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Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
Unit Organizer: ENVIRONMENTAL - HUMAN IMPACT
(Approximate Time: 2 Weeks)
OVERVIEW: Human activities impact the availability of renewable and nonrenewable resources. There are ways to conserve these natural
resources.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT
Focus Standards:
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s surface is formed.
i. Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth’s surface.
j. Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water, soil, and air.
S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.
a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its relationship to wind and water energy.
b. Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Supporting Standards:
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s surface is formed.
d. Describe processes that change rocks and the surface of the earth.
f. Explain the effects of physical processes (plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, volcanic eruption, gravity) on geological features
including oceans (composition, currents, and tides).
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 1 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
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Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that:
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•
•
•
•
•
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Human activity can have a positive or a negative impact onϖ the surface of our Earth.
Human activities can cause or accelerate erosion.
Renewable resources can be replenished within a relatively short time period.
Nonrenewable resources form very slowly, over millions of years. When present supplies are used, there will be no more.
The Earth’s resources can be reduced or used up if humans don’t use conservation strategies.
The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the Earth's surface, including winds, ocean currents, and waves.
Through conservation strategies, people can slow down the degradation of the environment and the depletion of non-renewable resources.
• The atmosphere and the oceans have a limited capacity to absorb wastes and recycle materials naturally. Cleaning up polluted air, water, or
soil or restoring depleted soil, forests, or fishing grounds can be very difficult and costly.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
OVERARCHING ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How might the conservation and resource strategies used today affect your future? Give examples.
TOPICAL ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How can land uses be modified so as to minimize erosion?
In what sense is the energy from wind, hydroelectric, coal, and oil really energy from the sun?
Which strategies that your family could use to conserve energy would be easiest and why?
Why is soil considered a nonrenewable resource?
How might it be possible to run out of a renewable resource? Give examples.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 2 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
KNOWLEDGE:
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Renewable resources can be replenished within a relatively short time (perhaps months, or years, or tens of years).
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Renewable resources include: fresh water; fresh air; plants and plant products (food, natural fibers, lumber, fuel); animals and animal products (food,
leather); wind, moving water and sun for energy
•
Nonrenewable resources form very slowly on or within the Earth, over time periods of millions of years. They accumulate so slowly, that for all
intents and purposes on the human time scale, the Earth can be considered to have only a set quantity of the resource. When present supplies are used,
there will be no more.
•
Nonrenewable resources include: fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas); soil; metallic minerals (iron, copper, gold, silver, lead, mercury, zinc, uranium);
nonmetallic minerals (kaolin, salt, lime, sulfur, diamonds, sand)
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Oil and gas are formed from the remains of marine plants, animals and microorganisms that lived in seas millions of years ago.
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The ultimate source of the energy in fossil fuels is from the sun. Photosynthetic plants and marine algae lock this energy into organic matter. When
we burn plants, coal, oil, or gas, we release the sun's trapped energy.
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When hydrocarbons are burned as fuel, they release a greenhouse gas (CO2) that is linked with global warming.
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Burning hydrocarbons also releases pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and unburned hydrocarbons that
contribute to air pollution.
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Nuclear power is generated from the heat released when uranium atoms split (undergo fission). That heat boils water to make the steam that turns the
turbines to generate electricity.
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Wind electricity is produced by turbines which can be grouped together on a "wind farm." It is cost-competitive with other forms of electricity, but
only certain parts of the country such as the Great Plains states have enough strong, steady wind for widespread wind power development.
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Solar electricity can be produced in photovoltaic cells that can be placed on rooftops and other sunny places. The cost of photovoltaics continues to
drop dramatically, but they are still several times as expensive as the cheapest electricity.
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The sun's energy can be used economically without conversion to electricity. Some uses are to heat water for home use, and to heat and light
buildings designed to take advantage of the sun's path through the sky.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 3 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
•
Hydroelectricity is produced by turbines below dams. It is inexpensive and is the most widely used form of renewable energy, but the best sites for
hydro in the U.S. already have been dammed, and further dams would have to displace valuable urban and farm land.
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Of the total energy used in the U.S., most comes from petroleum, followed by natural gas and coal.
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Certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat in the lower atmosphere (troposphere). This phenomenon has been referred to as the greenhouse effect.
Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons.
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Ozone protects life on earth by absorbing most incoming solar ultraviolet radiation. Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) from aerosol cans,
cooling systems and refrigerator equipment removes some of the ozone, causing "holes"; to open up in this layer and allowing the UV radiation to
reach the earth. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin cancer and has damaging effects on plants and wildlife.
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Good soil conservation techniques include: contour plowing; strip planting - different crops in strips; cover crops; crop rotation; terraces; planting
groundcovers - roots hold the soil; windbreaks; tree planting; mulching
Burning coal contributes to air pollution and acid rain. Burning low sulfur coal produces less acid rain.
CONCEPTS:
Conservation, energy, matter, human endeavors
LANGUAGE:
Non-renewable and renewable resources, energy sources, fossil fuels, biomass, solar, wind, thermal, capacity, conservation strategies
MISCONCEPTIONS
PROPER CONCEPTIONS
Protecting the environment is important only for those people who care
about the natural world.
Allowing the environment to degrade continuously can result in
disasters for people that may not have an affordable solution.
The earth is such a large and well-balanced system that it soon heals
any damage that humans cause.
Human societies have long caused environmental problems whose
effects persist for generations, and the scale of these problems is
rapidly increasing.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 4 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
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Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
When construction is complete, a new development no longer causes
erosion.
Pavement and buildings increase storm water runoff, which
accelerates stream bank erosion.
Engineers can easily fix water quality problems caused by the removal
of wetlands or forests.
In general, wetlands and forests protect water quality more effectively
and cheaply than human technology.
Scientists know how much is left of non-renewable resources and are
able to predict when they will run out.
The future supply of most non-renewable resources is uncertain, but
“running out” is less of an issue than how much it will cost to extract
the resource as the supply diminishes.)
Conservation involves sacrificing quality of life so we can save
resources and protect the environment.
Properly planned conservation strategies increase comfort levels and
quality of life while using fewer resources and restoring the
environment.
Protecting the environment is an expensive luxury which is often
unaffordable.
Many strategies for conserving resources save money as they protect
the environment.
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING:
By the conclusion of this unit, students should be able to demonstrate the following competencies:
Culminating Activity:
Goal: Apply your knowledge of the difference between nonrenewable and renewable energy resources and their effects on water and air.
Role: You are a child in a family which has received a new offer from your power company.
Audience: Your family.
Situation: Your electricity provider is offering an option by which your family pays a little extra on the monthly power bill to help insure that
the company will buy energy from wind, solar, and landfill gas. As the family member who has recently studied renewable energy and
conservation in school, you are asked 1) to help your family decide whether paying an extra ten dollars a month is too much for this service and
2) to suggest practical ways your family can cut the fossil-fuel electricity it now uses.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 5 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
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Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
Product: A presentation that 1) compares the effects of different energy sources on air, water, and the future supply of energy 2) argues for or
against spending extra money on renewable energy and 3) suggests energy conservation strategies for your family.
Standard: See rubric
Environmental GRASPS – Rubric
Scientific
Information
4
3
2
Renewable and
non-renewable
energy
The project accurately
contrasts effects of a fossil fuel
on air, water, and energy
supply with those of a
renewable energy source.
The project contrasts effects of
a fossil fuel on air, water, and
energy supply with those of a
renewable energy source, but
there are significant
inaccuracies.
Sun, wind, and
water energy
The project explains how
electricity is made from solar,
wind, and water, well enough
to make clear some costs and
limitations of each method.
The project explains how
electricity is made from solar,
wind, and water but does not
adequately connect this
information to the costs and
limitations of each method.
Methods of
conserving
Three strategies and their costs
and benefits are explained
enough to make an informed
decision and to implement
them.
Three strategies are explained
enough to implement them,
but costs and benefits are
inadequately described.
The project contrasts some
effects of a fossil fuel with
those of a renewable energy
source, but either air, water,
or energy supply effects are
not covered.
The project does not
adequately explain how
electricity is made from
solar, wind, and water, or
fails to include costs and
limitations of one or more
methods.
Three practical
conservation strategies are
identified, but are not
explained to the extent that
they could be implemented.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 6 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
1
The project fails to
provide any contrast
between the effects of
fossil fuels and
renewable energy.
The project fails to
discuss how any form of
electricity is made or
fails to discuss any costs
and limitations.
Fewer than three
conservation strategies
are identified, or none of
the strategies seem
practical.
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Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 6
TASKS
The collection of the following tasks represents the level of depth, rigor and complexity expected of all physical science students to
demonstrate evidence of learning.
Task:
Description:
Discussion, Suggestions for use:
Possible Solution :
SAMPLE OF STUDENT WORK
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Unit Organizer: Environmental – Human Impact
January 2007 y Page 7 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved