Lesson Plans & Activities

Design a Resilient Future

This is a lesson that can be used to get ideas and prepare for the Community Resilience Expo. 

In this lesson, students will work in small groups to develop an idea to increase community resilience, utilizing Design Thinking. 
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
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How Can We Decrease Our Impact on the Earth’s Climate at our School?

This is the first lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Design Challenge Unit which was designed to follow the middle or high school Climate Resiliency Education units.

In this design challenge lesson students explore the Denver Public School District’s solid waste plan and discuss how their school can save or decrease emissions by reducing solid waste at our school.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
How Does Our School Food System Create Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

This is the second lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Design Challenge Unit which is meant to follow the middle or high school Climate Resiliency Education units.

In this design challenge lesson, students examine their school food system and develop an investigation about food waste in order to know what should change.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
How Can We Understand Waste and Emissions in Our School's Food System?

This is the third lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Design Challenge Unit which is meant to follow the middle or high school Climate Resiliency Education units.

This lesson outlines for students how to design and carry out an investigation to audit their school’s food waste system.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
How Can We Reduce Emissions Associated with Food Waste in Our School?

This is the fourth lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Design Challenge Unit which is meant to follow the middle or high school Climate Resiliency Education units.

In this activity students utilize the data that is collected and propose solutions to mitigate food waste in their school.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
How Can We Present Solutions for Food Waste and Emissions at School?

This is the fifth lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Design Challenge Unit which is meant to follow the middle or high school Climate Resiliency Education units.

This lesson provides guidance for students to create and practice a presentation about their design challenge results that they developed in the previous lessons and how to present it to the school administration.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
Wildfire Virtual Expo

This lesson provides a virtual alternative to the HEART Force Expo curriculum.

This is a streamlined lesson for students to prepare for a Community Resilience Expo, focusing on wildfire.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
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Flood Virtual Expo

This lesson provides a virtual alternative to the HEART Force Expo curriculum.

This is a streamlined lesson for students to prepare for a Community Resilience Expo, focusing on flood.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
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Drought Virtual Expo

This lesson provides a virtual alternative to the HEART Force Expo curriculum. 

This is a streamlined lesson for students to prepare for a Community Resilience Expo, focusing on drought.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
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Communicate Existing Plans

This is a guide that can be used for a pathway for the Community Resilience Expo. 

In this sub-unit, students will learn more about their community’s resilience plans, choose a specific topic to focus on, and develop a product to communicate the plan to their peers and/or their community.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Action Project
Middle School
High School
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Waste, Water, and Wastewater

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.

In this lesson, students will apply what they know about how to separate a mixture by designing a wastewater treatment facility that effectively removes contaminants.
Lesson
Design Challenge
Middle School
Extremes
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