OpenSciEd Chemistry + Earth & Space Unit 1: Thermodynamics in Earth Systems Student Edition

OpenSciEd High School addresses all high school NGSS standards. This comprehensive science curriculum empowers students to question, design, investigate, and solve the world around them. 

• Phenomenon Based - Centered around exploring phenomena or solving problems
• Driven by Student Questions - Storyline based on students’ questions and ideas 
• Grounded in Evidence - Incremental building and revision of ideas based on evidence 
• Collaborative - class and teacher figure out ideas together
• Equitable - Builds a classroom culture that values ideas and learning of all

The OpenSciEd model uses a storyline approach, introducing phenomena that anchors storylines developing disciplinary core ideas, concepts, and science/engineering practices. Students are encouraged to dive deep into key points and solve problems through five activities. 

C.1 Thermodynamics in Earth’s Systems: How can we slow the flow of energy on Earth to protect vulnerable coastal communities?

This unit propose a variety of ideas, but it seems like melting polar ice is a likely cause for this global phenomenon. Uncertainty and student concern for the people impacted motivate unit investigations that help students better understand the matter and energy flows that underlie a global phenomenon like polar ice melt and sea level rise.

Historical data, hands-on investigations, and typical early-year math (like unit conversions) help students establish the mechanisms that cause sea level rise and estimate its potential impact. Through investigations, simulations, and system models, students figure out how decreasing carbon dioxide emissions and two geoengineering solutions (applying glass microbeads to polar ice and protecting glaciers from warm water with berms) could help slow polar ice melt, protecting coastal communities. As they do so, they
1) begin developing the science practices needed in a chemistry classroom,
2) build a particle-level, quantifiable understanding of thermodynamics, and
3) consider how human activity results in particle-level changes with global implications.