Gowanus Blue Schools Design Challenge – Going Virtual For 2020

This spring is looking a lot different than they have in the past! Students from M.S. 88, M.S. 447 and Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies are taking on a design challenge with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy to develop green infrastructure design concepts for their school campuses. This spring students will take on the challenge online! Students will build digital 3D models and get virtual feedback on their projects from designers along the way. At the end of the school year they will present their proposals to a panel of NYC design and sustainability professionals and receive school awards.

The Gowanus Blue Schools green infrastructure design curriculum is available free to any educator. To receive the curriculum, please fill out this quick survey.

This curriculum includes the following 10 missions:

  1. Site Analysis
  2. Stormwater Analysis
  3. Analyze + Brainstorm
  4. Define your Program
  5. Schematic Design
  6. Design Development
  7. Improve Your Design
  8. Design Refinement
  9. Final Design
  10. Get Ready To Present  

Watch the video to learn more!

 

STEM Gowanus Curriculum

(Grades 5-8)

The Gowanus Canal has captivated people for more than 400 years, from its salt marsh era to a polluted industrial waterway that today is undergoing revitalization. The STEM Gowanus Curriculum is available for for free download for educators who wish to engage students in grades 5-8 with the Gowanus Canal’s complex and fascinating urban ecology. This curriculum was created by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and the Urban Memory Project.

To access this free curriculum, please fill out this quick survey.

All curriculum units utilize a place-based focus on the Gowanus Canal & Watershed, with topics including:

  1. History & Geography
  2. Watershed & Sewershed
  3. Climate Change
  4. Water Quality
  5. Soil Quality
  6. Flora & Fauna
  7. Site Design

Curriculum Package

– Pre, Post and Field Lessons, background text, maps and worksheets for each unit
– Integrates Science, ELA, Math and Social Studies
– Aligned with Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
– Adaptable for grades 5-8
– Uses the design process, project-based learning and is solutions-oriented

Access to Curriculum

To access the free curriculum, please fill out a survey.

Questions

For more information, please contact education@gowanuscanalconservancy.org

Partners and Sponsors

AECOM
Con Edison
National Grid
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
PepsiCo Foundation
Urban Memory Project