Unit Plan 35 (Grade 6 Science): Stewardship & Global Citizenship

Focus: Construct arguments and action plans for how individuals, schools, and societies can monitor and reduce environmental impact, using scientific principles, climate evidence, and engineering-style design framing, aligned with MS-ESS3-3–5 and MS-ETS1-1.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Science (Earth & Human Activity — Human Impact, Stewardship, & Citizenship)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students connect all they have learned about Earth systems, climate, and human impacts to the idea of stewardship and global citizenship. They examine evidence that human activities and technologies have influenced Earth’s environment and practice asking clarifying questions about climate factors. Then they use scientific principles to design simple ways to monitor and minimize impacts (e.g., energy use, waste, water use) at the classroom, school, or community level. Finally, students frame a design problem, develop a stewardship action plan, and present arguments with evidence for how individuals and societies can make a difference.

Essential Questions

• How have human activities and technologies changed Earth’s environment (climate, land use, water use), and what responsibilities do we have as global citizens?
• How can scientific principles help us monitor and minimize our environmental impacts at school, at home, and in communities?
• What makes a strong argument for a stewardship action—what evidence, reasoning, and criteria should we include?
• How can defining a design problem with clear criteria and constraints lead to realistic, impactful stewardship solutions?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Apply scientific principles to design a simple method for monitoring and minimizing one type of human impact (e.g., waste, energy use, water use) in their local context (MS-ESS3-3).
2. Construct an argument with a clear claim, evidence, and reasoning showing how human activities and technologies have influenced climate, land use, or water use, and why stewardship is needed (MS-ESS3-4).
3. Ask clarifying questions about climate and environmental factors that affect global temperatures and local impacts, identifying where more information is needed (MS-ESS3-5).
4. Define a stewardship-related design problem for their school or community, including specific criteria (what success looks like) and constraints (time, cost, materials, feasibility) (MS-ETS1-1).
5. Create a Stewardship & Global Citizenship Action Brief that includes an argument, monitoring plan, and proposed actions for individuals and groups.

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.
• MS-ESS3-4 — Construct an argument from evidence that human activities and technologies have influenced Earth’s environment (climate, land use, water use).
• MS-ESS3-5 — Ask questions to clarify evidence of factors that cause variations in global temperatures over time, including human activities.
• MS-ETS1-1 — Define design problems with appropriate criteria and constraints that ensure successful solutions.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain at least one way human actions and technologies have changed climate, land, or water, and support it with specific evidence.
• I can ask questions that would help me better understand climate factors and how our actions matter.
• I can design a monitoring method (data table, checklist, or measurement routine) to keep track of one type of environmental impact.
• I can define a stewardship design problem with clear criteria and constraints (what we’re trying to improve and what limits we face).
• I can create a Stewardship Action Brief that uses evidence, monitoring plans, and realistic actions to show how individuals and societies can reduce impact.