Earth and Human Activities Experiential Science Project Bundle

Are you looking for experiential science projects as they relate to the earth and human activity? This bundle includes environmental science projects for high school students that highlight the relationship between human activities and biodiversity loss.

Those human activities include H.I.P.P.O - habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, poaching, and overexploitation.

Rather than focusing exclusively on the problems, the experiential science aspect of the bundle emphasizes solutions as well. Students study the concepts, analyze the complexity of the problems, explore solutions, and get involved in bringing those solutions to life.

Each resource is inquiry-based in some way or another, involving students in the learning experience rather than telling them what to learn and how to learn it.

The bundle includes a variety of experiential science activities including project-based learning, problem-based learning, experimental inquiry, and community action projects, keeping students engaged in deep and meaningful learning experiences around real-world concepts related to human activities and the impacts of those actions on biodiversity.

How to Use this Bundle:

• Order of use - The activities listed below do not necessarily need to be completed in a specific order. I do, however, recommend starting with the Habitats PBL because it sets the stage for content included in the rest of the resources. I also suggest saving the "Biodiversity Conservation Community Action Project" until the end as a way to wrap up the experience as a whole
• Timeframe - Each resource has the potential to be time-intensive. Project-based learning and community action projects involve sustained inquiry (1-4 weeks). The problem-based learning experiences take less time (2-3 hours). Experimental inquiry is experimentation (1-2 class periods).
• Implementation - If you use every resource back-to-back, the entire experience could take some time. Up to a couple of months. If you don't have that much time consider 1) Only pulling a few experiences from the bundle, 2) Splitting up the H.I.P.P.O projects among students so small groups each take on ONE of the projects, or 3) Having every student do every project but overlap the experiences. Students can conduct experimental inquiry while also working on a PBL. You can have students working on more than one project at a time. This is what I do.

Bundle Includes

1) Habitat Project-Based Learning - This is an introductory student-centered project that introduces the concepts of habitats, biodiversity, and conservation.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher and student guides
2. Introductory/brainstorming activities and discussion
3. Project-based learning checklist
4. Project planner
5. Research guide
6. "Challenge Yourself" extension options
7. Project rubric
8. Project reflection guide

2) Invasive Species Problem-Based Learning Challenge - Students take a problem-based learning approach to learning about invasive species. Students choose one invasive species, research the impacts on the community, explore and brainstorm solutions, and develop a comprehensive plan to mitigate the consequences of invasive species.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher guide
2. Student challenge description
3. Research templates with scaffolding questions related to invasive species
4. Solution brainstorming tools including solution research categories, a template for weighing the costs and benefits of solutions, and a solutions concept map
5. A comprehensive solution plan (final product) proposal checklist
6. Learning reflection questions
7. Problem-based learning rubric

3) Impacts of Water Pollution on Aquatic Life Experimental Inquiry - Students design and conduct their own experiments on the effects of water pollution on aquatic organisms.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher guide
2. Brainstorming activity
3. Investigation/experiment templates
4. Reflection questions
5. Experimental inquiry rubric

4) Water Pollution Problem-Based Learning Challenge - This resource is a lesson plan for problem-based learning that looks at real-world problems associated with water pollution from agricultural and lawn fertilizers. Students investigate sources, explore solutions, and develop a comprehensive plan to mitigate the issue.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher guide
2. Problem description
3. Research planner
4. Concept maps/organizers
5. Presentation/proposal checklist
6. Reflection
7. Rubric

5) Greenhouse Gases Self-Directed Project-Based Learning - Students will choose a greenhouse gas to study, design a project-based learning experience around that topic, and use the templates included to execute the experience.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher and student guides
2. Introductory activity
3. Greenhouse effect background information
4. Project-based learning checklist
5. Project planner
6. Research guide
7. "Challenge Yourself" extension options
8. Project rubric
9. Project reflection guide

6) Poaching Guided Project-Based Learning - Students will develop a research-based awareness campaign poster that informs and inspires a targeted audience on the issue of poaching. The process includes researching and analyzing successful campaigns strategies, researching the issue of poaching, developing campaign posters on poaching, and gathering feedback from a segment of their target audience.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher implementation guide
2. Student guide/checklist
3. Group project agreement form
4. Campaign analysis templates
5. Poaching research guide
6. Campaign poster brainstorming guide
7. Test phase planning template
8. Test group feedback form
9. Project learning reflection questions
10. Project-based learning rubric

7) Overexploitation Self-Directed PBL - Students study overexploitation as it relates to biodiversity. They choose a vulnerable species to study, explore the issue through sustained inquiry, develop innovative products to demonstrate learning, and share with an authentic audience.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher guide
2. Project design guide
3. Project planner
4. Research template
5. Challenge yourself with extension options
6. Project checklist
7. Project reflection

8) Habitat Destruction Guided Project-Based Learning - Students will research the problem of habitat destruction and then participate in different methods of solving the problem including education/raising awareness, reusing, and restoring.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher implementation guide
2. Organizers for tasks and task assignments for various parts of the project
3. Student guide/checklist
4. Research guide/templates
5. Student final product design and test templates
6. Final product feedback forms
7. Project outcomes portfolio template
8. Project learning reflection questions
9. Project based learning rubric

9) Biodiversity Conservation Community Action Project - This resource is a great way to wrap up the experience. Students use everything they have learned about the Earth and human activities up to this point to give back, serve, or take action as it relates to biodiversity conservation.

This resource includes:

• Teacher guide
• Project topic brainstorming activities - mind map & current events activity
• Two project proposal templates (1 - research the issue, 2- take action)
• Exploring solutions brainstorming guide
• Project Rubric 1: teacher-created rubric for project part 1 - researching the issue
• Project Rubric 2: student-generated rubric template for project part 2 - taking action
• Category and levels of mastery word banks for student-generated rubrics
• Daily check-in form
• Project reflection guide sheet.

BONUS: Carbon Cycle Disruptors Problem-Based Learning Challenge

If you like this resource, check out these other experiential science activities from Experiential Learning Depot:

• The Science of Climate Change Experiential Science Unit
• High School Water Pollution Experiential Science Unit

Take a look at these relevant free resources:

• Mini-bundle of experiential learning activity tools

Helpful Blog Posts:

• 5 Student-Favorite Experiential Learning Activities

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