Here at Poly, sustainability is incorporated throughout student coursework.
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Advisory
Poly's entire student body participated in an advisory session March 16th 2016. The purpose of advisory is to educate all students on a particular subject matter through a presentation given to all advisory periods. This advisory was not only the first one at Poly focused on the environment but also the first one facilitated by student representatives. Each advisory period was headed by a student who facilitated the discussion and presented about environmental issues and solutions at Poly. The presentations included Poly's application process to become a Green School, thus making all students aware of the process and engaged in growing beyond this year towards possible ideas for re-certifying if we receive this prestigious award.
sustainability_at_bpi.pptx | |
File Size: | 9345 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
AP English Literature
10Approximately 50 seniors in this AP-level English class (on 3/8/2016 to 3/10/2016) read and analyzed a poem entitled "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" by Wendell Berry, a famed American novelist and environmental activist. After completing this annotation in class, students then read several quotes from Wendell Berry and responded to the prompt, "What does the poet imagine to be the proper relationship between humankind and the Earth?"
Attached is the lesson plan, poem, and examples of student work pieces from both the annotation of the poem and the quote/prompt worksheet.
Attached is the lesson plan, poem, and examples of student work pieces from both the annotation of the poem and the quote/prompt worksheet.
wendell_berry_manifesto_lesson_with_examples.pdf | |
File Size: | 2225 kb |
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Chemistry
About 40 chemistry students (sophomores and juniors) participated in the Students Restoring Urban Streams program in the 2014-15 school year (funded and supported by Parks & People). These students traveled to Gwynns Falls to study the biology of the stream and work to restore the watershed by planting trees and removing trash.
Approximately 20 sophomores and juniors in Ms. Castillo's class also wrote short, two paragraph essays during the week of February 21, 2016 about a chemical compound in the natural world and the negative effects it can have on the environment. The first paragraph should discuss the compound's properties, sources, and issues while the second paragraph discusses how the student can address the problems with solutions to the issues. Below are essays from various students that participated in the activity.
Probability & Statistics
In a sophomore-level probability and statistics class, approximately 30 students studied levels of carbon emissions (date: early February 2016) and how many metric tons/person countries tend to release into the environment. They then constructed histograms and poster projects to present their findings to the class.
AP Statistics
120 students in AP Statistics discussed the issue of air pollution and the effects it has on children. They then studied the effects of soot and ash on babies exposed to high levels during 9/11. A second problem set studied nitrogen oxides, a type of pollutant from motor vehicles. Both problem sets took place in late February, 2016.
Honors Physics I
Sophomores and juniors in Honors Physics I discussed Poly's energy consumption in relation to their unit on energy, work, and power. They completed a worksheet for homework about the topic and discussed it afterwards in class (2/11/2016-2/12/2016). below is a student exemplar on the topic.
Students then took what they had learned about thermal energy and energy efficiency and began to design and build solar ovens out of recycled materials. Students manipulated one variable and gathered data on the efficiencies of different solar ovens. Common variables included insulation types, thickness of walls, and window size of the oven. In a class presentation, students then discussed their findings.
Below is a lab report and presentation completed by a group of students.
Below is a lab report and presentation completed by a group of students.
solar_oven_investigation6.pptx__2_.pptx | |
File Size: | 805 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Students also completed a guided reading activity (on 3/9/2016) about an article, "A Closer Look at Renewable Energy." Students then discussed the article in depth, analyzing how the author's bias and personal viewpoints affected his arguments against renewable energy. They then discussed how they could perhaps make renewables more economically feasible and a viable option to reduce global warming. Below is the article and four student exemplar worksheets responding to the reading.
Fundamentals Of Art
Students in Poly's Fundamentals of Art class (about 30 11th and 12th graders) have participated in an art project over the last four years (including these last two years) using old shoes to create living figures. Recycling and innovation from recycling were the primary purposes of the art project.
AP Environmental Science
BPI has Baltimore City's only AP Environmental Science class. With a set curriculum, students study a variety of environmental issues that face the world today and the impact human interaction has on natural systems. The class has 30 juniors and seniors and is a 2 period class. Documentation includes a picture of eco-columns that students constructed to investigate closed ecosystems, pictures of students presenting on renewable energy resources, and photos of the students involved in a tree planting at Poly in December 2015. General documentation of the class was not included because of the set nature of the AP curriculum.
Additionally, the teacher has organized student field trips for the AP Environmental Science class to the Patapsco River through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in years past. This reflection is from 2014, and a similar trip is being planned for later 2016 (past this application deadline). The 2015 trip was cancelled due to bad weather.
APES Field Trip artifact | |
File Size: | 9881 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Environmental Science (Honors)
This year long course is offered to students as a chance for them to learn about environmental issues, discuss solutions to these issues, and act to help the environment. By the nature of its curriculum, this is a class focused almost entirely on the issue of sustainability. Thus, no documentation was included of individual class activities. Below is a sample unit from this class, regarding water sustainability issues.
Water Unit Plan Environmental Science | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | docx |
A presentation below was part of an assignment asking students to present their knowledge on a type of renewable energy.
wind_energy.pptx | |
File Size: | 186 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
This is a student presentation from an assignment asking students to research a biome type and examine its makeup. It also includes issues that the biome is facing currently to brainstorm solutions.
taiga.pptx | |
File Size: | 631 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Renewable Matter and Energy
This year-long engineering course, open to seniors as part of the engineering practicum, discuss a variety of topics pertaining to renewable energy sources. Students design and engineering solutions using technologies that they learn about in class. Although no documentation of classes has been secured, the attached syllabus documents what students perform in class. Sample units includes studying solar energy and wind energy.
course_curriculum_or_renewable_energy[1]_scope_and_sequence.doc | |
File Size: | 88 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Engineering Practicum, Project Lead the Way
About 20 students from Poly's engineering classes with Project Lead the Way, an engineering-focused magnet program at Poly, and Environment Club went on a field trip to the Engineers' Club in Mt. Vernon on February 23, 2016 as part of National Engineering Week to learn about facilities engineering and environmental building techniques. The students built sample windmills to actively tackle issues that they discussed with multiple visiting engineers. Below are photos of the students on the field trip. A separate slide show includes the student worksheets used for the day.
Students in Project Lead the Way also studied engineering and figured out ways to apply engineering ideas to real world issues, environmental being a major focus. Here's an example of such a student project that explored making greener burials.
engineering_design_and_development_presentation_david_berkey.pptx | |
File Size: | 4502 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Another student presentation on a water filtration system.
3_part_water_filter_system.pptx | |
File Size: | 1143 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Applications of Technology
About 30 students, juniors and seniors, in Applications of Technology, an engineering class, studied green building technology, like LEED certifications, in the month of February and learned how to apply it in making sustainable architecture. Below are examples of a Building Materials worksheet completed in response to a discussion on Chapter 19, the chapter of the textbook used to learn about green building technologies, and a crossword puzzle completed to review building materials discussed in Chapter 19. This unit has been performed for years past, but documentation was only received for 2016.
Marine Biology
In this class of about 20 11th and 12th graders, students learn about the various marine ecosystems and the problems that face them.
In the assignment shown below, students are asked to depict fish that combine the different traits of fish that inspire passion in them. These projects were done in the 2014-2015 school year.
The ecology unit in Poly's marine biology class engages students in environmental issues and has been done on a yearly basis. This unit happens in the last quarter of the school year and has not been actively documented in its previous iterations. It will occur after this application's deadline. This unit is also done in Mr. Reeser's 9th grade biology classes, totaling to about 60 students. Below is a lesson plan for a sample lesson in the ecology unit.
Jones Falls Unit Plan | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
File Type: | docx |
AP Biology
Students over the past two years have completed a human impact project exploring a particular human impact on the environment through creative means. Attached is the project guideline sheet, which includes examples of student work as pictures.
ap_bio_human_impact_project.docx | |
File Size: | 2995 kb |
File Type: | docx |
AP Spanish Language
As part of the AP Spanish curriculum, students complete an entire chapter on sustainability and an additional chapter on mass extinctions and the current mass extinction. Attached are lesson plans, quizzes used to assess student knowledge of vocabulary, student sheets of vocabulary terms, and a student classwork worksheet answering questions about mass extinctions. The lesson has been done annually around December for the past few years. Student work is from this school year (2015-16).
For an English translation, please email Claire Wayner for more information.
For an English translation, please email Claire Wayner for more information.
Independent Study: Film/Video
About 30 juniors and seniors in this fine arts course watched a clip from the documentary, "Dirt," on March 4, 2016, about the importance of soil and how GMOs are slowly ruining organic agriculture and destroying the environment. Students then wrote a paragraph reflection on the documentary. Below are three student reflections.
FilmReflections.pdf | |
File Size: | 49 kb |
File Type: |
Advanced Computer Science
About 60 juniors and seniors participated in an activity in March 2016 to examine a set of worldwide average temperature data. Students used Turtle Graphics on Java to display data from this set. All of this was done on the platform of eclipse, a basis for real world programming and problem solving.
Research Practicums
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute is the only public high school in Baltimore City and one of the few in Maryland to offer an intensive research practicum, which places high school students in the laboratories of scientists for STEM research at prestigious locations like Johns Hopkins University, UMBC, and the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology. Although not all research projects focus on environmental topics, many of them do.
There are two different practicum projects available at Poly. The first is through the Ingenuity Project, Poly's STEM-magnet program. The Ingenuity Practicum is a two year research placement for Ingenuity students. Attached are the abstracts of five students and their projects from the last two school years. These projects are:
The second practicum is a Poly practicum available to all Poly students for placement during their senior year. Attached are xxx??
There are two different practicum projects available at Poly. The first is through the Ingenuity Project, Poly's STEM-magnet program. The Ingenuity Practicum is a two year research placement for Ingenuity students. Attached are the abstracts of five students and their projects from the last two school years. These projects are:
- Characterization of Growth Conditions for Fermentative Anaerobic Bacteria, Strains F2b and F3, for the Purpose of Developing a Zero-Waste, Carbon-Neutral Recirculating Aquaculture System
Stephen Grabowski, junior (class of 2017), started project summer of 2015
Mentor: Dr. Kevin Sowers at the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology - The Response of Zebrafish to Environmental Changes
Julianna Lucas, junior (class of 2017), started project summer of 2015
Mentor: Dr. Yonathan Zohar, Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology - Excavation and Analysis of an Endangered Prehistoric Native American Site
Luc Renaux, senior (class of 2016), started project summer of 2014
Mentor: Ms. Stephanie Sperling, Lost Towns Project (Anne Arundel County) - Applications of a Self-Sufficient Farm Model in Urban Food Deserts
Harry Huntley, senior (class of 2016), started project summer of 2014
Mentor: David Nelson, Ingenuity Project - Dispersing Oil Spills: Impact of Droplets on a Floating Oil Layer
Lambert Aryee, graduated 2014 (did work in summer 2014-15)
Mentor: Dr. David Murphy, JHU Department of Mechanical Engineering
The second practicum is a Poly practicum available to all Poly students for placement during their senior year. Attached are xxx??
Women Serious About Science Speaker Series
The Women Serious about Science Speaker Series is a spectacular lineup of female presenters from various scientific backgrounds open to students during their lunch periods. The talks have been offered for a decade. One recent speaker included Dr. Dennice Gayme with the Johns Hopkins in mechanical engineering. She gave a presentation on how physics could be applied to wind turbines and wind farms to generate cleaner energy. About 40 students from all grades attended the talk, given during two of the lunch periods at Poly. Many other speakers have had sustainable topics but have not been documented.