1. This research is supported in part by three grants from the National Science Foundation: Developing a research-based learning progression for the role of carbon in environmental systems (REC 0529636), the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (ESI-0227557) and Long-term Ecological Research in Row-crop Agriculture (DEB 0423627. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. EVIRONMENTAL LITERACY ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (CCMS) Developing a Long-term Learning Progression for Energy in Socio-ecological Systems Hui Jin and Charles W. Anderson, Michigan State University Research Story - Theoretical Framework Development of learning progression We seek to develop a learning progression, which describes a possible learning trajectory from informal reasoning towards scientific model-based reasoning. Hence, the learning progression has three parts: upper anchor, intermediate levels, and lower anchor. Each part contains several levels of achievement. Upper Anchor, as being defined by the society’s expectation for environmental literate citizens, was developed based on recent research in environmental and ecological science. Intermediate Levels describe students’ reasoning resulted from the intersection of their intuitions and current school science. Lower Anchor is about students’ naïve causal reasoning when they enter schools. The lower anchor and intermediate levels were developed based on assessment data. The upper anchor - the Loop Diagram - presents a way of scientific model-based reasoning. It highlights tracing energy across processes. First, various macroscopic environmental events (e.g., growth, breathing, eating, moving, burning, etc.) collectively result in the interactions among physical, biological, and socio-economical systems at large scale. All these macroscopic events as well as their large-scale effects are determined by three key atomic/molecular processes: Organic carbon generation & harnessing energy in photosynthesis; Organic carbon transformation & energy passing on in digestion and biosynthesis; Organic carbon oxidation & energy dissipating in cellular respiration and combustion. Second, successful tracing energy across these processes should involves two aspects of understanding: Tracing energy separately from matter Tracing energy with degradation Validation of learning progression Conceptual coherence Each level of learning performance reflects that students ways of reasoning at certain level is consistent. Across levels, the learning progression presents a trajectory of conceptual development towards qualitatively more sophisticated ways of reasoning. Compatibility with current research The learning performance described by the learning progression is compatible with current research on students causal reasoning and conceptual understanding of relevant content. Empirical validation Lower anchor and intermediate levels are developed based on empirical assessment data. The transition from one level to the next is empirically achievable. Learning Story - A Learning Progression for Energy in Socio-ecological Systems Research Story - Method and Data Analysis Participants: Paper-and-pencil assessments: Michigan - 90 elementary students from 4 th Grade; 80 middle students from 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th Grades; 110 high school students from 9 th to 12 th Grades. Washington - 642 high school students (computer test) Interview: Michigan - 12 high school students from one rural high school; 6 students from a math and science center for gifted high school students. California - 14 middle school students from one middle school that serving families of low, middle, and upper socio-economical status. Measurement: To investigate whether and how students apply fundamental principles of energy to account for real-world events, we developed assessment items about macroscopic events and sophisticated responses to the items usually require identifying underlying chemical processes and trace energy within and across the processes. Data Analysis: Please visit our website: http://edr1.educ.msu.edu/EnvironmentalLit/index.htm Items a. Are they alike or different? Please explain your answer. b. A scientist says that A and B are similar events, but picture C is a different event from A and B. Do you know why? Please explain why C is different from A and B. Middle/High School Item: a. Please describe how one glucose molecule from the grape provides energy to move your little finger. b. Do you think the SAME glucose molecule can also help you maintain your body temperature, when it is used to move your finger? Elementary Item: Please explain how the food you eat help you move your little finger. Middle/High School Item: When you are riding in a car, the car burns gasoline to make it run. Eventually the gasoline tank becomes empty. a. What happens to the matter the gasoline was made of? b. What happens to the energy of gasoline? Where does it go? Do you think the energy of gasoline still exists somewhere? Elementary Item: Why do people use gasoline instead of water to run their cars? Level 5 a. These events are alike in that they are all sources of potential energy that will be stored and then used up by means of activity whether it is running, driving,or growing. b. Because it must get energy from the sunlight to convert this solar energy to usable energy. First the plant must do photosynthesis, whereas the hamburger and gasoline have the energy already there. a. Glucose is used in cellular respiration to produce ATP, which is then used for the energy to move your little finger. b. Yes. When energy is used, heat is always produced which will maintain your body temperature. a. Most of the matter is converted into a gas during combustion and released into the atmosphere. b. All of the usable energy in the gasoline has been released into the atmosphere in the form of heat. Level 4 a. They are alike because the matter that is being taken in will eventually be converted to energy to do work. b. A human and a car will move and convert the energy being taken into heat, but a plant will not. a. When you eat it you are doing respiration, which makes ATP which is an energy that helps you move your finger. b. Yes. But you need a lot of it so that it warm up your body temperature. One grape just won’t do it. a. It was converted into energy. b. The energy of the gasoline has “transformed” into a different energy which makes the wheels of the car turn. This is then turned into kinetic energy in the tires, and finally thermal energy on the ground. Level 3 a. A and B are alike because when you eat you fill your body up with energy and when you fill your car up you fill it with energy. Energy also helps you go, so they are the same. b.I am not sure whether A and B are different from C. Response1: I think the food’s nutrients build some muscle there. Response 2: Food is like energy. It helps you move your little finger by burning energy in your little finger. Response 1: b. The energy of the gasoline escapes through the exhaust. The energy is still out there, it is just in the air as a gas instead of liquid in a car’s gas tank. Response 2: Because gasoline has certain fumes to run the car, but water has none. Level 2/1 a. I think they are all alike, because A, B, and C are basically being fed! b. A and B might be explaining overeating and B and C might be talking about global warming. Response 1: I think it makes it stronger. Response 2: When you eat, it helps you to move your finger. Response 1: Because you can’t run your car on water. It has be gas. Response 2: Because cars take gas. Environmental Systems  Life Recognize that cellular functions are conducted through chemical reactions; Explain structure and functions of organisms in terms of three biochemical processes: Organic carbon generation & harnessing energy in photosynthesis; Organic carbon transformation & energy passing on in digestion and biosynthesis; Organic carbon oxidation & energy dissipating in cellular respiration and combustion.  Scale Use atomic-molecular understanding of processes to explain macroscopic events (e.g., growth, weight loss, decay, burning, etc.) and their large-scale effects; Trace energy separately from matter and trace energy with degradation within and across processes.  Cause & Energy Successfully trace energy in atomic-molecular processes: Identify energy-rich molecules in food and fuels based on C-C and C-H bonds; Distinguish energy transformation from matter transformation and recognize energy degradation in atomic-molecular processes; Recognize that energy degradation in atomic-molecular processes results in energy pyramid at large-scale; Recognize energy cycling as impossible. Environmental System Service: Foods and fuels as energy sources Human Actions: Human energy consumption causing climate change over time CO 2 emission Foods & Fossil Fuels Structure of human social and economic systems: Energy distribution systems Transportation; Appliances & machines Loop Diagram for Energy in Environmental Systems Human Social and Economic Systems Organic carbon oxidation and energy dissipating in combustion & cellular respiration Structure of biological systems:  Food Chain & Ecosystems  Foods, Fuels, and Organisms  Carbon-containing organic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, hydrocarbon  C-C & C-H as high-energy bonds Structure of physical systems:  Air  CO 2, O 2, H 2 O  O=C=O and O-H-O as low- energy bonds Atmosphere (Physical Systems) Organic carbon oxidation and energy dissipating in cellular respiration Organic carbon generation and harnessing energy in photosynthesis Biosphere (Biological Systems) Organic carbon transformation and energy passing on in digestion & biosynthesis Processes Structure Level 5. Qualitative Model-based Reasoning about Molecular Processes: Level 4. School Science Narratives about Microscopic Events:  Life - Recognize cell as the basic unit of structure and function of organisms. Recognize that cells function through chemical changes, but cannot use atom-reorganization model to explain the chemical changes. Recognize that food transforms into organism body structure, but do not recognize the chemical identify of substances in food or organism body.  Scale - Recognize that organs are made of cells and cells are made of molecules, but cannot consistently apply atomic-molecular account to explain macroscopic or large-scale changes. Describe food chain and food web in terms of matter/energy flow, but cannot consistently trace carbon through photosynthesis and/or cellular respiration.  Cause & Energy - Unsuccessfully trace energy: Show commitment to conservation laws and attempt to trace energy in chemical processes, but cannot distinguish energy transformation from matter transformation and/or cannot identify energy degradation in processes. Level 3. Sequence of Events with Hidden Mechanisms:  Life - Recognize that organisms maintain their lives by bodily functions of organs. Recognize food turns into body structure, but have no idea about changes of substances.  Scale - Pay attention to structure of materials, but have no idea about atoms and molecules. Pay attention to hidden mechanisms, but hold the idea that one substance can change into another mysteriously and have no idea about chemical change.  Cause & Energy - Use energy as an expedient tool to explain events; Associate energy with observable/perceptual indicators such as living things, movement, and light, but cannot distinguish energy from matter or conditions in general.  Energy can be created in movement. (e.g., When people are doing exercises, they create energy.)  Energy can be used up to power processes (e.g., Light energy is used up by plants to make food.)  Energy can goes with matter in changes. (e.g., Energy of gasoline goes with exhaust exiting from the tailpipe. Energy goes out of the dead organisms into the air.) Level 2/1. Needs of Organisms & Natural Tendency:  Life - Understand bodily functions (e.g., breathing and digestion) as requirements to sustain life. Understand growth as the results of organisms taking in food, doing exercises, and so on.  Scale - Recognize visible changes at macroscopic scale and pay no attention to hidden mechanisms. Understand food web and food chain in terms of sequences of events rather than ways of matter/energy transportation.  Cause - Explain events in terms of natural tendency. (e.g., When organisms become old or die, they will decay naturally.) Distinguish living organisms from artifacts in terms of Agency: Living things have Agency and thus are capable of self-initiated or self-maintained activities; Living things act in pursuit of self-serving goals: To maintain living, organisms gain water, air, and food from the environment. Upper Anchor Lower Anchor Intermediate Levels Trends & Implication  Invisible to Visible  Hierarchy of systems becomes visible: Reasoning at macroscopic scale  Using tracing energy across and within processes as the framework to account for macroscopic and large-scale events.  Interactions among systems become visible: Separated living and non-living systems  interactions among physical, biological, and human social and economical systems  Events to Process  Causal Reasoning: Natural tendency  Energy transformation and degradation in processes  Constrains: No constraint on events  Matter-energy conversion as constraint on atomic-molecular processes underlying events  Energy transformation with degradation as constraint on processes  Connections: Separated processes  Processes as being connected in terms of harnessing energy, energy passing on, and energy dissipating.  Agent to Energy  Natural tendency & Living organisms as agent  Energy as agent (i.e. Energy transformation with degradation as cause of events.)