighters, and /or colored pencils for diagrams and map making. 5. Comfortable, well-fitting clothes for acting and movement. 6. Lunches with healthy food and zero throw away packaging. 7. Sturdy, reusable water bottle (no bottled water please). 2
WEEK # 1 BIG QUESTION: To achieve sustainability in the Puget Sound bioregion by 2050, how will we adapt the 9:00 Orientation 10:00 Parent PowerPoint Evidence, Evaluation Schedule Contents Four teams SCALES: Atom to ecosystems SYSTEMS & CYCLES TIMELINES 11:40 local, 12:20 / Peter s Salmon Boy Story Script read through Big question overlap 2:00 Puget Sound Vital Signs - How does it work? Form Follows Function Drawing (40 min.) Object observation/analysis Object Water lab (40 min) Chemical /physical properties Water pollution Puget Sound Plant Lab Prep Swim, paddle, longhouse Ritual Puget Sound Vital Signs Analyze Species LAB: Plant Observations Protocol Review Observation (one plant) (3-5 plants) Cross sections Case Study: Invasives Case Study: Marine plants (eel grass/kelp) local, Salmon boy variations Cell Structure (diagram parts) Photosynthesis (diagram) Living Building Challenge: I am a flower Bullitt Story / SEED Story LBC Case Studies, Bullitt Photo Gallery Periodic Table Atomic structure Molecule lab (hydrogen, oxygen carbon, everyday combinations Ocean Acidification Swim, paddle, longhouse Ritual All group scenes Toxins in Puget Sound Green Homes of the Future Review of sustainable systems Story of Stuff Rehearsal in Classroom Individual scene study (4 groups supported) 1:30 Self Evaluation Work on program Encyclopedia of Puget Sound 3
WEEK # 2 BIG QUESTION: To achieve sustainability in the Puget Sound bioregion by 2050 how will we adapt the 9:00 LAB: Soil & Macroinvertebrates 10:00 Properties of Water Phases of Matter Water cycle Watershed Quantity Quality Sources of Stormwater Pollution Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle Ecosystem principles Soil food web (reading) Observation & Puget Sound Marine Preserves Compare form and function to EcoDistricts 11:40 12:20 Watershed one sentence Watershed Rap Run through local, Old Man - First People 2050 Vision Stories Run through Who s on First Rehearsal in Classroom Contents Overview Needs, interests, challenges 2:00 Puget Sound Food Web. Soil food web EcoDistricts, Puget Sound Marine Preserves EcoDistricts 2050 Scenarios 2030 Challenge 2040 Vision PNW Climate Impacts 1:30 Self Evaluation Work on program 4
WEEK # 3 BIG QUESTION: To achieve sustainability in the Puget Sound bioregion by 2050 how will we adapt the 9:00 LAB: Salmon Dissection Final Review Program 10:00 Energy / Electricity - Part I Electron physics Generation Energy / Electricity - Part 2 Distribution / peak capacity Storage Consumption Smart grid Observation & 10:20 Final Hydropower and Salmon 11:40 12:20 Salmon cycle poems, assignments local, Story time/ Chief Seattle s Speech Contents Review, fill gaps Contents final contributions 1:00 The Play! The Program! 2:00 5