Through an Ecologist’s Lens: Industrial 

Revolution  
Link to student version: 
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/189sOMzmhSCTHys8S9P4N6szGDPTCBUZF361bDs
uc8mg/edit#slide=id.g8a115ce01b_0_28 

Science, English, History- Denis, Kaira  

 

 
 
 

Introduction/Overview of Experience  

This cross content digital experience provides students in grade 11 with knowledge 
and tools to recognize the role and influence of the industrial revolution and how it 
affects today’s world and economy. Students will have the opportunity to look at 
the industrial revolution through the lens of an ecologist, and share what they have 
learned through the power of their experience and voice.  

Standards (include ELA and Content)  

Science: Essential HS.L2U3.18: O ​ btain, evaluate, and communicate ​about the 

positive and negative ethical, social, economic, and political implications of human 
activity on the biodiversity of an ecosystem. 

English: 11-12.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence in an 

organized, developed style appropriate to purpose, audience, and task, allowing 
listeners to follow the speaker's line of reasoning, message, and any alternative 
perspectives. 
 
History: SP1.1 Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by 
unique circumstances of time and place, as well as, broader historical context. 

Learning Outcomes 
At the completion of the unit, students would have gained the tools to be able to:

● Recognize the impacts the industrial revolution had on today’s world and economy
● Identify key impacts of human activity on the biodiversity of an ecosystem
● Recognize features of a healthy ecosystem
● Present information on their findings and determine the purpose, message, and
appropriate audience.
● Introduce concepts and see how they correlate to other content areas.
● Articulate the difference between each affected area and the outcomes.
● Identify key vocabulary and its significance to the evidence presented.

Texts/Text Types (list, describe use, include images)  

 
What is the source?
How will the source be used?

 
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Subject/Name Visual
English (Kaira) 1. https://www.ted.com/talks/do
rsa_amir_how_the_industrial
_revolution_changed_childh
ood
2. https://www.poemhunter.co
m/poem/the-industrial-revolu
tion/
3. https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=nl_-6WPQ4Sg
4. https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=i791PJFujyQ
Science 1. https://www.ecomena.org/en
(Denis) vironmental-impacts-of-indu
strialization/
2. https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=n4crvs-KTBw
3. https://www.nationalgeograp
hic.org/article/deserts-explai
ned/
a. https://www.nationalg
eographic.org/encyclo
pedia/desert/
b. 720 × 373
c. 19-6-e158655249763
7.jpg
d. Shutterstock_139574
522_mangrove_forest
s_play_a_vital_role_i
n_tropical_areas_worl
dwide.jpg
3 
Reasoning
1. I would use the TED Talk for
students to annotate. I would
do a KWL chart to help
assist with this portion of the
learning.
2. I chose this poem to give
students a chance to identify
different vocabulary in
poetry: literary devices,
assonance, imagery, and so
on.
3. Video 3 is used strictly for
context and a better
understanding. It will be
focused on imagery, tone,
and setting.
4. Video 4 helps us understand
impact. We will talk about
which forms of writing and
genres are widely used
across the types mentioned
1. Environmental Impacts of
Industrialization
a. Will be used to look at
what industrialization
has done to
environments.
2. Desert Ecosystems
3. Desert Ecology
a. Desert Ecology Photo
Set
b. Image of ocean
ecosystem
c. Image of mangrove
ecosystem
d. Image of forest
ecosystem
e. Pictures will be used
to introduce different
types of ecosystems,
answer questions like
what do we see, what

4. Documents from the book,
e.
4. https://documentcloud.adob
e.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid
:scds:US:093a39d8-15b3-4a
08-9cae-9d14d808fa47
a. https://documentcloud
.adobe.com/link/track
?uri=urn:aaid:scds:U
S:2cace52b-d487-46f
3-8c36-daacee25904
5 the needs of a
https://www.commonlit.org/t
exts/conservation-as-a-natio
nal-duty
4 
do we not see? What
in this picture is
abiotic? Biotic?
Where in the U.S
would we find these
types of ecosystems?
“The Wondrous Workings of
PLanet Earth:
Understanding our World
and its Ecosystems”, This
document explains what an
ecosystem is without a
textbook-like language that
is usually filled with jargon
students don’t understand.
a. Documents from the
same book explain
healthy ecosystem
and I have included
an infographic of a
desert ecosystem.
b. Both of these
documents will be
used to get familiar
with key vocabulary
after an introductory
activity in which
students access prior
knowledge.
 
 

 
Lesson One: Ask A Compelling Question  

Focus on engage and activating prior knowledge  

Overall Compelling question: How can we as ecologists make our 

communities aware of how we have impacted our environment? 

Inquiry Question of the week : What does your Amazon list look like? 

Directions:​ The digital gallery walk will be used for the purposes of the one week 
unit.  

Hook: ​Students are playing the role of ecologists. An issue these ecologists have 
posed is the lack of information the public has on ethical, social, economic, and 
political implications of human activity on the health of an ecosystem. These 
ecologists are trying to find how the past affected ecosystems and what we can do 
in the present to promote social awareness of the importance of biodiversity within 
our ecosystems.  

(To be explained during closing) : This group of ecologists have come across a time 
machine. The ecologists decide to dial the time machine to the period that has had 
the most effect on nature; the industrial revolution.  

Activity:  

 
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To start, the word “AMAZON” will be written on a slide. Students are to click on the 
jamboard link and write notes, add pictures, and questions about what this word 
brings up for them. They are not allowed to search “Amazon” during this portion.  

As a class, students will go over what has been written or added to the jamboard. 
We will discuss the questions: “Why have you added ____?” and “Why do you think 
we are focusing so much on this one word?” After allowing students to answer 
these questions, the instructor will share screen and type amazon on google. This 
will appear.  

Does this match what was on our jamboard? Does it match some of our thoughts? 

At this point, we will go over the Amazon platform, how it works, and the “wishlist” 
Amazon allows. Instructors will show a sample of a wishlist, with items that require 
some sort of industrialization in order to create. Students will be asked to create 

 
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their own wishlist during breakout rooms, 5 items maximum. These wishlists will be 
added to a group google doc. During breakout rooms, students will be asked to 
search up two items on their list, where it comes from, how it’s built, the materials 
that are used. They will upload their research to the jamboard and google doc to 
submit.  

Students will discuss their findings to the class.  

Their research will be tied to “Industrialization”. Students will go to the digital 

gallery walk and read/listen/look at images that represent industrialization in our 
modern world. Amongst these items will be information on Amazon and how it 
contributes to industrialization.Students are to look through the text set that 
includes the historical and current effects of the industrial revolution 

Instructors will pose the question, “As ecologists, why may we be interested in 
this?”and collect students' responses.  

Closing: I​ n order for ecologists to fully understand the effects of industrialization in 
the present and the past, they will need to go back in time. By going back in time, 
ecologists will be able to fully understand the negative ethical, social, economic, and 
political implications of human activity (i.e industrialization, industrial revolution) 
on the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Students are to reflect what we have gone over 
in class and predict what we will be talking about in the following class.  

 
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Lesson Two: Analyze Sources  

Question: How can we synthesize sources in a manner that would allow others to 
understand global issues?  

Directions: Introduce the project that must be submitted at the end of the week. Students 
are to review the text set on ecosystems and how human activity has impacted the 
environment we live in today. 

Activity: at the beginning of class, the teacher will introduce the project and explain what a 
PSA Video is through a powerpoint presentation and digital gallery. 

Students will Explore the following videos, pdf files: 

● Climate Change PSA - Storytime - Commercial 

● https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tips-for-creating-own-psa.pdf  

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rClJW9gnchc  

 
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Through the digital learning experience, students will explore a variety of text sets under 
day 2. Students will be divided into groups of 5 students. They will join each other in a 
breakout room and explore the text sets provided in the room for day 2 . Students will 
collect information from the materials provided using their science notebooks.  

Students will review the following materials and take notes (students can take up one 
article or video, write notes, then share with the team) :  

● https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:093a39d8-15b3-
4a08-9cae-9d14d808fa47  
● https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biosphere/  
● https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:ef174c55-405c-
467e-b4cd-687195f3d6c9  
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK_vRtHJZu4  
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cRgK0qG00E  
● https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nLHmmsa4iqJaydfDD6d_uUv17SgB54DyQ
X4g7KsNMSI/edit?usp=sharing​ - science notebooks 

Closing: Students will answer the following questions in their notebooks: What does a PSA 
video contain? What are Ecosystems? How have we contributed to their overall health?  

Lesson Three: Creatively Synthesize 

Claims and Evidence   

Question: How can we take what we have learned on the industrial revolution and 
ecosystems to make a concise and important announcement to the public? 

Directions: Students are to make one claim about the positive and negative ethical, social, 
economic, and political implications of human activity- specifically, the industrial revolution 
- on the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Students can choose between focusing on one aspect 

 
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(ex. Ethical, social, political). Students will begin the process of writing a script for their PSA 
video. 

Hook: Now that we have  

Activity: Students will use jamboard to brainstorm topics of interest. A list of topics will be 
compiled in case students cannot come up with one on their own (slide 7 in jamboard). 
Students will sign up for their topic on a google doc along with the role they will play for the 
completion of the project. Once their topic is finalized, students will begin writing the script 
for their PSA video.  

Lesson Four : Critically Evaluate and 

Revise  
  Comparing Texts and Peers   

Question: How will students display the content and the components that they learned?  

Directions: Students will share the components of their video with others. Students will 
begin filming and editing their videos. 

Hook: Ready, Set, PSA! 

Activity: Students will share their PSA Videos with their peers for feedback and final touches 
for 25 minutes. The rest of the 25 minutes will be spent making edits to the videos based 
on the feedback they received from their peers. 

Lesson Five : Share, Publish, Act  

Directions: At this time, students will submit their videos and have a chance to share them 
with the class for the presentation portion of the assignment. 

 
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The videos will be due at the start of class on canvas for easy access.  

 
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