Dystopian Ecology

Dystopian
Ecology
By: Sarah and Cass
Introduction - English and
Ecology
The overarching theme of the unit is exploring how humans interact with their environment in the
physical world and in literary dystopian societies. Throughout the unit, students will be able to apply
ecological concepts to their own lives and to literary dystopian societies to explore how humans
interact literally and figuratively with our environment.
The English portion of the unit will have the class broken up into different book groups all with the
same dystopian theme, students will analyze the different societies and how humans impact the
world.
In the Ecology portion of the unit, students will explore energy cycles in ecosystems. They will
identify and design solutions for both the human activities and the natural events that interact with
those cycles in positive and negative ways.
Ecology
NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human
activities on the environment and biodiversity. Disciplinary Core Ideas: ETS1.B: Developing Possible
Solutions & LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Cross Cutting Concepts: Stability and
Change & Energy and Matter.
Essential Understandings:
Energy cannot be created or destroyedit only moves between one place and another place, between
objects and/or fields, or between systems.
Ecosystems are a complex set of interactions. Changes - natural or anthropogenic - in those interactions
may result in environmental stability or disruption.
Inquiry Questions:
1. How do my actions affect my environment?
2. Does the human approach to problem solving create more problems than it
solves?
3. How do humans impact energy cycling in the environment?
4. How does energy move through ecosystems?
5. In what ways do human impacts affect the environment?
6. How do we affect Fort Collins ecosystem and the Front Ranges ecosystems?
Ecology
Possible Misconceptions:
Energy cannot be created or destroyedit only moves between one place and another place, between objects and/or fields, or
between systems.
Example: Increasing CO2 in the atmosphere means depleting a carbon reservoir elsewhere.
Understanding scale in the conceptualization of climate change.
Natural does not always mean good and anthropogenic (human) does not always mean bad.
Energy cycles (i.e. hydrologic, carbon, phosphorous) are depicted as separate cycles, but are, in fact, interrelated.
Formative Assessments: Ecological Footprint

Part 1: Week long individual project in which students will be required to
Energy Cycles Board Game (Group Project)
track their own energy use and lifestyle choices that affect the
Groups will be assigned an energy cycle to create a board game (or the like)
environment.
that takes the player through the main parts of that energy cycle.
The game must include at least two human factors on that cycle (i.e. Part 2: Choose a green solution (that they dont currently do) and live that
lifestyle choice for a week and written reflection.
deforestation and fossil fuels on the carbon cycle) and one natural
Part 3: Choose one meal to diagram out the energy required to produce,
factor (i.e. death and decay) as part of the game play.
transport, and consume that meal.
Evidence Outcome 1: I can identify and describe the essential components
Evidence Outcome 1: I can explain and apply how human and natural
of varying energy cycles.
activities are involved in energy cycling.
This means I will create a game that explores and explains at least five key
This means I will track my own energy consumption and explain my
components of an energy cycle.
connections to energy cycles.
Evidence Outcome 2: I can explain and apply how human and natural
Evidence Outcome 2: I can design and evaluate a solution for reducing the
activities are involved in energy cycling.
impacts of human activities on the environment.
This means I will be able to differentiate between and give examples of
This means I will try out a green solution and evaluate its effectiveness
natural and anthropogenic components of an energy cycle, within a game.
from varying perspectives.
Colorado Academic Standards Grade 11
Standard 1. Oral Expression and Listening
English
2. Validity of a message is determined by its accuracy and relevance
a. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grades 1112 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (CCSS: SL.11-
12.1)
i. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. (CCSS: SL.11-
12.1a)
Standard 4. Research and Reasoning
1. Self-designed research provides insightful information, conclusions, and possible solutions.
a. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of
the subject under investigation. (CCSS: W.11-12.7)
Big Ideas:
1. Understanding the dystopian society within your book and how that society impacts the environment around
them.
2. Looking at the world around us and seeing how we impact our own environment.
3. Coming up with proposals about how to fix these problems within the dystopian novel.
Inquiry Questions:
. How does my dystopian novel live?
How do they impact the earth?
Living in this society how would we reverse the impacts made?
. How does my dystopian novel compare to other groups?
Misconceptions:
. Students may confuse utopia with a dystopia.
English
Formative Assessments
Book Club Portfolio
Each Book Club will have 4-5 students and after they will create a portfolio
demonstrating their knowledge of the book.
In this portfolio students will come create 10 artifacts using their books.
This can be a CD with songs that explain aspects of the book, a poem
summarizing the book, physical items to explain themes or symbols.
An entire menu would be created with 20 different things to choose
from.
Dystopian Presentations
Each group will give a 10-13 minute presentation about their book.
A summary, themes, discuss the overall society symbols and they will use one
artifact from their portfolios to share with the class.
These presentations are meant to give their classmates a good idea
about what happened in the book.
Each member of the presentation will talk for 2-3 minutes.
Summative Assessment
In their book groups, students will create a presentation that predicts how
their dystopian society impacts the environment and design a solution to
address those issues.
In addition, students will write a formal paper comparing and contrasting one
current environmental issue and their novel.
Summative Rubric - Total ____ / 50
Presentation
Envir 15 - 11 pts 10 - 6 pts 5 - 0 pts
onme Students Students Students
ntal created a created a created
Impa prediction prediction an
ct of how the of how environm
Predi dystopian the ental
ction society of dystopian impact
____/1 their novel society of prediction
5 would their , but not
impact the novel based on
environme would their
nt. impact the dystopian
Students environm society.
took into ent. Students
account Students did not
how the took into take into
activities account account
of the how the how the
characters activities activities
would of the of the
impact at characters character
least two would s would
different impact impact
energy one any
cycles, energy energy
Summative Rubric - Paper
Total ___/50
Paper Organization 10-8 pts 7-5 pts 4-0 pts

____/10 Paper is organized, ideas move Paper is somewhat organized, Little to no organization within
in a coherent sequence. ideas jump around. the paper. Ideas dont work
together to make sense.
Compare & Contrast 1 30-20 pts 19-10 pts 9-0 pts

The prompt is answered using a The prompt is somewhat The prompt is not answered and
Current Environmental
current environmental issue to answered. Ideas are not fully has little to no in text citations.
Issue to Novel compare and contrast to the developed and a few in text
____/30 novel. In text citations are used citations are used.
in an effective way.
Spelling, Grammar, & 5-4 pts 3-2 pts 1-0 pts

Sentence Fluency Very few errors in spelling, Some spelling, grammar, and The paper has multiple spelling
grammar and sentence fluency. sentence fluency errors. and grammar errors and
____/5
sentence fluency needs work.
Length and MLA format 5-4 pts 3-2 pts 1-0 pts
____/5 Meets the minimum length and Under the minimum length and The length has not been met and
MLA format. MLA isnt formatted correctly. MLA is not present.

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Formative Assessments: Ecological Footprint

Paper Organization 10-8 pts 7-5 pts 4-0 pts

Compare & Contrast 1 30-20 pts 19-10 pts 9-0 pts

Spelling, Grammar, & 5-4 pts 3-2 pts 1-0 pts

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