Original PromptI need a design challenge for my Botany students to solve on Human impact. They just finished a unit building their own gardens. ESS3-4 Design solutions that reduce human impact on Earth's systems is the standard. I want them to follow the design thinking process. They need to be given a prompt to solve. I want it to impact our Central Washington (Columbia Basin).
This learning resource is designed for students to engage in a design challenge aimed at improving the sustainability of soil health and irrigation practices in the Columbia Basin. The objective is to develop a solution that mitigates negative impacts on these vital resources through the five stages of the design thinking process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Students will investigate the challenges posed by current irrigation methods, particularly soil salinization and erosion, and will work collaboratively to identify stakeholders and construct a problem statement. They will brainstorm multiple innovative solutions, evaluate their ecological strengths and practical trade-offs, and develop prototypes that are visually annotated to explain how they address environmental impacts. Finally, students will conduct simulations to test their designs and consider scalability for broader application across the region.