Unit 6: Building a Sustainable Future

Anchor Phenomenon

Every year, millions of people die prematurely from environmental causes linked to human activities. What is causing these deaths — and what solutions can reduce them?

Unit Driving Question

How can we reduce the negative impacts of human activities on the environment while still meeting our needs?

Unit Overview

In this unit, you investigate how three major human activities — burning fossil fuels, changing land use, and mining — affect environmental health and contribute to premature deaths worldwide. You’ll analyze real health and environmental data, build computational models to test solutions, and evaluate trade-offs between economic needs and environmental protection. By the end, you’ll design and defend a multi-solution proposal using the Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) framework.

Performance Expectations

Standard	Description
HS-ESS3-2	Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios
HS-ETS1-2	Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering

Lesson Sequences

Chapter	Topic	Days	Standards
Opening	Anchor phenomenon, global health data, connections between activities and impacts	1	—
Burning Fossil Fuels 5E	Air pollution, regional health disparities, carbon cycle disruption, energy solutions	7–9	HS-ESS3-2
Land Use & Biodiversity 5E	Urban heat islands, land cover change, ecosystem tipping points, cooling solutions	7–9	HS-ESS3-2
Mining 5E	Mining health impacts, contamination pathways, ecological destruction, competing solutions	7–9	HS-ESS3-2
Closing	Performance task: design and defend a multi-solution proposal	3	HS-ESS3-2, HS-ETS1-2

What You’ll Figure Out

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

🏭 Trace how fossil fuel combustion products travel through the environment to cause disease
🌳 Model how land use changes create urban heat islands and push ecosystems toward tipping points
⛏️ Explain how mining contaminants reach communities through air and water pathways
📊 Analyze health data to identify patterns of environmental injustice
🔬 Use computational models to test and compare solutions
⚖️ Evaluate solutions using multiple criteria: cost, safety, and reliability
📢 Construct an evidence-based argument for a multi-solution sustainability proposal

# Unit 6: Building a Sustainable Future {.unnumbered} ## Anchor Phenomenon > **Every year, millions of people die prematurely from environmental causes linked to human activities. What is causing these deaths — and what solutions can reduce them?** ## Unit Driving Question > **How can we reduce the negative impacts of human activities on the environment while still meeting our needs?** ## Unit Overview In this unit, you investigate how three major human activities — burning fossil fuels, changing land use, and mining — affect environmental health and contribute to premature deaths worldwide. You'll analyze real health and environmental data, build computational models to test solutions, and evaluate trade-offs between economic needs and environmental protection. By the end, you'll design and defend a multi-solution proposal using the Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) framework. ## Performance Expectations | Standard | Description | |----------|-------------| | **HS-ESS3-2** | Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios | | **HS-ETS1-2** | Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering | ## Lesson Sequences | Chapter | Topic | Days | Standards | |---------|-------|------|-----------| | **Opening** | Anchor phenomenon, global health data, connections between activities and impacts | 1 | — | | **Burning Fossil Fuels 5E** | Air pollution, regional health disparities, carbon cycle disruption, energy solutions | 7–9 | HS-ESS3-2 | | **Land Use & Biodiversity 5E** | Urban heat islands, land cover change, ecosystem tipping points, cooling solutions | 7–9 | HS-ESS3-2 | | **Mining 5E** | Mining health impacts, contamination pathways, ecological destruction, competing solutions | 7–9 | HS-ESS3-2 | | **Closing** | Performance task: design and defend a multi-solution proposal | 3 | HS-ESS3-2, HS-ETS1-2 | ## What You'll Figure Out By the end of this unit, you will be able to: - 🏭 **Trace** how fossil fuel combustion products travel through the environment to cause disease - 🌳 **Model** how land use changes create urban heat islands and push ecosystems toward tipping points - ⛏️ **Explain** how mining contaminants reach communities through air and water pathways - 📊 **Analyze** health data to identify patterns of environmental injustice - 🔬 **Use computational models** to test and compare solutions - ⚖️ **Evaluate** solutions using multiple criteria: cost, safety, and reliability - 📢 **Construct** an evidence-based argument for a multi-solution sustainability proposal