Solutions to Redesign

18.C Ask questions about and define problems that arise when humans design land-use systems that have positive and negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• Students can clearly answer some of the questions using ideas learned in the unit.
• Students can partially answer some of the questions with ideas learned in the unit, but they require more information/evidence.
• Students recognize that the problem they’ve been investigating goes beyond the scope of science alone. Science can help solve complex problems, but it’s not the only thing to consider.

If students struggle to answer questions from the DQB, place them in small groups with one question or cluster of similar questions assigned to the group. Have them (1) locate where the questions most closely relate to the different investigations conducted, and (2) examine their science notebooks and other documents to search for evidence that could answer or partially answer the question. Ask the group to co-construct, in writing or orally, an explanation to the question(s) using evidence from their previous work. Remind students what makes a good explanation is a how or why causal account supported with evidence.

Revisiting the DQB is important, so students can feel as though their questions are valued and recognized. While not all questions will have been addressed (it’s more likely that 50-75 percent will be at least partially answered), this helps students see that they have done this hard work to answer many of their own questions.