Natural and Agricultural Erosion Rates

Exemplar Type: MODULE
Title: Natural & Agricultural Erosion Rates
Grades: Undergraduate
Discipline: Science
Submitted By: Sarah Fortner
Courtesy Of: InTeGrate at Carleton College

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Summary Students will identify their perceptions of erosion by examining images of mountain and agricultural landscapes and discussing which environment is more erosive. They will use geospatial figures to compare erosion rates associated with both natural and agricultural landscapes in the United States. Students will then consider how the presence of agriculture has reduced the areas of soil production, replacing them with regions of soil loss. They will reflect on the negative impact of agricultural erosion on soil sustainability.

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BENCHMARKS REPRESENTED IN THIS EXEMPLAR

Big Ideas

• Places are alive, unique and evolving. If humans want to flourish over time, our relationships with the places in which we live must be mutually beneficial

• A sustainable solution solves more than one problem at a time and minimizes the creation of new problems

• The changes to the Earth’s surface environments made by human activity are causing unintended consequences on the health and well-being of human and other life on Earth (proposed Anthropocene Epoch)

Applied Knowledge and Actions

• Healthy Commons

• System Dynamics and Change

• Responsible Local and Global Citizenship

Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Complex: Critical Thinking

• Complex: [Living] Systems Thinking

• Mindful: Metacognition

Dispositions

• Resilience

• Place/Community Conscious

• Responsible

Applications and Actions

• Contribute to the regenerative capacity of the systems upon which we depend

• Design for whole systems integrity with ecological principles and physical laws in mind

• Envision, strategize and plan

Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources

Exemplar Type: MODULE
Title: Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources
Grades: 11, 12, Undergraduate
Discipline: Science
Submitted By: Jill Schneiderman
Courtesy Of: InTeGrate at Carleton College

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Summary Despite the fact that most people would agree that water is a shared resource, few think about who gets what share of fresh water. This module enables students to identify the freshwater components of the hydrologic cycle and connect them to the basic need of all human beings for equal access to clean fresh water. This is accomplished by framing the water science within theories of environmental justice defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

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BENCHMARKS REPRESENTED IN THIS EXEMPLAR

Big Ideas

• We are all in this together: We are interdependent on each other and on the natural systems - The changes to the Earth’s surface environments made by human activity are causing unintended consequences on the health and well-being of human and other life on Earth (proposed Anthropocene Epoch)

• The significant problems we face can’t be solved with the same thinking we used to create them. Our prior experiences with the world create cognitive frameworks (also known as mental models/maps) that inform what we can perceive. They shape our behavior and our behavior causes results. If we want to produce different results, it all begins with a change in thinking

• Fairness applies to all. To us, to them and to the “we” that binds us all together

• Sustain-ability requires individual and social learning and community practice

Applied Knowledge and Actions

• Cultures, Tradition, and Change

• The Many Ways of Knowing

• Multiple Perspectives

Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Anticipatory: Futures Thinking

• Complex: Critical Thinking

• Mindful: Questioning

Dispositions

• Open Minded

• Caring

• Place/Community Conscious

Applications and Actions

• Create Social Learning Communities

• Honor the specific knowledge and skills that each person and culture brings

• Build from successes, Learn from mistakes, develop strategies to improve, and apply what is learned

Community Connections

• Consider and prepare for a range of potential future scenarios, while charting a course toward the preferred future

• Provide Independent and Curriculum Based Learning Sites (case studies, learning journeys, research sites)

• Provide Physical spaces for school and community stakeholders to learn and work together for the future they want

Systems Thinking

Exemplar Type: MODULE
Title: Systems Thinking
Grades: Undergraduate
Discipline: Interdisciplinary, Science
Submitted By: Lisa Gilbert
Courtesy Of: InTeGrate at Carleton College

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Summary The Systems Thinking Module provides a foundation for systems thinking throughout the InTeGrate materials. Units 1 and 2 of this module are designed to be used early within a course and then reinforced later; Units 3-5 give students data-rich modeling experiences; Unit 6 is an interactive summative activity. Specifically, this module prepares students to address complex systems issues for a sustainable future by 1) identifying the parts of a system and explaining how the parts interact, 2) developing skills to model complex systems using data and examples relevant to the course and 3) applying a systems approach to evaluate a societal challenge. This InTeGrate module fills a key need to educate students about the importance of the systems approach, uses examples that involve data and the construction and manipulation of systems models, and helps students approach complex, interdisciplinary problems.

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BENCHMARKS REPRESENTED IN THIS EXEMPLAR

Big Ideas

• All systems have limits. Healthy systems live within their limits. Tap the power of limits

• We are all in this together: We are interdependent on each other and on the natural systems

• The significant problems we face can’t be solved with the same thinking we used to create them. Our prior experiences with the world create cognitive frameworks (also known as mental models/maps) that inform what we can perceive. They shape our behavior and our behavior causes results. If we want to produce different results, it all begins with a change in thinking

Applied Knowledge and Actions

• System Dynamics and Change

• Multiple Perspectives

Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Mindful: Metacognition

• Hands On Skills: Computer Modeling

• Hands On Skills: Design/Drawing

Dispositions

• Efficacious

• Motivated

• Collaborative

Applications and Actions

• Listen to one another

Community Connections

• Evaluate progress (read the feedback), reflect, adjust, and continually improve performance

An Ecosystem Services Approach to Water Resources

Exemplar Type: MODULE
Title: An Ecosystem Services Approach to Water Resources
Grades: Undergraduate
Discipline: Interdisciplinary
Submitted By: David Gosselin
Courtesy Of: InTeGrate at Carleton College

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Summary In this three-week module, students will investigate the ecosystem services associated with local land use and its relation to water. Students will be introduced to ecosystem services as a way of integrating the components of the hydrologic cycle as a system, synthesizing the interaction between the hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere, and linking those processes to the needs and aspirations of particular communities in particular places. Rezoning, annexation, and land-use changes are some of the most common issues that come before local governing bodies; many of these changes involve natural areas and green spaces becoming industrial, commercial, or residential developments. By the end of the module, students will be equipped to actively engage in the public dialogues that are typically part of the process, from understanding and analyzing a problem to presenting reasonable solutions from particular stakeholders' perspectives.

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BENCHMARKS REPRESENTED IN THIS EXEMPLAR

Big Ideas

• Humans are dependent on Earth’s life-support systems

• The changes to the Earth’s surface environments made by human activity are causing unintended consequences on the health and well-being of human and other life on Earth (proposed Anthropocene Epoch)

• A healthy and sustainable future for human and other life is possible

Applied Knowledge and Actions

• Laws and Principles that govern the physical and biological world

• System Dynamics and Change

• Responsible Local and Global Citizenship

Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Complex: [Living] Systems Thinking

• Mindful: Metacognition

• Emergent: Ecologically Design

Dispositions

• Open Minded

• Place/Community Conscious

Applications and Actions

• Adapt to change and elude coping with decline

• Take responsibility for the effect you have on future generations

• Serve your community

Community Connections

• Develop sustainable community visions and revisions over time

• Provide Independent and Curriculum Based Learning Sites (case studies, learning journeys, research sites)