PROJECT DESCRIPTION
INSTRUCTORS
SCHOOL SITE
LEVEL
SUBJECTS
How have humans contributed to climate change?
How has climate change impacted endangered species?
How can we educate the public about climate change, and inspire the public to protect our wildlife?
As a collaborative project between the Chula Vista and North County campuses, students created and published a children’s book detailing chosen endangered species challenges with the impacts of climate change. Students created a watercolor illustration of their endangered species which was included in the children’s book. Our children’s book is now being used to help educate the youth, and the public, on how human impact has become problematic for our wildlife. This project was aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
MS-ESS2-5: Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
MS-ESS2-6: Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
MS-ESS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-5: Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
MS-PS3-4: Plan an investigation to determine the relationship among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.
This was such an impactful project dealing with a very important issue, not only in our country, but worldwide. Students were able to be scientists, researchers, artists all in one through this project. To have the students create their own learning around this issue by exploring this phenomena really allowed for them to want to become activists. Also, the cross-collaboration between schools allowed for our schools to come together. We feel literacy is very important and we wanted to find a fun way to incorporate it in a math and science classroom. We saw students step out of their comfort zone, and us teachers did too. We had no experience using watercolors, and it was great learning experience in which we shared with our students.
“After completing this project, something that I feel good about helping the earth, because now I know ways to save the environment in the future. The most fun part was when we started our watercolor illustrations for our children’s book, because I had never done this and it seemed really cool to me.”
“I didn’t know I could paint. My animal looks really cool!”
“The best part was seeing my book on a website. People can buy it and my name is there.”