Learning Goals
Students will be able to formulate an investigable question about how a chosen consumer product contributes to pollution in local beaches and waterways.
Students will be able to collect and document field evidence from a beach cleanup to identify item types, quantities, likely sources, and probable transportation routes.
Students will be able to analyze supply chain and watershed maps to explain where product movement intersects with pollution pathways.
Students will be able to interpret scientific and logistics data to determine patterns in water quality, debris distribution, and pollutant accumulation.
Students will be able to evaluate the effects of transportation modes, warehousing, and disposal practices on environmental health using criteria and trade-offs.
Students will be able to justify recommendations to reduce pollution entering waterways using corroborated scientific evidence, regulations, and sustainability goals.
Students will be able to collaborate in defined professional roles to synthesize individual findings into a shared investigation report and public presentation.
Products
Source-to-Sea Investigation Notebook
A research notebook that documents one student's question development, source and method choices, field notes, cleanup data analysis, and personal conclusions about a selected product's pollution pathway. It must show how the student's evidence supports or complicates their claim.
Sustainable Waterways Expo Professional Report and Presentation
A team investigation report and live presentation that synthesizes members' evidence into a shared explanation of pollution pathways, environmental impacts, and realistic recommendations for the city. The product must include methodology rationale, data visuals, limitations, conflicting findings, and a community-facing call to action.
No rubric has been generated yet.