“Know – Understand – Do” Organizer
Name:
Date(s):
Course: Science
Grade(s): 6th
Topic: Human Impact Unit
School/District: Glynn County
______________________________________________________________________________
Which Standards are students learning in this unit?
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s surface is formed.
i. Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth’s surface.
j. Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water, soil, and air.
S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.
a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its relationship to wind and water
energy.
b. Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to…….
Know
Renewable resources can be
replenished within a relatively
short time (perhaps months, or
years, or tens of years).
Renewable resources include:
fresh water; fresh air; plants and
plant products (food, natural
fibers, lumber, fuel); animals and
animal products (food, leather);
wind, moving water and sun for
energy
Understand
Human activity can have a
positive or a negative impact on
the surface of our Earth.
• Human activities such as
mining, farming, building, and
logging can cause or accelerate
erosion.
Do
Research the introduction of
the vine, Kudzu, in the South
and how it controls soil
erosion.
Describe various sources of
energy, their uses and
conservation.
Renewable resources can be
replenished within a relatively
short time period.
Complete an inquiry project
about human impact at
Providence Canyon, GA:
Nonrenewable resources form
locate Providence Canyon on
• Nonrenewable resources form
very slowly on or within the
very slowly, over millions of a map of Georgia. Find photos
Earth, over time periods of
years. When present supplies of Providence Canyon online;
millions of years.
are used, there will be no more. calculate erosion rates of
Providence Canyon; graph the
The Earth can be considered to
gully or canyon depth from
The Earth’s resources can be
have only a set quantity of the
1800 to the present; and draw
reduced or used up if humans
resource. When present supplies
a timeline of events for
don’t use conservation
are used, there will be no more.
Providence Canyon.
strategies.
Nonrenewable resources include:
fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural
• Through conservation strategies,
gas); soil; metallic minerals (iron, people can slow down the
Soil erosion webquest.
copper, gold, silver, lead,
mercury, zinc, uranium);
nonmetallic minerals (kaolin,
salt, lime, sulfur, and diamonds,
sand).
degradation of the environment
and the depletion of nonrenewable resources.
The atmosphere and the oceans
have a limited capacity to
Oil and gas are formed from the
absorb wastes and recycle
remains of marine plants, animals materials naturally.
and microorganisms that lived in
seas millions of years ago.
Cleaning up polluted air, water,
The ultimate source of the energy
in fossil fuels is from the sun.
Photosynthetic plants and marine
algae lock this energy into
organic matter. When we burn
plants, coal, oil, or gas, we
release the sun's trapped energy.
When hydrocarbons are burned
as fuel, they release a greenhouse
gas (CO2) that is linked with
global warming.
Burning hydrocarbons also
releases pollutants such as carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides,
particulate matter, and unburned
hydrocarbons that contribute to
air pollution.
Nuclear power is generated from
the heat released when uranium
atoms split (undergo fission).
That heat boils water to make the
steam that turns the turbines to
generate electricity.
Wind electricity is produced by
turbines which can be grouped
together on a "wind farm." It is
cost-competitive with other
forms of electricity, but only
certain parts of the country such
as the Great Plains states have
enough strong, steady wind for
widespread wind power
development.
Solar electricity can be produced
or soil or restoring depleted
soil, forests, or fishing grounds
can be very difficult and costly.
Heat, electricity, and
transportation energy is
generated through energy
resources.
Learning to conserve natural
resources are not just important
for the local population but for
the entire world population.
Pollution does not just affect
people near the pollution site;
pollution, waste, and erosion
can affect people in
surrounding areas and can be
harmful to entire communities
and countries.
Create a pie chart for energy
resources.
Make a flow chart for the role
of the Sun as the ultimate
energy source.
Make a cause and effect chart
for human impact and soil
erosion.
Create a sequence thinking map
for fossil fuels and burning
hydrocarbons and their
contribution to air pollution.
Make a flow chart for
electricity generated from
nuclear power.
Compare and contrast the pros
and cons between renewable
and nonrenewable energy
resources.
Identify conservation methods
for Earth’s natural resources.
Recognize the impacts of
human beings on air, water,
and soil pollution.
Discuss examples of human
impacts on the topography in
Georgia.
Discover how much water is
wasted if water is left on while
brushing teeth-extension
activity at home.
Inquiry project about personal
responsibility for recycling.
Identify things that are being
done wrong to the
environment after looking at a
in photovoltaic cells that can be
placed on rooftops and other
sunny places. The cost of
photovoltaic systems continues to
drop dramatically, but they are
still several times as expensive as
the cheapest electricity.
The sun's energy can be used
economically without conversion
to electricity. Some uses are to
heat water for home use, and to
heat and light buildings designed
to take advantage of the sun's
path through the sky.
Hydroelectricity is produced by
turbines below dams. It is
inexpensive and is the most
widely used form of renewable
energy, but the best sites for
hydro in the U.S. already have
been dammed, and further dams
would have to displace valuable
urban and farm land.
Of the total energy used in the
U.S., most comes from
petroleum, followed by natural
gas and coal.
Burning coal contributes to air
pollution and acid rain. Burning
low sulfur coal produces less acid
rain.
Certain gases in the atmosphere
trap heat in the lower atmosphere
(troposphere). This phenomenon
has been referred to as the
greenhouse effect. Greenhouse
gases include water vapor,
carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone
(O3), methane (CH4), nitrous
oxide (N2O), and
chlorofluorocarbons.
Ozone protects life on earth by
absorbing most incoming solar
ultraviolet radiation. Release of
picture that has examples of
nonpoint pollution and nonconservative soil practices.
List some ways humans affect
our environment on each- soil,
air, and water.
List activities humans can
engage in to change or decrease
our natural resource use.
Using Internet or other
resources, compare United
States’ use of land, air, and
water with other major
countries. Determine major
environmental issues that are
impacting countries around the
world such as deforestation.
Reveal and write about why
conservation is such an
important issue in our school,
community, state, and nation as
the world’s population
continues to increase.
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)
from aerosol cans, cooling
systems and refrigerator
equipment removes some of the
ozone, causing "holes" to open
up in this layer allowing the UV
radiation to reach the earth.
Ultraviolet radiation is known to
cause skin cancer and has
damaging effects on plants and
wildlife.
Good soil conservation
techniques include: contour
plowing; strip planting - different
crops in strips; cover crops; crop
rotation; terraces; planting
groundcovers - roots hold the
soil; windbreaks; tree planting;
mulching.