The Spark Curriculum Collection: A Closer Look
In Chemical Kitchen, students investigate matter through the lens of baking cookies. The anchor experience is designed to spark questions related to the basics of matter (properties, atoms, and molecules, mixtures) and open the door to topics like changes in matter, chemical reactions, thermal energy, and energy transfer.
In Body Wars, students investigate cells and body systems through the lens of the smallpox virus and smallpox infections. The anchor experience is designed to spark questions related to foundational life science topics (characteristics of life, cells, body systems) as well as the impact of technology and synthetic materials.
In Rising Tides, students investigate the threat of rising tides and nuisance flooding to develop an understanding of the Earth-Sun-Moon system, gravity, and climate change. They expand their learning to travel beyond our planet and explore those same principles at work in the greater solar system, digging into the scale and properties of celestial objects in the process.
In The Rock Files, students investigate Earth’s geologic history to understand mass extinction events, particularly the sudden loss of life Earth experience 66 million years ago (that spelled the end of the world of dinosaurs). As they explore the theories that explain the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, they gain a better understanding of the significance of today’s declining biodiversity. This Curiosity Spark sets students up to not only investigate Earth’s past (and the stories rocks hold) but also turn their eyes to the future, understanding disruptions in today’s ecosystems and what may be in store for them as a result of human activities.
In Endangered Genomes, students dive into the topics of heredity and genetics through the lens of conservation and endangered species. They take on the role of researchers tasked with obtaining funding for a koala conservation effort following the unprecedented 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia, during which as many as 60,000 of the country’s estimated population of 330,000 koalas were killed. Throughout the storyline, students are directed back toward explaining koalas’ unique biology through an understanding of their genetics. Additional endangered species are introduced through investigative level phenomena and the summative assessment.
In Solar Energy In The Desert, students will examine a debate unfolding in the Mojave Desert — should solar farms be installed in delicate desert ecosystems? — in order to develop an understanding of natural resources, including renewable solar energy, and the factors that influence climates. This Spark also sets the stage to investigate change and stability in ecosystems, particularly the Mojave Desert ecosystem already threatened by climate change. Learning opportunities throughout the unit are designed to build student understanding of the relevant science concepts so that they may make a well-informed decision in support of or against the development of a new solar energy project.
In Pollinators and Plants, students investigate the phenomenon of the Murder Hornet’s arrival in the United States in 2020 as a way into understanding patterns of interactions in ecosystems, human impacts, change and stability within communities, and plant reproduction.
In Catastrophic Cycles, students analyze primary resources and additional data to understand the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Students will record observations and develop questions from the resources to prepare themselves for preliminary investigation-planning. Finally, they will develop a plan to launch their learning journey into Earth’s geology, specifically matter and energy in its interior, the geoscience processes that shape Earth’s surface, how Earth’s surface has changed over time (plate tectonics), and the interaction between society and these processes.
In Dumping Grounds, the Anchor Experiences launch student learning into human impacts on Earth’s water resources. This Spark addresses concepts like the water cycle, water pollution (including plastic pollution), watersheds, aquatic ecosystems, and food webs.