Oklahoma Science EN.ESS3.4

ScienceGrades 9–12Earth and Human Activities

The Standard

Evaluate design solutions for a major global or local environmental problem that reduces or stabilizes the impacts of human activities on natural systems.*

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (2026)

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students compare ways to reduce a large environmental problem, such as polluted stormwater entering a river. They use evidence to judge how well each design limits harm, along with its cost and upkeep.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student compares at least two designs using runoff data and a stated budget. They defend a choice, explain a tradeoff, and name something the data cannot tell them.
Common Misconceptions: Students may pick the cheapest design without checking whether it reduces harm. They may assume a small model proves a fix will work across a watershed, or mistake sending runoff elsewhere for solving the problem.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A rain garden cuts runoff from 100 L to 40 L and costs $2,000. Permeable pavement cuts it to 25 L and costs $8,000. With a $5,000 budget, choose a design and explain one remaining concern for the river.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Pour 200 mL of water over two sloped soil trays, one bare and one mulched, then compare runoff volume and cloudiness.
Ask: Should a town pay more for permeable pavement than a rain garden? Defend your answer with runoff data and one tradeoff.
Pairs rank runoff fixes using cards: rain garden (40 L, $2,000), pavement (25 L, $8,000), filter (60 L, $1,000).
Walk the school lot, mark storm drains on a sketch, and propose a location for a rain garden.

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