Unit Plan 29 (Grade 6 Science): Human Impacts on Earth
Students analyze human impacts on air, water, land, and ecosystems, then design monitoring methods and solutions to minimize environmental harm.
Focus: Analyze how agriculture, industry, and technology affect Earth systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere) and apply scientific principles to design methods for monitoring and minimizing human impact.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Science (Earth & Human Activity — Human Impacts, Environmental Engineering)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students investigate how human activities—such as farming, urbanization, factory production, energy use, and transportation—change Earth’s environment. Using maps, graphs, and short case studies, they examine how agriculture, industry, and technology influence air quality, water quality, land use, and climate patterns. Students then apply scientific principles to design or refine simple methods for monitoring and reducing human impacts in their own community, leading to a human impact argument + mini-solution proposal aligned with MS-ESS3-3–4.
Essential Questions
- In what ways have agriculture, industry, and technology changed Earth’s air, land, water, and living systems?
- How can data, maps, and observations help us monitor human impacts on the environment over time?
- What kinds of engineering solutions can help minimize negative human impacts without losing the benefits of agriculture and technology?
- Why is it important to construct evidence-based arguments about human impacts on Earth when we make community decisions?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify examples of human activities (agriculture, industry, technology use) that affect Earth systems and categorize their impacts on air, water, land, and living things.
- Analyze maps, graphs, and short texts to gather evidence of human impacts (e.g., deforestation, pollution, habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions).
- Construct an argument supported by evidence that human activities and technologies have changed the environment at local and global scales (aligned with MS-ESS3-4).
- Apply scientific principles to design or refine a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact, such as a school waste-monitoring system, water use tracking, or green space plan (aligned with MS-ESS3-3).
- Communicate their findings in a Human Impacts Argument + Monitoring Plan that combines data, models, and written/oral explanation.
Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (NGSS-based custom)
- MS-ESS3-3 — Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.
- In this unit: students design simple monitoring systems (e.g., litter counts, water use logs, tree/green space maps) and propose ways to reduce impacts.
- MS-ESS3-4 — Construct an argument, supported by evidence, that human activities and technologies have influenced Earth’s environment (climate, land use, water use).
- In this unit: students use maps, graphs, and case studies to argue how agriculture/industry/technology have changed Earth systems.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can give specific examples of how human activities change air, water, land, and ecosystems.
- I can use maps, graphs, or short texts as evidence when I talk about human impacts on Earth.
- I can write or explain a clear argument that human activities have changed the environment and support it with evidence and reasoning.
- I can design or improve a monitoring method (like a survey, tally, or map) and suggest at least one way to reduce our impact.
- I can explain how monitoring + minimizing impacts can help protect Earth systems over time.