Science

In Module 1, Energy Conversions, students take on the role of systems engineers for Ergstown, a fictional town that experiences frequent blackouts, and explore the reasons why an electrical system can fail. Students apply what they learn to choosing new energy sources and energy converters for the town, and then they prepare arguments for why their design choices will make the town’s electrical system more reliable.

In module 2, Vision and Light, students work as conservation biologists, students figure out why a population of Tokay geckos has decreased since the installation of new highway lights in the rain forest. Students use their understanding of vision, light, and information processing to figure out why an increase in light in the geckos’ habitat is affecting the population. Then students turn their attention to humans by designing their own investigations in order to learn more about how our senses help us survive.

In module 3, Earth's Features, students will play the role of geologists, students help the director of Desert Rocks National Park explain how and when a particular fossil formed and how it came to be in its current location. Students figure out what the environment of the park was like in the past and why it has so many visible rock layers.

In module 4, Waves, Energy, and Information, students work in their role as marine scientists, students figure out how mother dolphins communicate with their calves. They write a series of scientific explanations with diagrams to demonstrate their growing understanding of how sound waves travel. Then they apply what they’ve learned about waves, energy, and patterns in communication to figure out how to create patterns that can communicate information over distances, transferring data from one place to another.