Sustainable Cities

3 Activities

Grades 6 - 8

2 Hours

Categories: Nature and Wildlife, STEM, Social and Emotional Awareness

Learning Standards: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

Overview

With the effects of anthropogenic climate change becoming more evident in our day to day lives, those in urban areas are at high risk of detrimental damage from extreme flooding events. Everywhere you look in urban areas, you are faced with impervious surfaces which presents a challenge when it comes to avoiding floods. And in cities that use combined sewer systems, these floods open the gates of contaminated wastewater filled with everything from human waste to toxic chemicals entering our groundwater and surface water supply which are detrimental to all living organisms that rely on it, including humans.

In this module, students will learn the parameters for and conduct water quality testing on local water bodies, assess the role of local green space in mitigating damage from flooding events, and construct sub-irrigated planters as an example of water saving green infrastructure.

Continue Your Journey

Water Quality Testing

Understanding whether water is clean or polluted requires more than just what the naked eye can see and therefore gives educators like you the opportunity to dive into chemistry with students!

In this lesson students will learn about the way pollutants are introduced into the water cycle and how these pollutants can impact ecosystems and human health. They will then learn how to perform water quality testing on several water samples, identifying the sources of contamination. Students will also learn how green space, specifically street trees in urban areas can be used to reduce contamination events in local ecosystems.

This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

Grades 6 - 8

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Water Quality TestingNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour 10 Minutes•Grades 6 - 8

Tree Count Activity

Street trees play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change, including intensified flooding events. Planting and maintaining the health of these street trees allows for the absorption of stormwater, reducing the amount of runoff and reducing the risk of CSO events. This activity is meant to evaluate the health of local street trees and understand how tree health and density influence their capacity to mitigate the effects of climate change.

This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

Grades 6 - 8

1 Hour

Tree Count ActivityNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour•Grades 6 - 8

Building Sub-Irrigated Planters

Sub-irrigated planting systems are a more effective way of providing water to plants, especially as we battle intensified heat waves and prolonged periods of drought due to climate change. This lesson will walk students through the construction of sub-irrigated planters and how we can integrate them into urban green space planning to help support community development and ecosystem support.

This is activity 3 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

Grades 6 - 8

1 Hour 5 Minutes

Building Sub-Irrigated PlantersNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour 5 Minutes•Grades 6 - 8

Sustainable Cities

City Parks Foundation ↗️

Sustainable Cities

Grades 6 - 8

2 Hours

Overview

Continue Your Journey

Water Quality Testing

Understanding whether water is clean or polluted requires more than just what the naked eye can see and therefore gives educators like you the opportunity to dive into chemistry with students!

This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

Grades 6 - 8

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Water Quality TestingNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour 10 Minutes•Grades 6 - 8