Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Earth and Human Activity Name: Vaness Crook

Content Area: Biology Grade Level: 11th
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
HS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity:
HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards,
and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-
benefit ratios.*
HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability
of human populations, and biodiversity.
California Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy –
RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the
author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
RST.11-12.8 Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and
corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information
WHST.9–12.2.a–e Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or
technical processes.
Mathematics –
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP.4 Model with mathematics.
N-Q.1-3 Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

Students will be introduced to natural resources, sustainability and biodiversity. This Earth and Human Activity lesson will focus on the
following essential questions: What are natural resources? How have humans influenced or affected the abundance and diversity of
Earth’s natural resources? What does it mean to “reduce, reuse, recycle”? What is waste management and how have new technologies
affected resources? By the end of the lesson students will be able develop knowledge on natural resources and hazards, read and research
natural and anthropogenic impacts on the environment, create questions and ideas to address environmental sustainability, write the ways
in which they consume natural resources, utilize digital quizzes to understand their carbon footprint, and utilize simulations to understand
the effects of natural disasters and the significance of natural resources management.
Unit Summary:
This Unit Plan was designed to help students develop their knowledge of natural resources, natural hazards, and natural disasters!
Students will understand where resources come from. But what about the things that are not natural? Can we make resources? If so, how?
Do we as humans affect the earth? Do we influence the abundance and diversity of Earth’s natural resources? In this Unit Plan we will
delve into the various ways that human impact the environment and understand the meaning of anthropogenic impacts. Students will also
work individually and collaboratively to create their own ideas to address environmental sustainability and how to reduce their carbon
footprint and consumption of natural resources.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:
Entry-level assessments assess what you Formative assessments will be utilized to Summative assessments assess that full
already know about the subject or topics assess what students have learned and if comprehension was reached and that
that are connected and related to it. Note: It they are struggling with any particular students are able to effectively
is ok if you do not know anything or concept or section of the lesson. Where am I communicate their understandings of the
everything about the subject. This at in my understanding of the materials? concepts and topics through summarizing
assessment will simply show me where you Critical Thinking Questions- Students will the materials accurately. What have I
are at as an individual and where the class is be accepted to analyze and consider learned?
as a whole. What prior knowledge do you problems and solutions. Questions can be Reflection- Students will reflect on their
have? possed as: “What if we do not have wind?”, Carbon Footprint, what their impact on
Quick responses- Students will write what is “How can new technologies restore natural natural resource consumption means to our
already know about natural resources and resources?”, “With the amount of people on environment and sustainability, and how
natural hazards. the planet can we sustain our natural they can reduce their consumption.
Class Discussion- Students will discuss how resources forever?”, and “Can we share Essay- Students will write a 5-page essay
natural hazards can be beneficial or these resources equally?”. addressing how natural resources are being
detrimental to the environment. Students Online Quiz- Assess what students have ineffectively used, what technologies we
will discuss their Ecological Footprint and comprehended regarding Greenhouse Gases can utilize to sustain these resources, and
CO2 emissions in tonnes per year. and the effects of our Carbon Footprints. data that supports these claims.
Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)
Student Learning Acceptable Evidence (Assessments): Lesson Activities:
Objective: I will conduct Entry-Level assessments by In Earth and Human Activity: Lesson 1- Natural Resources
Students will develop their assessing the students’ prior knowledge. and Hazards, students will review the Prezi lecture I created
knowledge on natural Students will complete a quick write on the to complete the guided notes and assignments located
resources and hazards natural resources that they use every day. underneath the embedded lecture. The lecture is an overview
through lecture and Students will participate in a group and to and discusses natural resources, renewable and
research. class discussion on how natural hazards can nonrenewable, how humans use resources, and natural
Students will write the be beneficial or detrimental to the hazards and natural disasters. By the end of the lecture
ways in which they environment. Formative assessments will be students will understand the different types of natural
consume natural resources conducted through the critical thinking resources, how natural resources can be used, renewable and
and utilize digital quizzes questions such as: “How are winds a source nonrenewable resources, how resource availability impacts
to understand their carbon of energy?”, “Are they constant?”, “What if the human population in a given area and in the world,
footprint. we do not have wind?”, “How can new natural hazards as a beneficial and detrimental cause, the
Students will learn through technologies restore natural resources?”, different types of hazards, and how to simulate a natural
utilization of the “With the amount of people on the planet hazard.
computational simulations can we sustain our natural resources
the effects of natural forever?”, “Can we share these resources
disasters and the equally?”, “Can we make sure that people in
significance of natural developing countries have access to what
resources management. people in developed countries have?”, and
“Can we do that without damaging the
planet?”.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Objective: I will conduct Entry-Level assessments by Students will use their Chromebooks to look up website that
having students participate in a group and are listed on the Lesson 2 Webercise: Our carbon footprint
Students will write the class discussion regarding their Ecological that contain content knowledge, review the information
ways in which they Footprint and CO2 emissions in tonnes per provided, and accurately answer questions as they read. In
consume natural resources year. Formative assessments will be this lesson students will download the Lesson 2 Webercise:
and utilize digital quizzes conducted through online quizzes which Our carbon footprint and complete the answers as they
to understand their carbon will assess what students have review each website to improve their knowledge on carbon,
footprint. comprehended regarding Greenhouse Gases greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and their resource
and the effects of our Carbon Footprints. consumption and calculated ecological footprint number.
Students will read and Summative assessments will be utilized to
research natural and demonstrate that students comprehend the
anthropogenic impacts on information and that they are able to
the environment, and effectively summarize the materials
create their own questions covered. Students will reflect on their
and ideas to address Carbon Footprint, what their impact on
environmental natural resource consumption means to our
sustainability by environment and sustainability, and how
understanding their carbon they can reduce their consumption.
footprint and consumption
of natural resources.
Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)
Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Objective: Formative assessments will be conducted Student will use the Graphic Organizer strategy as a form of
Students will develop their through their creations of critical thinking taking notes while reading Gale, Cengage Learning (2017) Is
knowledge on resource questions in their Double Entry Journals. it possible to create zero waste? from Newsela. Students will
consumption, management, After completion of Lesson 3, I will conduct write what they think is the 10 main concepts and/or ideas in
and technologies through Summative assessments by assessing the the Ideas from Text column that the author discusses in Is it
lecture and research. students’ abilities to effectively summarize possible to create zero waste?. Students will then respond to
the materials covered. Students will write a these main ideas with comments/questions, the main ideas
5-page essay addressing how natural purpose or function, or how these ideas can be utilized in our
resources are being ineffectively used, what society and others. Students will write these responses in the
technologies we can utilize to sustain these Reaction/Connection column. I am assessing your critical
resources, and data that supports these thinking and how you connect the concepts to the topics that
claims. we have learned throughout the semester.
Unit Resources:
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/feb/03/carbon
EPA Greenhouse Gases: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases
EPA GHG and GWP: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials
Carbon Footprint: https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-footprint
Nature: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/consider-your-impact/carbon-calculator/
Footprint Calculator: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/consider-your-impact/carbon-calculator/
Newsela: https://newsela.com/
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/
Standards: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
Useful Websites:
10 countries with natural resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g51qRq4eTWg&t=30s
abc News: California Fires https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F28CRnpcQzQ
ESS3A- Natural Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxHdUd_Q12Y
Big Idea 8: Natural Hazards Affect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n73qtEojP_Y
Nature’s Fury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRiLLd2hX0E
Stop Disasters! http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/
Ecological Succession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqEUzgVAF6g
The Ecological Footprint Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACkb2u1ULY
The Carbon Footprint of a Sandwich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRQEi-C5GDg
The human impact on this earth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyizEz9XUs
Bill Nye the Science Guy S01E13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqUm3M1cpi8
Bill Nye Renewable Energy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grI3BDSGEC4