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6.4.5

Evaluating Design Solutions

Storyboard

Teacher instruction and hints are included within the speaker notes section

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6.4.5 Evaluating Design Solutions Matrix

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Teacher Overview: Episode 1

Phenomenon: Some ecosystems stay healthy over time, while others collapse when just one part is changed.

Student Learning Expectation:�Students will make sense of how biodiversity supports a stable ecosystem and discover how human activities can disrupt that stability.

CCCs:� Use the CCCs as a lens to help focus your lesson, questions, discussion, etc.

Stability and Change – Biodiversity helps ecosystems resist or recover from disturbances.

Cause and Effect – Human actions can affect ecosystems in both positive and negative ways.

SEPs:� SEPs are actions that students complete to interact with the phenomena.

Obtain and evaluate information from videos, text, and data sets about different ecosystems.

Analyze and interpret data to find patterns between biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

Construct explanations based on evidence for how biodiversity influences stability.�

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Episode 1

Today’s Objective: I can explain why biodiversity is important and decide if a design solution helps keep an ecosystem healthy and balanced.

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Gather

Teacher suggestions: Begin with asking students the following questions:

Q. What makes for a healthy and stable ecosystem?

Q. What can cause changes in an ecosystem?

Q. What is biodiversity?

Q. What are the different kinds of biodiversity?

Q. What is the importance of biodiversity to the stability of an ecosystem?

Q. What is the importance of biodiversity to humans?

Q. What are some threats to biodiversity?

Q. What are strategies for maintaining biodiversity?

Students will obtain information about biodiversity as an indicator of the stability of an ecosystem.

Teacher suggestions: Have students explore the following two resources for information about biodiversity and how it is an indicator of the health and stability of an ecosystem.

These are two resources for students:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biodiversity/

http://extension.psu.edu/publications/uh179

See Student Science Journal page 1

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Gather

What is a design solution?

A design solution is a plan or idea created to solve a problem.

This is something that can be built, created, or done to fix a specific problem in nature or the environment.

What makes a design solution successful?

When it helps restore or maintain balance of the ecosystem.

Gather-

Teacher Suggestions: Have a class discussion about design solutions.

Design solutions could be tools, structures, or even a way of doing things that helps to protect animals, plants, water, or land.

Key criteria that make a solution successful include:

Increases biodiversity

Supports a variety of plant and animal life
Helps native species thrive and reduces harm to them

Restores or maintains ecosystem services

Supports clean water, air, soil, and pollination
Prevents flooding, erosion, and other harmful effects

Promotes long-term stability

Helps the ecosystem stay healthy over time
Allows the ecosystem to recover from small changes or disruptions

Works with natural processes

Mimics or supports how nature already works (like how beavers build dams)
Is less disruptive than human-built solutions

Is sustainable and realistic

Can be maintained over time without needing too many resources
Can work in the real world, not just in theory

Balances human and environmental needs

Solves problems for people (like preventing flooding)
Avoids harming wildlife or destroying habitats

Example:

The Problem: Some areas don’t have enough flowers or safe spaces for bees and butterflies, which are important pollinators. Without them, plants don’t grow well (including crops and other plants humans use to survive).

Design Solution: Create pollinator gardens with native flowers that bloom at different times, give bees places to next, and avoid harmful chemicals.

Successful Solution: It helps bees and butterflies survive, supports plant growth, and makes the ecosystem more stable and healthy.

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Reason

Beavers and a Big Box Store

Reason

In group, students will evaluate information about a biodiversity challenge impacting the health and stability of an ecosystem in Logan, Utah.
In groups, students will design a solution to improve the stability of the ecosystem in Logan, Utah.

Teacher suggestions: In groups have students read the article linked below to learn about the efforts made to improve the relationship between Walmart and local beavers. Along with reading, groups should fill out the questions in the student science journal. Students should think about constraints and success criteria before evaluating the solution. This would be a good place to have a class discussion about how you know if the solution for maintaining biodiversity ws successful. The last question will ask students to potentially design another solution. They should be mindful of maintaining the biodiversity of that ecosystem and make sure their design does it’s best to not disrupt that. Examples should not include moving Walmart or the beavers.

Article Link: http://www.usu.edu/today/?id=55215 Make sure there is a link for students to access through Canvas (or other site) or print it off for students.

See Student Science Journal page 2-3

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Communicate

Evaluate the effectiveness of the design solution.

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Teacher Overview: Episode 2

Phenomenon: Beavers were removed to make way for roads, but now the stream floods more and the habitat has changed—until people designed a solution to bring balance back.

Student Learning Expectation:�Students will discover that design solutions can reduce human impacts and help ecosystems regain or maintain stability.

CCCs:� Use the CCCs as a lens to help focus your lesson, questions, discussion, etc.

Systems and System Models – Ecosystems function as systems with interacting components.

Stability and Change – Effective solutions help stabilize ecosystems by supporting biodiversity.

SEPs:� SEPs are actions that students complete to interact with the phenomena.

Evaluate competing design solutions for a real ecosystem problem using criteria and evidence.

Develop models or diagrams to show how a solution affects ecosystem parts and interactions.

Communicate scientific reasoning to support a solution that helps maintain ecosystem health.�

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Episode 2

Today’s Objective: I can share how well a design solution works to protect biodiversity and keep the ecosystem stable.

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Gather

Choose a design solution to evaluate.

Invasive Mussels	http://stdofthesea.utah.gov/ https://wildlife.utah.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1218&catid=2
Rabbits in Australia	https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/04/the-rabbit-proof-fence-of-australia.html
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program	http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/
Sage Grouse	https://wildlife.utah.gov/greater-sage-grouse.html https://www.fws.gov/GreaterSageGrouse/
June Suckers/Utah Lake	http://www.junesuckerrecovery.org/ https://wildlife.utah.gov/index.php/fes-culture/fes-june-suckers.html
Great Salt Lake	http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/opinion/54298803-82/lake-quality-salt-utah.html.csp https://www.ksl.com/article/50711049/5-critical-reasons-it-is-imperative-to-save-the-great-salt-lake https://universe.byu.edu/2024/03/04/the-4200-project-plans-to-preserve-the-great-salt-lake/
Prairie Dogs	https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/prairie-dogs.pdf
Wolves in Yellowstone	https://www.yellowstonepark.com/park/conservation/yellowstone-wolves-reintroduction/ https://enviroliteracy.org/why-did-yellowstone-get-rid-of-wolves/ https://blog.ted.com/video-how-wolves-can-alter-the-course-of-rivers/
California Condor	https://www.fws.gov/cno/es/calcondor/Condor.cfm
New Zealand Predators	http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/wonder-list-bill-weir-new-zealand-predator-free-2050/index.html
Pando Aspen Grove	https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/fishlake/recreation/explore-forest/pando https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/the-biggest-living-thing-on-earth-is-being-nibbled-to-death

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Reason

Evaluate the effectiveness of the design solution.

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Communicate

Share your design solution evaluation with the class.

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Assessment