The document describes research on developing learning progressions to support K-12 students' environmental literacy. It discusses conceptual frameworks focusing on scientific practices, principles, and processes in systems. It analyzes data from student assessments to identify patterns in understanding of topics like water and carbon cycling. Key findings include increasing student awareness over time but lack of understanding of invisible system components and constraints on processes.

1. LEARNING PROGRESSIONS TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY Charles W. Anderson, Beth Covitt, Kristin Gunckel, Lindsey Mohan, In-Young Cho, Hui Jin, Christopher D. Wilson, John Lockhart, Ajay Sharma, Blakely Tsurusaki, Jim Gallagher MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Environmental Literacy Research Group

3. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY LEARNING PROGRESSION Practices Principles Processes in systems MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Environmental Literacy Research Group

7. A K-12 LEARNING PROGRESSION TO SUPPORT UNDERSTANDING OF WATER IN THE ENVIRONMENT Beth Covitt & Kristin Gunckel CCMS Knowledge Sharing Institute July 10, 2006 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Environmental Literacy Research Group

11. GROUNDWATER Draw a picture or explain what it looks like underground where there is water.

12. GROUNDWATER Draw a picture or explain what it looks like underground where there is water. Example from High School

13. LANDFILL CONTAMINATION Can a landfill (garbage dump) cause water pollution in a well?

14. LANDFILL CONTAMINATION How could a landfill contaminate a well?

16. DEVELOPING A CARBON CYCLE LEARNING PROGRESSION FOR K-12 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Environmental Literacy Research Group

21. BURNING MATCH What happens to the wood of a match as the match burns? Why does the match lose weight as it burns? Environmental Literacy Research Group 20% 20% 10% Physical “visible” changes (turns to smaller pieces) 7.5% 47.5% 0% 15% 10% 0% Middle 30% 50% I don’t know or no response 17.5% 27.5% Matter disappears, evaporates, disintegrates 5% 0% Matter is transformed to energy 12.5% 12.5% Account for matter as visible products 5% 0% Match turns to gases, do not specify gases 10% 0% Account for matter (CO 2 and H 2 O) High Elem

23. LOSING WEIGHT A person on a diet lost 20 pounds. Some of his fat is gone. What happened to the mass of the fat? Environmental Literacy Research Group

25. PLANT GROWTH A small acorn grows into a large oak tree. Where do you think the plant’s increase in weight comes from? Environmental Literacy Research Group 32.5% 17.5% 10% Other or Unintelligible 5% 12.5% 17.5% 0% 25% 7.5% 15% 0% Middle 7.5% 25% I don’t know or no response 7.5% 7.5% Natural growth 5% 12.5% From the ground or roots 0% 2.5% Air 10% 15% H 2 O from roots 25% 12.5% From air, sun, water, minerals and/or soil 12.5% 15% From food or glucose 0% 0% CO 2 in air and H 2 O from roots High Elem

30. SLIDES AFTER THIS ARE FOR BACKUP IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS

33. WATERSHEDS If a water pollutant is put into river at town C, which towns will be affected?

34. OCEAN WATER Why can’t we use clean ocean water for drinking without treating it first?

35. OCEAN WATER How could you make ocean water drinkable?

36. THE HUMAN WATER SYSTEM Where does water come from before it gets to your house? And where does it go after?