Gretchen Brinza
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Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineers have a very important job--protecting the environment.  Humans have affected the environment on many levels, and it is important to maintain ecosystems as naturally as possible.  In the event that humans have negatively impacted an ecosystem, environmental engineers design solutions to environmental problems.  Their work is very important!

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Communication is IMPORTANT!

1/14/2015

 
What's the point of designing and testing a solution if you're never going to tell anyone about it?

Fourth graders are learning the importance of communication.  After each group uses their clean-up process, it is important that they communicate what they've discovered.  This means that they share out not only what was really positive, but what also would need some work.  Over the next couple weeks, fourth graders will be focusing on the practice of evaluating and communicating information.  This means they will be discussing the benefits and the drawbacks of a particular process, as well as give insight into how they could improve their clean-up process.  Here are some samples of student work!

Planning, Testing, and Improving Solutions!

1/13/2015

 
Picture
With their plans approved, fourth graders are testing their oil-spill clean up processes.  Spending no more than $20 million, they are determining how successful their plans were.  

Using a paper bag as a way to measure the remaining oil, fourth graders will reflect upon their designs and alter them if need be.  Even if the impact remaining from their clean-up process is minimal, they will try to improve their clean-up process by spending less but getting the same results!

Imagining Solutions...

1/6/2015

 
With the results of their controlled experiment finalized, fourth graders had a chance to really analyze which materials were best at either absorbing or containing oil.

Our next steps...to imagine various solution to our oil spill clean up.  There's a catch, however.  Real oil spill clean up processes cost millions of dollars.  So besides a materials constraint for this problem, fourth graders will be given a cost constraint as well.  With only $20 million to spend, they are quickly seeing how they need to choose their materials wisely in order to get the best results.  Think $20 is a lot?  Well every time they use a cotton ball, Mrs. Brinza will be charging them $2 million, so the money will go fast!  Check out some of their imagined solutions below!

    Mrs. Brinza

    How do you impact the environment every day?  Where do you put your trash?  Do you recycle?  How do you use energy in your life?

    Useful Links

    The Food Chain Game

    Plant and Animals in the Ecosystem

    Habitats

    Chain Reaction

    Fun with Food Webs

    Photosynthesis Game

    pH Alien Juice Bar

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