Make a Difference
How can one child make a difference in the enviornment?
The Big Questions
Essential: How can one child make a difference in the environment?
Driving: Why is conservation important and how does it keep the Earth clean and protected for future generations?
Driving: How can we help Daphne Elementary and the surrounding community by raising awareness about recycling and conservation?
College and Career Ready Standards
Health
5. Describe ways to save energy, water, and other resources.
Science
9. Identify ways to conserve Earth’s resources
10. Describe uses of recycled materials
Social Studies
9. Differentiate between natural resources and human-made products.
- Listing ways to protect our natural resources
Proposed Timeline: March 2-April 22 (Earth Day)
Background Knowledge
Writing skill: Poster
Pre-teaching: Mister Bones - treasures from the Earth.
March 2-6
Read: Non-fiction about natural/man-made resources (suggestion: Limited Resources http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/limited-resources-2/ ) and list ways to conserve resources.
Questions: http://www.seussville.com/activities/Lorax14_EarthDayEduKit_Bklt_WEB.pdf
Writing: If I were the Lorax this is how I would help the Earth....
Assessment: Did the student identify 2-3 ways to conserve Earth's resources? (Standard 9)
March 9-13
Social Studies #9 - Differentiate between natural resources and human-made products.
- Listing ways to protect our natural resources
Common Activities
- Online Sorts
Natural vs Man-made
Interactive Venn (click 'Materials 2' then 'Activity 3' - Dots Activity - Place one color dot on things in the room that are natural resources. Place another color dot on things in the room that are man-made.
- Cut pictures from magazines and sort them under natural and man-made (or renewable and non-renewable)
Images to download/print/sort
Close Read
Assessment
Teacher observation - Successful completion of close read questions and natural resources sorts.
March 14-18
Focus Standards
Health #5 - Describe ways to save energy, water, and other resources.
Science #10 - Describe uses of recycled materials
Science #9 (bullet point) - Listing ways to protect our natural resources
Common Activity
PEAK Online Course - Leave No Trace - https://lnt.org/teach/peak/peakonline
Assign Recycled Materials Project - Students will use recycled materials at home to create something new. Suggestions include new purposes for old items (milk jug bird feeder), musical instruments, craft/art, or something to wear.
Close Reads (May be divided over this week and the following week)
- Certificate completion online quiz with Peak course
- TIME for Kids Problem/Solution sheet
- Answers to the reading passage(s)
- Teacher observation of understanding
March 23-27
21st Century Skills - Communication, Collaboration, Creativity
Teacher Focus - Voice and Choice
Common Activities
- Student Group Project - Students will use their new knowledge to decide how to best answer the driving question "How can we help Daphne Elementary and the surrounding community by raising awareness about recycling and conservation?" Projects will be developed with teacher assistance, but voice and choice will be given to the groups.
- Students will review the Teamwork Rubric and understand their role in the group. Students will understand they are responsible for self and peer evaluation.
Close Reads (May be divided over this week and the following week)
Maria Recycles
Assessment
- Answers to reading passage(s)
- Teacher observation of understanding
- Self and Peer assessment in PBL (rubrics)
- Final evaluation of group projects/presentation (rubric to be determined)
March 30- April 17 (Includes Spring Break)
Show - National Geographic Kids - Mission Animal Rescue - To give kids ideas about projects students have created to help animals. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/videos/
Culminating Project
Suggestion of projects include:
- Create and hang posters in the school or community
- Publish a video to inform others about resources in Daphne
- Label and draw attention to recycling areas in the school and community
- Write letters to area leaders sharing the importance of ecology
Proposed finish before April 17 to be displayed / shown for Earth Day April 22.
Displays in the library with a project card to describe the project.
Assessment
- Teacher Assessment of Collaboration
- Rubric for students: give checklist ahead of time, let them check off as they work, and then review at the end
- Peer evaluation: show ahead of time, let group members
Resources and Additional Activities
EPA.gov
Kids Recycling Zone
Kids Science Challenge
EekoWorld
Recycling Fun Facts - LOTS in a pdf
Virtual Forest Conservation Game
Earth's Natural Resources Unit (pdf)
Short Videos on Pollution, Oil Spills, Etc
Compost Game
Once resources are destroyed, can you undo it? http://gironlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/experiment-can-you-undo-water-pollution.html
Feather Oil Experiment: http://projectbeak.org/teacher/pdf/adaptations_feathers_oil_and_feathers.pdf
Sid the Science Kid - Going, Going, Green
Education Quests with EPA
Landfill Virtual Field Trip YouTube
Landfill Virtual Field Trip YouTube
The Environauts Mission to Earth
Grades: 2-5
Help! The planet Ergon is filling up with trash and they need some help.....fast! Can you teach the people of Ergon to protect their environment? I bet you can!
Recycle City
Grades: 2-6
Explore Recycle City to see how the people of the town reduce waste, use less energy, and even save money by doing simple things at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods.
Sort Mania
Grades: 2-6
This interactive game teaches you how to recycle.
The Groundwater Story
Grades: 1-3
Animated music video about the water "down below", its importance to living things and how to help protect this hidden resource.
Renewable and Nonrenewable materials (w/The Lorax)
Magic School Bus Gets Recycled