High-Adventure Science:
Can we feed the growing population?

Our agricultural system is made up of interconnected resources. The availability of these resources affects how much food we can produce. In this module, students explore the resources that make up our agricultural system in order to answer the question: can we feed the growing population? Throughout this activity, students explore land uses and soil quality through graphs of land use and crop production. They run experiments with computational models to compare the effect of different management strategies on the land.

Students will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but they will be able to describe how humans can maintain and replenish important resources to be able to produce food long into the future.

Teacher resources for this unit include a Teacher Edition of the module, with links to supplemental background materials, teacher tips, exemplar answers, discussion questions and sense-making activities, as well as a real-time dashboard.

To prepare to use this module with students, first run the Teacher Edition. The Teacher Edition adds a layer of teacher tips to the student version of the module, providing you with in-depth support and classroom support materials. By the end of the Teacher Edition, you will be familiar with the curriculum and uncertainty-infused scientific argumentation. We also encourage you to read all of the documents provided in the Teacher Resources section below.

Assignable student materials below

Can we feed the growing population?
Image credit: USDA

Unit Includes

  • Teacher Edition
  • Class Dashboard
  • Pre- and Post-Tests

Teacher Resources

Theory & Background

Introduction to High-Adventure Science
Learn about using real-world data and computer-based models to explore big unanswered scientific questions.

Teaching with Online Materials
Information about using computer-based curricula.

Class Dashboard Guide
How to get started with the Class Dashboard: view student work in real time.

Learning Goals & Assessment

Standards Alignments for Can we feed the growing population?
NGSS and NSES alignments.

Scoring Scientific Arguments within High-Adventure Science
Generic rubric for scoring scientific arguments.

Modules


Assessments


Interactives