sustainability Showcase 2019-20
We are excited for you to see how our sustainability curriculum comes alive within the projects our students completed this year. Please scroll below to see selections from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade final projects. A big shoutout to students, families, and teachers on these achievements within the challenges of remote learning and Covid-19.
About Our Sustainability curriculum
The BUGS interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum is designed to provide our students with the skills, knowledge, and creativity to become thoughtful designers of a sustainable future. We want out students to know that their voice matters and they can lead change.
As soon as students enter BUGS, they are introduced to our Interdisciplinary Sustainability Competencies (ISC) framework that they will use throughout middle school (and beyond) to engage in real-world sustainable problem solving.
At BUGS, we define sustainability as making certain that life continues on Earth for generations by recognizing the impact of our actions on the planet and its people. In addition to the ISC framework, students learn core sustainability principles, study environmental science, participate in community action projects, and gain a deep appreciation that sustainability requires social and racial justice.
Selection of 6th Grade Final Projects
Climate and Weather Unit
The 6th grade climate and weather unit culminated in a research project aimed at investigating Drawdown methods. Drawdown is, "the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline," (drawdownproject.org). The Drawdown Project (2014) and publication (2017) describe over 100 different methods to reach this tipping point sustainably. Hint: Click the expand icon ⎕ to see the presentation in full screen.
Community Art and Market
In this unit, students explore what is art, why do artists create art, and the role of the artist in the community, economy and environment. Students created works of art using materials in their home inspired by their reactions to current events, food justice, Black Lives Matter, and Covid, as well as creating designs for a community market.
Selection of 7th Grade Final Projects
Using Statistics to Analyze Water Consumption and Use in the BUGS Community
Students chose a research question related to water use, developed a research tool, and collected and analyzed the data. They presented their findings and provided water conservation recommendations.
Selection of 8th Grade Final Work
Using their knowledge of statistics, statistical biases and limitations, students responded to online comments about police brutality and recent killings of unarmed black people. Through this process, the class was able to better understand how numbers are often used to misrepresent systemic oppression and the human cost of policing communities of color. In math class students gained the skill of responding to online harassment, instigation, and ignorance. This is what it means to be a sustainable citizen.