Unit Guide

Hydraulic Fracturing Our Nation

Suzanne Cline

This is a 15 day curriculum unit about hydraulic fracking and is designed for 5th grade students. The goal is to provide students with a clear understanding of what fracking is, why it is controversial and how it might impact them now and in the future. The lessons will center on independent and group research, map analysis and a variety of hands-on activities. A variety of resources will be made available so the students can experience biased and non-biased articles on fracking. Throughout the unit, students will be given opportunities to lead discussions and foster debates. Through role-playing, students will examine how fracking impacts various members of a community. By the end of the unit, students will have encompassed a deeper knowledge about the process of fracking. In addition, they will have thought more critically about the environment, the economy, energy resources, and community and how they play a part in all of it.