Lesson 2:

FRAMING THE PROBLEM - ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Mathematics & Religion

Lesson title: FRAMING THE PROBLEM

Summary & Background Information:

In this lesson students will be introduced to the concepts of biocapacity and Global Overshoot Day, both of which are concerned with our earth's capacity to sustain current levels of consumption. Students will calculate their own ecological footprint and graph their collective data on what they determine to be the best suited graph. Students will learn about median, mode, and mean and apply these to their small group and whole class graphs. Finally, students review an excerpt from Laudato Si' and reflect on the fact that God has created us all from the same source and that our lives are intricately tied to everything in creation.

Curriculum Links:

Math

Grade 6:

C1.1 identify and describe repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns, including patterns found in real-life contexts

C1.2 create and translate growing and shrinking patterns using various representations, including tables of values and graphs

D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including histograms and broken-line graphs, the type of graph best suited to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels, and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs

D1.5 determine the range as a measure of spread and the measures of central tendency for various data sets, and use this information to compare two or more data sets

D2.2 determine and compare the theoretical and experimental probabilities of two independent events happening

Grade 7:

C1. identify, describe, extend, create, and make predictions about a variety of patterns, including those found in real-life contexts

D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including circle graphs, the type of graph best suited to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels, and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs

D1.6 analyze different sets of data presented in various ways, including in circle graphs and in misleading graphs, by asking and answering questions about the data, challenging preconceived notions, and drawing conclusions, then make convincing arguments and informed decisions

D2. describe the likelihood that events will happen, and use that information to make predictions

Grade 8:

C1.1 identify and compare a variety of repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns, including patterns found in real-life contexts, and compare linear growing patterns on the basis of their constant rates and initial values

D1.4 create an infographic about a data set, representing the data in appropriate ways, including in tables and circle graphs, and incorporating any other relevant information that helps to tell a story about the data

D2.2 determine and compare the theoretical and experimental probabilities of multiple independent events happening and of multiple dependent events happening

Religious Education

Grade 6:

BL1.3: Identify the many ways we come to know God from the physical world and the human person (i.e. creation).

LS1: Understand that each person is responsible for participation in society, to discern, to freely choose their vocation and to make a contribution in the world.

Grade 7:

ML1.3: Summarize the moral teachings of the Church with regard to particular life issues.

LS2.3: Identify situations of injustice in society, our country and the world which oppose the virtue of human dignity and fundamental human rights.

Grade 8:

LS1: Understand that the principle of human dignity, revealed in Scripture (i.e. the belief that the human person is made in the image and likeness of God) requires Christians to work for the common good of all people (i.e. respect for the social nature of the human person) and to participate in society.

LS1.4 Articulate the three essential elements of the Common Good and link them to ecological justice and the universal common good of protecting the earth’s resources for future generations.

LS2: Understand that the principles of responsibility and participation in society are Christian social virtues, which call us to roles of leadership, to evangelize through our witness of the Gospel and through the promotion of social justice in the world.

LS1.3: Recognize signs of the growing human interdependence of the global community and identify ways it is challenging Catholic organizations and individuals in their mission of promoting social justice principles.

ML2.3: Identify some of the moral situations that have arisen in society as a result of globalization, advances in technology and science and examine them in light of the Church’s moral teachings.

Catholic Graduate Expectations:

3. REFLECTIVE, CREATIVE AND HOLISTIC THINKER who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

5. A COLLABORATIVE CONTRIBUTOR who finds meaning and dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.

6. A CARING FAMILY MEMBER who attends to family, school, parish and the wider community.

7. A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life.

Guiding Questions:

What is data?
What are the various ways data can be represented?
How is data used to inform us about environmental issues?
What is the human impact on the environment?
How does the data support the need for urgent action?
What environmental goals can be developed based on data collection?
How can data motivate a call to action?
How can we use statistics and/or data to help us make informed and ethical choices?
What predictions can be made from studying past and present data?
How can I use data to make informed decisions about what I buy and/or consume?
How can the Gospel or Catholic social teachings help make me become a steward of the earth?
As Catholic Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to society and the world?
How can we work for the common good of all people and be the change we want to see?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

understand, apply and communicate information from data sets.
represent data in various ways.
understand how data is used to assess the effects of environmental issues.
understand that humans are responsible for most environmental issues.
see how data supports the need for urgent action.
use data to make predictions about how environmental issues will evolve.
use data to make informed decisions about what they buy and consume.
connect Gospel and Catholic social teachings to their call to be stewards of the earth.
develop attitudes and values founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
become models of Christian living for all those we encounter in our daily lives.

Success Criteria:

I can…

understand, apply and communicate information from data sets.
represent data in various ways.
understand how data is used to assess the effects of environmental issues.
understand that humans are responsible for most environmental issues.
see how data supports the need for urgent action.
use data to make predictions about how environmental issues will evolve.
use data to make informed decisions about what they buy and consume.
connect Gospel and Catholic social teachings to my call to be a steward of the earth.
develop attitudes and values founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
become a model of Christian living for all those I encounter in my daily life.

Activities

Part A: Minds On - What is my Ecological footprint?(Approx. 15 min)

Vocabulary:

Bar graph is a diagram in which the numerical values of variables are represented by the height or length of lines or rectangles of equal width.

Biocapacity (biological capacity) is the ability of an ecosystem to provide natural resources and absorb the waste produced by humans.

Catholic stewardship is about being responsible guardians of the earth. Exercising stewardship is caring for the gifts God has given us, including the environment, our own personal talents and other resources.

Ecological deficit occurs when the ecological footprint of a population exceeds the biocapacity of the area available to that population.

Ecological footprint is the impact of an individual or community on the environment and measures how much people take from nature. The footprint is then compared to the amount of natural resources nature can renew. The ecological footprint takes into account how much farm land, forest area, grazing land and sea area it takes to provide everything people use.

Ecological reserves exist when the biocapacity of a region exceeds its population's footprint.

Global overshoot day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the earth can regenerate in that year. (For more information or to find out the overshoot date for any year visit overshootday.org).

Laudato Si' is translated from Latin and means Praise Be to You. It is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle "on care for our common home."In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action."

Line graphs are used to track changes over short and long periods of time. When smaller changes exist, line graphs are better to use than bar graphs. Line graphs can also be used to compare changes over the same period of time for more than one group.

Mean is the average or most common value in a collection of numbers.

Median is the middle number that is sorted, ascending or descending list of numbers.

Mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set.

Range is the area of variation between upper and lower limits on a particular scale.

How many planets does it take to sustain your lifestyle?Calculate your Ecological Footprint. Find out how many planets would be needed if everyone in the world lived like you?

Determining Ecological Footprint

Ask students: "Do you know what an Ecological Footprint is?" (Listen to students' responses but at this point it is not necessary for students to know the definition in detail as the lesson will build on this knowledge).
Ask students to calculate their ecological footprint using the "Ecological Footprint Calculator" by Global Footprint Network (have students also add details for more accuracy).
Let students know that the whole class will discuss the results of the calculations later in the lesson (ask students to record their result Part 1; but, not to share - just yet).

(Teacher Note: students do NOT need to add their email address for the results, simply click "SKIP TO VIEW RESULTS" tab.)

Part b: Action - our Ecological footprint data trends (Approx. 30 min)

Building Background Knowledge

Explain to the students the meaning of Earth Overshoot Day (see vocabulary).
Watch the videos "The Ecological Footprint Explained" from Moovly and "Ecological Footprint of Countries: Deficit or Reserve?" from Global Footprint Network. These two videos will explain what an ecological footprint is and why it is important to measure.

Discussion & Guided Lesson

Discuss the results of the footprint calculator (part 1) with the whole class. Use these questions (or your own) to help guide the conversation:
- - What do you notice and/or wonder?
  - Do you see any trends?
  - What is the data telling us?
  - Can we graph this information?

Watch the videos, "Determine the Type of Graph to Make from Zombie Data, Bar vs. Line" from 247 Science and "An Average Video - Mean, Median, Mode & Range" by Two Minute Classroom, to help assist with the next few steps.
Use the data from each student calculation to create a class graph. Ask students: "Which graph would you select to demonstrate this data? How would you find the median, mode, and mean?"
Have students work in groups to create their own graph (they can choose the graph they feel best represents the data from their group).
Students will then present their graph to the class, explaining why they decided to demonstrate their data in that way, using that particular graph.
Ask students to find the mean, median and mode for the data in their group (they will share this set of data with the class).
Once groups have completed their graphs and successfully demonstrated they can identify the mean, median, and mode, have the class vote on the best graph to present the data.
Once the graph format is selected, invite students to plot their group data (median) on a whole class graph (set up by the teacher online or chart paper, making sure it is permanent).
As a class, identify the mean, median and mode of the graph. Use the mode to determine how many planets are needed, as well as the average Earth Overshoot date for the whole class. (This number will help the class determine their ecological footprint and impact on the planet's biocapacity. This information is important for use in future lessons).
Ask the class: "Is our class doing better or worse than the Earth Overshoot date (as demonstrated on the Global Footprint Network website)?"

Part c: consolidation - Catholic connection (Approx. 15 min)

Catholic Social Teaching

A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. . . . Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.

(Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home

[Laudato Si'], nos. 49, 91)

Review the quote from Laudato Si' and reflect on the fact that God has created us all from the same source. Our lives are intricately tied to everything in creation.
Discuss how we may promote the sacredness of life in our community and demonstrate understanding that humans are an integral part of nature, with a responsibility of stewardship.

Part D: extension

Students can continue to analyze the results from the "Global Footprint Network" calculator results Part 2: How Do you Feel; Explore Your Data; and, Solution to Move the Date.
Students can compare their individual footprint results to those of Canada. Students can also review some possible solutions to moving the overshoot date and make a pledge to take personal action for change, using this resource as well as the call to action set forth in Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'.

Lesson Resources

"Ecological Footprint Calculator," by Global Footprint Network: Link

"The Ecological Footprint Explained," Moovly: Video

"Ecological Footprint of Countries: Deficit or Reserve?" Global Footprint Network: Video

"Determine the Type of Graph to Make from Zombie Data, Bar vs. Line, 247 Science: Video

"An Average Video - Mean, Median, Mode & Range," Two Minute Classroom: Video

Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'],nos. 49, 91: Link

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