Student: Why are there even environmental engineers Mrs. Brinza?
Mrs. Brinza: I'm not sure. Why do YOU think there are?
Student: The environment must be pretty important?
Mrs. Brinza: Great question!
Meet Tehya, a young girl living on a Native American reservation in Washington, right here in the United States. Tehya loves to be outside and experience nature. It's part of her blood.
While outside one day, she notices a shiny, black substance floating on top of the water. She knows it doesn't belong and immediately wonders how this can affect the ecosystem where she lives.
Over the next two weeks we will learn how she seeks the help and experience of an environmental engineer to design a solution to this very REAL problem.
Vocabulary: environmental engineer, technology, ecosystem absorb, engineering design process, food web,
Fourth graders have started their first unit of the year on environmental engineering! We spent quite some time generating questions on what environmental engineers must do, especially since this is the first time the branch of engineering they're studying focuses so much on living organisms. Our biggest AHA! moment came when fourth graders realized that the environment is all around us and needs to be taken care of. We've got a lot to learn and I am super excited to see their learning grow!
Our first notebook entry has focused on the importance of diagrams in engineering. Diagrams, which are often seen in non-fiction texts, are an important feature that gives information and tells us something specific. Second graders had to diagram two technologies we focused on last year in 3rd grade: a circuit and a guitar!
We established a set of "rules" to follow when completing a diagram in class.
Rules for Diagrams
1. It must have a title.
2. Label just the "right" amount of parts.
3. Labels must be near the parts they identify.
4. Straight arrows must connect the labels to the parts.
5. It must be neat!