Place-based High School Curriculum
Key questions students will answer:
- How are redwoods affecting climate change?
- How is climate change affecting redwood forests?
Elements of the lesson to consider:
- Lessons are designed for 9th grade general biology but could be used for AP Environmental Science and some lessons can be adapted for junior high.
- Each lesson should take 1-2 days to teach.
- Lessons 1-4 should be completed before the field trip, if possible, and Lesson 5 will be completed after the field trip as you will use data collected in the forest and analyze it.
- Redwood Forest Ecology Webseach is a great introduction to these lessons.
Redwoods and Climate Change Lessons
- Day 1: Carbon Intro
- Day 2: Carbon and Biomass
- Day 3: Tree Rings
- Day 4: Analysis of Redwood Tree Data
- Day 5: Field Trip Data Analysis
Additional Lesson Ideas
- Alternate 1: Tree measurements and drawings (math, science, art)
- Alternate 2: Redwood Forest Ecology Websearch (1 day)
- Alternate 3: Redwood Triumph: Students explore various ways redwoods have come to dominate coastal California. (3 days)
- Alternate 4: Estimate the Range of Redwoods in Humboldt County and Beyond
NGSS Standards Addressed
High School
Primary:
HS-LS2-5. Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
HS-ESS2-6. Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.
Secondary:
HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
SEP’s
- Asking Questions and Defining Problems
- Developing and Using Models
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
- Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
CCC’s
- Cause and effect
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Systems and system models
- Energy and Matter
- Structure and Function
- Stability and Change