Since the dawn of time, civilizations have attempted to conquer nature to meet their needs. Novels like The Old Man and the Sea, Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe are filled with classic tales of man at odds with nature. Today, however, engineers are designing more eco-friendly and sustainable inventions that show humans working in conjunction with nature. Innovative systems like dams generate electricity and prevent flooding. Zapping robots transport invasive species like the lionfish to habitats where they will be less of a threat.

In this lesson plan, students will learn how farm animals are serving as ecosystem engineers to improve the output of solar energy farms. Then they will design their own invention to improve an environmental problem using an eco-based solution.

Overview: Students will research how people are working alongside animals and nature to solve environmental issues, such as pollution, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, soil contamination and more. Using the invention process, students will propose a new eco-based solution in which animals performing their natural or enhanced roles help humans to better manage environmental issues.

Rebecca Brewer teaches Advanced Placement and ninth-grade biology at Troy High School in southeastern Michigan. As an enthusiastic educator with more than 19 years of experience, Rebecca hopes her constructivist approach to instruction—which emphasizes student-led learning—inspires a passion for biological concepts. Outside of school, Rebecca co-authored a high school biology textbook called Biology Now, works for a biotechnology company training teachers on their kits and equipment and creates educational digital resources for Science Friday. She is also the director of Michigan’s Outstanding Biology Teacher Award program, and a former honoree. In 2011, Rebecca won her classroom $27,000 as the top recipient of the ING Unsung Hero Award, and in 2007, she was a named a member of USA Today’s All-USA Teacher Team, which recognizes the top 20 educators in the U.S. You can reach Rebecca on Twitter @brewerbiology.

Access the original lesson by PBS NewsHour Extra here.