6th Grade Science Units
Each unit has a storyline and a guiding question (Big Aha!) that will help guide us to deepen our understanding. The focus of the course is on constructing meaning and revising our work as our understanding deepens.
Unit 1: Thermal Energy
Task: You are a team of architects and need to design a home to minimize heat loss.
Big Aha! How can your home minimize energy loss?
Project Page: Tiny home
Unit 2: Weather
Task: You are a meteorologist advising some adventurers on a trip they plan to take.
Big Aha! Why are different places on Earth so hot, dry, cold, wet, sunny, and windy?
Project Page: Air Masses Booklet
Project Page: Hottest, Driest, Coldest, Wettest
Unit 3: Climate Crisis
Task: You are a student who is concerned about global warming and want to come up with a plan in your life and inspire your community to take climate action now!
Big Aha! What causes global heating and how can you use that knowledge to design a process to reverse global warming?
Project Page: Drawdown: Climate Action Now!
Unit 4: Planting Seeds
Task: You are a ethnobotanist concerned about the loss of biodiversity of food crops. You have been hired to create a public service announcement (PSA) or seed saving tutorial for the One Million Seed Savers Campaign that will inspire and educate the world about seed saving and invite them to join us as one of the 1 Million Seed Savers.
Big Savor! (a.k.a. Big Aha!) How can we increase the genetic diversity of our food crops to increase food security?
Project Page: Seed Saving Tutorials & PSAs
Project Page: Plant Breeding Projects - Popcorn, Beefy Resilient Grex dry bush bean, Resilient Wheat (evolutionary plant breeding)
Unit 1: Thermal Energy
Task: You are a team of architects and need to design a home to minimize heat loss.
Big Aha! How can your home minimize energy loss?
Project Page: Tiny home
Unit 2: Weather
Task: You are a meteorologist advising some adventurers on a trip they plan to take.
Big Aha! Why are different places on Earth so hot, dry, cold, wet, sunny, and windy?
Project Page: Air Masses Booklet
Project Page: Hottest, Driest, Coldest, Wettest
Unit 3: Climate Crisis
Task: You are a student who is concerned about global warming and want to come up with a plan in your life and inspire your community to take climate action now!
Big Aha! What causes global heating and how can you use that knowledge to design a process to reverse global warming?
Project Page: Drawdown: Climate Action Now!
Unit 4: Planting Seeds
Task: You are a ethnobotanist concerned about the loss of biodiversity of food crops. You have been hired to create a public service announcement (PSA) or seed saving tutorial for the One Million Seed Savers Campaign that will inspire and educate the world about seed saving and invite them to join us as one of the 1 Million Seed Savers.
Big Savor! (a.k.a. Big Aha!) How can we increase the genetic diversity of our food crops to increase food security?
Project Page: Seed Saving Tutorials & PSAs
Project Page: Plant Breeding Projects - Popcorn, Beefy Resilient Grex dry bush bean, Resilient Wheat (evolutionary plant breeding)
