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Students learned about how they, their households, and their community consume energy and the possible ramifications of that consumption. Students completed various laboratory exercises through the semester covering different forms of energy, fuels, types of pollution, and possible long-term environmental consequences of energy consumption. Students also participated in a detailed energy audit in order to learn how their households consume electricity, heating fuels, and transportation fuels. They applied the same methodology to learn about how their school consumes energy. The students were asked to suggest and implement energy-saving methods for their homes and their school. In addition, students investigated alternative energy sources including solar and wind power, and studied the feasibility of installing alternative energy sources in their homes and their school.
Working in small groups, students investigated the urban forest. Throughout the year, students carried out a longitudinal study of trees in Bushwick. This was a cross-curriculum project, which bridged an urban ecology and an urban geography class, and aimed to promote tree stewardship.
Posters presented at 2009 Brooklyn College Science Day: poster 1 (PDF), poster 2 (PDF)
Project Theme: Science for Environmental and Social Justice
Initially, the questions posed to students were: 1. How can we use data-driven inquiry to understand the ecological issues facing our community? 2. What issue is most pressing to you, and how can we use scientific inquiry to better understand it? 3. What tangible steps can we take to begin remedying these pressing social and environmental concerns?
Between 2009 and 2010, our work proceeded in three stages: 1) a skills and knowledge scaffolding stage, 2) an inquiry-based research stage, and 3) an action-oriented service learning stage.
In the first part of the year (Stage 1, Weeks 1–16), the GK-12 Fellows worked in Ms. Ceraldi’s Urban Ecology classroom. Each weekly lesson engaged students in a variety of lab-based and community-based experiments and activities. Our goal each week was to create experiential learning opportunities that focus on using scientific methods to better understand three important aspects of urban ecology: issues surrounding water quality, trees and soil, and air quality. At the end of Stage 1, we wanted students to 1) understood the primary factors affecting water, soil and air quality in their local ecosystems, 2) understand how these factors are interconnected and how they affect species within their local ecosystems, and 3) understand some of the various methods used to collect and analyze water, soil, and air quality data.
In the second part of the year (Stage 2), the GK-12 Fellows worked with the same students in both Mr. Schwartz’s and Ms. Ceraldi’s class in order to facilitate student-directed research projects about a specific ecological issue studied in stage Projects were conducted in independent groups, and each group was responsible for 1) identifying an ecological issue facing their community that is meaningful to them, 2) designing a study to better understand the issue, 3) collecting and analyzing original data that speaks to the issue, and 4) formulating conclusions based on their findings. Group projects culminated in poster presentations given at AUP and at Brooklyn College Science Day.
In the final part of the year (Stage 3), students developed and implemented a data-guided plan of action to begin to address and/or remedy the ecological issue they researched in Stage 2.
Posters presented at 2011 Brooklyn College Science Day: poster 1 (PDF), poster 2 (PDF)
Project Question: Can we detect the anthropogenic influences in the urban water cycle by examining water in the New York City watershed?
Two-part environmental impact quality study of New York City’s waterways. 1. Water body survey and comparison using indicator species and testing 2. Permeability study of Bushwick and the community impact on the city as a whole
Our work this year at AUP with the 11th-grade Urban Ecology class proceeded in three stages: 1) a skills and knowledge scaffolding stage, 2) an inquiry-based research stage, and 3) an action-oriented service learning stage.
Stage 1: In the first part of the year (Weeks 1–16), the GK-12 Fellows worked in Ms. Ceraldi’s Urban Ecology classroom. Each weekly lesson engaged students in a variety of lab-based and community-based experiments and activities. Our goal each week was to create experiential learning opportunities that focus on using scientific methods to better understand three important aspects of urban ecology: issues surrounding water quality, trees and soil, and air quality. At the end of Stage 1, to goal was for students to 1) understand the primary factors affecting water, soil and air quality in their local ecosystems, 2) understand how these factors are interconnected and how they affect species within their local ecosystems, and 3) understand some of the various methods used to collect and analyze water, soil, and air quality data.
Stage 2: In the second part of the year, the GK-12 Fellows worked with the same students in Ms. Ceraldi’s class in order to facilitate student-directed research projects about a water quality issue studied in Stage 1. Projects were conducted in independent groups, and each group was responsible for 1) connecting what they saw in local water bodies with events and circumstances that they saw in their community, 2) designing a study to better understand the issue, 3) collecting and analyzing original data that speaks to the issue, and collecting additional data, and 4) formulating conclusions based on their findings. Group projects culminated in poster presentations given at AUP and at Brooklyn College. download poster (PDF)
Stage 3: In the final part of the year, students developed and implemented a data-guided plan of action to begin to address and/or remedy the ecological issue they researched in Stage 2.
Poster presented at 2012 Brooklyn College Science Day: download poster (PDF) Poster presented at 2013 Brooklyn College Science Day: download poster (PDF)
