During the institute, science teachers and teacher educators supported each other in developing curricular units for high school science that support students in exploring relevant social justice issues in their communities.

This social justice science unit connects stoichiometry to local agrarian practices that utilize stoichiometry. Each day’s lesson is connected to one of two learning targets for the unit, and includes a brief description of the activities for the day. Links to activities are included throughout the unit, as well as a specific learning goal for each day’s activity. Individuals using this document should view it as an example of how social justice can be integrated into a science unit by incorporating opportunities for students to consider the local usages, and political implications of, stoichiometry. While the unit culminates in a formal assessment, the social justice component is centered explicitly through the inclusion of recipes that are meaningful to each student (Days 2/3), as well as through explicit investigations into local practices (Days 10/11).

If you teach in a location where farming is not central to the local economy, consider other ways to connect this issue to your community. For example:

• Research your regional or state economy, including both farming and fishing. Which agricultural products are important to your state economy, and where are those agricultural regions located? Which bodies of water are important to your state’s or region’s fishing industry?
• Identify where farms are located in your watershed, and which local bodies of water are impacted by fertilizer runoff from distant farms.

Food, Fertilizers and Chemistry_ A Social Justice Unit_Knowles Teacher Initiative

Unit Authors: Nicole Hefty, Knowles Teaching Fellow, Matt Adams, Assistant Professor, National Louis University, Kate Miller, Knowles Senior Fellow, & Sinéad Brien, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina Upstate