CONTENT OBJECTIVES (aligned to science standards)
Students will be able to use the Life Cycle and Risk Assessments to critically analyze the impacts of rare earth elements on the environment and living organisms. This objective addresses the ETS1-1 Engineering Design standard that asks students to analyze a major global challenge and specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants. Employing the inventory analysis and impact assessment components of the LCA will provide a more complete understanding of the total ecological footprint of technologies and applications that employ rare earth metals. This addresses standard HS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design that asks students to create a simulation that models the impact of proposed solutions to complex real-world problem. In terms of the chemistry curriculum, the analysis of the various reaction pathways that refine REE ores will extend my student’s understanding of the chemistry of minerals, chemical reactions, and catalysts. Given that many of the properties of REEs are the result of their electron configurations students will engage in various inquiry activities that will analyze the configurations, ionic properties, oxidation states of rare earth elements. These two objectives address the common core standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9 that asks student to synthesize information from a range of sources to create a coherent understanding of a phenomena or concept.
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