A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 3 of 4: A Problem in the Greenhouse
by Ellen Miller
This lesson is PART 3 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember” is a dystopian novel by Jeanne DuPrau that explores themes of self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, and the consequences of relying on unsustainable systems. The story is set in a city where the infrastructure is failing, leading to a potential blackout and loss of essential resources. In Lesson 3, A Problem in the Greenhouse, students will design, build, and program a climate-control system for a greenhouse. This is an open-ended project, which means it is up to students to decide how their greenhouse system operates.