Synopsis:  This investigation is divided into two parts and takes two class periods to complete.  In Part 1, students develop a personal and societal risk management strategy to reduce the level of risk posed by carrying heavy backpacks.  In Part 2, students continue to develop and refine their societal risk management strategy, critique their strategies in terms of their considerations for judging the acceptability of a risk, and send their strategy to appropriate stakeholders.

All students will develop problem-solving, decision-making, and inquiry skills, reflected by formulating usable questions and hypotheses, planning experiments, conducting systematic observations, interpreting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating results.

All students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

All students will use health-enhancing personal, interpersonal, and life skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

All students will understand and apply the knowledge of sounds, letters, and words in written English to become independent and fluent readers, and will read a variety of materials and texts with fluency and comprehension.

All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

All students will speak in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

All students will listen actively to information from a variety of sources in a variety of situations.

All students will access, view, evaluate, and respond to print, nonprint, and electronic texts and resources.

All students will demonstrate critical life skills in order to be functional members of society.