The Changing Earth
(Example Project)
Project Overview
In this project, students will explore the changing earth in their local community. Through support from the Oceanside Harbor and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, students will explore their local Oceanside beaches and understand how engineers use technology to study the changing earth and develop solutions to a local problem.
Essential Questions:
How does technology impact our natural world?
Guiding Questions:
How do wind and water change the surface of the earth?
How do scientists and engineers study the natural and mineral world?
How do wind and water change the surface of the earth?



Student Resources:
Click on the link below to see an overview of the project.
Click on the links below to document your learning. It will prompt you to make a Copy of the document.
Students will…
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Interview experts about the dredging project at Oceanside Harbor
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Generate questions to investigate
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Research in teams to understand the effects of wind and water on the surface of the earth and the impact of technology on our natural world
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Work in groups of 2-3 to create a Adobe Spark presentation to share their opinion pieces
Presentation of Learning:
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Students will exhibit their learning to their peers at Palmquist
Experts:
Steve Rodriguez
Oceanside Harbor Maintenance Supervisor
Jim Fields
Project Manager for Oceanside Harbor dredging project
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Greg Fuderer
Senior Public Affairs Specialist
Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
gregory.a.fuderer@usace.army.mil
Fieldwork:
Oceanside Harbor & Beaches
1373 North Pacific Street
Oceanside, CA 92054
Writing:
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Reading:
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
Next Generation Science Standards:
ESS2-1: Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land
ESS2-1 Developing and using technology has impacts on the natural world.
ESS2-1: Scientists Address Questions About the Natural and Material World
ESS2-2, ESS2-3: Patterns in the natural world can be observed
Speaking & Listening:
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
Create audio recordings of stories; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.