Learning Goals
Students will be able to investigate the Los Angeles River’s history and purpose as a human-shaped waterway to explain how it has changed over time.
Students will be able to analyze the Los Angeles River ecosystem to describe how native and urban-adapted plants and animals depend on river conditions.
Students will be able to research and describe the local, state, and federal agencies that regulate water quality and availability in California to explain their roles in river management.
Students will be able to synthesize field observations, community stories, and source evidence to define evidence-based problems related to pollution, runoff, habitat loss, and public access along the Los Angeles River.
Students will be able to prototype and justify realistic community actions that support a healthier Los Angeles River by tracing design choices to user needs and scientific evidence.
Products
Los Angeles River Field Research Portfolio and Evidence-Based Prototype Sketch
Students submit a user-centered research portfolio with observation notes, source summaries, and an evidence-based problem statement about one LA River challenge. They also create an individual prototype sketch or concept board that turns their insight into a testable community action idea.
LA River Action Expo Multimedia Presentation with Shared Problem Statement and Revised Community Solution Prototype
Teams present a collaborative multimedia slideshow that explains their shared problem statement, supporting evidence, and a higher-fidelity prototype or service solution for an authentic audience. The presentation must show how individual research informed the team’s final design and how feedback improved the solution.
No rubric has been generated yet.