Unit 10 — Ecology and Environmental Engineering
Description
Students apply engineering thinking to environmental challenges. They design solutions for ecological problems such as creating habitats, designing animal traps, or planning disaster relief structures. Students investigate ecosystem needs, test prototypes, and consider how design affects living systems.
Essential Questions
- How can engineers help protect environments and species?
- What must we consider when designing for living things?
- How do we balance human needs with ecosystem health?
Learning Objectives
- Understand ecosystem requirements and organism needs
- Apply the engineering design process to environmental challenges
- Design habitats or devices that meet organism needs
- Test designs and gather data on functionality
- Consider multiple design solutions and trade-offs
- Communicate environmental engineering thinking
- Iterate designs based on testing results
Supplemental Resources
- Recyclables and craft materials for construction
- String and rubber bands for joining materials
- Graph paper for design sketches and specifications
- Printed organism information for reference
- Markers for labeling design features and functions
Earth and Space Sciences
Life Sciences
Engineering Design
Ethics and Culture
Interaction of Technology and Humans
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Digital Literacy
Measurement
Number and Operations in Base Ten
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Science and Engineering Practices
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students engage in scientific and technical writing throughout STEM investigations. They document observations, create digital reports of findings, communicate design solutions, and record data using word processing and presentation tools. Students develop vocabulary through exploration of natural and engineered systems.
Students apply mathematical skills to analyze and interpret data from STEM investigations. They measure distances, record heights of plants, create graphs and line plots, calculate area and perimeter of structures, and use mathematical reasoning to solve design problems. Students employ data collection strategies and statistical analysis.
Students examine environmental challenges, climate change impacts, and sustainability through design projects. They investigate how communities address problems, propose solutions to local and global issues, and understand the relationship between human activity and the environment. Design challenges connect to civics, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurship.
Formative Assessments
- Observations of ecosystem features and organism needs
- Design sketches with functional specifications
- Habitat or trap testing with observations
- Data collection on design effectiveness
- Reflection on design choices and organisms' needs
Summative Assessment
Completed ecological design (habitat, animal trap, or shelter) tested for functionality; documentation of how design meets organism or human needs; presentation of design reasoning
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a teacher-led discussion about ecosystem needs and design choices, with support from labeled diagrams or photos of completed designs. Students may dictate or draw their design reasoning instead of writing, with teacher scribing as needed.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During design and testing phases, provide graphic organizers that break the engineering design process into sequential, labeled steps so students can track their progress without relying solely on written memory. Allow students to demonstrate understanding of ecosystem needs and design reasoning through oral explanation, labeled diagrams, or dictated responses rather than written documentation alone. Scaffolded sentence frames can support reflection on design choices and organism needs, and a visual checklist of functional specifications can help students self-monitor during prototype testing.
Section 504
Provide extended time during design sketch completion and any written documentation of testing results, and allow students to work in a low-distraction area during reflection and data-recording tasks. Preferential seating near the teacher during whole-group instruction on ecosystem concepts supports sustained attention, and printed copies of verbal directions for each design phase reduce reliance on auditory memory alone.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and display key ecological and engineering vocabulary—such as habitat, organism, prototype, and trade-off—with accompanying visuals or diagrams throughout the unit so students can reference terms during design and discussion. Provide simplified, illustrated direction cards for each stage of the engineering design process, and allow students to discuss their design reasoning with a partner or in their home language before sharing with the class. Real objects, images of ecosystems, and physical materials support comprehension of ecosystem concepts that may be unfamiliar across cultural contexts.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect ecosystem concepts to familiar environments students may already know, such as local parks, backyards, or neighborhood animals, to build accessible entry points into the unit. Offer a partially completed design template so students can focus cognitive effort on core engineering decisions rather than on the organizational demands of blank documentation. Frequent check-ins during the prototype and testing phases allow for timely encouragement and redirection, and pairing hands-on building with brief verbal explanations reinforces understanding without over-relying on written output.
Gifted & Talented
Challenge students to examine the ecological trade-offs of their design from multiple stakeholder perspectives—considering how the same solution might benefit one organism or community while creating challenges for another. Students can extend their investigation by researching a real-world environmental engineering case study and comparing professional design constraints to their own, or by proposing and testing a second design iteration that addresses a limitation identified in their first prototype. Encourage deeper thinking about systems by asking students to map how their design interacts with the broader ecosystem, including energy flow, resource availability, and long-term sustainability.