Responsible Reservoirs
Introduction
Decisions about the environment are never easy. There are many factors involved that offer benefits and drawbacks. For example, although riding public transportation is beneficial to the environment, it can be inconvenient and costly.
In this activity, you’ll play a game that shows this complicated cause and effect relationship in action. You’ll use decomposition to see what happens to two towns, one that has a hydroelectric dam and one that does not. By the end of the game, you’ll have to make a decision for yourself. Dam or no dam?
Materials
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Pencil or pen
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Game Score (page 4 of the PDF guide), to keep track of events/data
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Scenario cards (page 5 of the PDF guide)
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Tokens (these can be anything: beans, coins, paper clips, etc.)
Subject
Environmental Science
Ages
10+
Time
20+ minutes
Key Concepts
Computational thinking, decomposition, cause and effect, human and environment interaction, hydroelectric power
Want a challenge?
JUMP IN!
Practice making if/then statements about the weather to show how cause and effect work.
Want a challenge?
REWARDING & FLEXIBLE
Play the Responsible Reservoirs Game and use the decomposition skill from computational thinking to take a stance on hydroelectric dams.
Want a challenge?
DESIGN CHALLENGES AHEAD!
Recreate Responsible Reservoirs using Scratch!
If you think this looks fun, wait ‘til you try these!
