Skip to content

Session 10: Environmental Science 🌍

Overview

Grades: 5-6 | Duration: 45 minutes | Session: 10 of 17

Students explore environmental science and sustainability, designing solutions for environmental challenges.

Session 10: Environmental Science

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

  • Understand key environmental challenges

  • Connect creation care to Catholic teaching

  • Design a sustainability solution

  • Calculate environmental impact

Session 10: Environmental Science

Materials Needed

  • 📊 Environmental data resources

  • 📦 Design materials

  • 📓 Engineering journals

  • 💻 Research tools

Catholic Integration

Saint Connection

Pope Francis & Laudato Si' — "Care for our common home" calls us to protect God's creation!

Scripture

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." — Genesis 2:15

Opening Prayer

Dear God, you created our beautiful world and gave us responsibility to care for it. Help us be good stewards of creation. Guide our designs to protect your earth. Amen.

Lesson Procedure

Opening Circle (8 minutes)

  1. Creation Care:
  2. God gave us Earth to steward
  3. "Laudato Si'" — Pope Francis's encyclical on environment
  4. Catholics have responsibility to care for creation
  5. Environmental Challenges:
  6. Climate change
  7. Pollution (air, water, plastic)
  8. Resource depletion
  9. Habitat destruction
  10. Waste management
  11. Engineering Solutions:
  12. Technology can help solve these problems!
  13. Sustainable design principles
  14. "Leave it better than we found it"

Main Activity: Sustainability Design (28 minutes)

Part 1: Problem Investigation (8 minutes)

Choose an Environmental Focus:

  • Plastic waste reduction

  • Energy conservation

  • Water protection

  • Air quality improvement

  • Food waste reduction

  • Habitat protection

Research:

  • How big is this problem?

  • What's causing it?

  • What solutions exist?

  • What's still needed?

Part 2: Design a Solution (15 minutes)

Apply Design Thinking:

  1. Define the Problem (3 min):
  2. Specific, local focus

  3. "How might we reduce _____ in our school/community?"

  4. Ideate Solutions (4 min):

  5. Many ideas quickly
  6. Technology-enhanced options
  7. Behavior change options

  8. System redesign options

  9. Design & Prototype (8 min):

  10. Choose best idea
  11. Create detailed design:
    • How does it work?
    • What's needed to implement?
    • What impact will it have?
  12. Calculate potential impact if possible

Part 3: Solution Share (5 minutes)

  • Present designs

  • Discuss feasibility

  • Identify school implementation opportunities

Engineering Journal (5 minutes)

  1. Problem you addressed: ___
  2. Your solution design (sketch and explain)
  3. Potential impact: ___
  4. Write: "Catholics should care for creation because..."

Closing Circle (4 minutes)

  1. Action Items — "What can we actually DO?"
  2. Laudato Si' Connection — "How does Pope Francis challenge us?"
  3. Closing Prayer — "Creator God, thank you for our beautiful planet. Help us be faithful stewards who protect and restore your creation. Amen."

Assessment

Observation Checklist:

  • Understood environmental challenge

  • Connected to Catholic teaching

  • Designed viable solution

  • Considered implementation

Differentiation

For Students Who Need Support

  • Focus on one simple problem

  • Partner work

  • Template for design

For Advanced Students

  • Research existing innovations

  • Calculate detailed impact

  • Create implementation plan

Wonder at Home 🏠

Family Activity: Family environmental audit! Track energy, water, and waste for a week. Identify one change to make. Read excerpts from Laudato Si' together. Start a family sustainability project!

Teacher Notes

  • Connect to school green initiatives

  • Consider implementing student solutions

  • Partner with science curriculum

  • Laudato Si' has great discussion prompts

Previous: Session 9 — Catholic Scientists
Next: Session 11 — Lenten Engineering