Embedded Files
This page showcases the work of OUSD teachers and students. You will find short blurbs as well as resources and examples about classroom teaching and learning that uplifts environmental literacy and climate actions.
The Waters of the Town
The Waters of the Town
The sixth grade class at Life Academy for Health and Biosciences wanted to learn more about biodiversity here in Oakland! They generated a list of popular aquatic locations in or near East Oakland including: (1) Peralta Creek at Hacienda Peralta, (2) Sausal Creek at Dimond, (3) Lake Chabot, (4) Lake Merritt, and (5) filtered water from our school's water fountain. Then they partnered up with Clarissa Bhargava, a PhD student at UC Berkeley, to get an up close look at the Oakland's microbiome. To document this journey, Patrick Messac - 6th grade science teacher at Life Academy - created a video of Oakland's biodiversity called The Waters of the Town.
Want to learn more? Connect with Patrick, 6th Grade Teacher at Life Academy - patrick.messac@ousd.org
Fern Uennatornwaranggoon, the author of the research piece that inspired the students' project, said of the students, "I am so grateful for their activism. 6th Grade and they're confronting such a big challenge and using their voice incredibly effectively! I love the message around self-empowerment...It's inspiring and something I didn't realize I needed to hear as a long-time advocate in the environmental field where sometimes you can feel deflated thinking about the progress one person can make. I also appreciated that they listed a number of very actionable measures policy makers and others can take (increase electric vehicle use, air filters in schools). The podcast is impassioned, data-driven and ends with a practical call for actions-- it's the kind of testimonies I often hear at public hearing. They're natural advocates and it makes me incredibly hopeful about the future knowing they'll become leaders one day (they already are, in fact!)
Advocating for Clean Air
Advocating for Clean Air
After reading about environmental racism of Oakland's highways as part their FOSS Weather and Water Unit, sixth graders students wrote letters to elected representatives advocating for cleaner air. Some students volunteered to read their letter aloud and then the class spliced their words together and added some music created by our sixth graders to create a podcast/song. It was entered into NPR's National Middle School Podcast Competition and shared with the Mayor's office, City Council, CalTrans and more.
Want to learn more? Connect with Patrick, 6th Grade Teacher at Life Academy - patrick.messac@ousd.org
Wildfire Mitigation Project
Wildfire Mitigation Project
Sixth Graders at Greenleaf studied wildfires and came up with mitigation strategies as a cumulative project for their Weather & Water FOSS Module. Guided by a thoughtful template, student teams conducted research, focused in on a specific problem that wildfires cause in order to develop a solution, and presented and defended their strategies to a panel of experts. Check one team's work on the right.
Want to learn more? Connect with Josh, 6th Grade Teacher at Greenleaf - joshua.eusterbrock@ousd.org
Big Al's Adventure.MOVGreen Ninja Film Festival
Green Ninja Film Festival
For the last few years, Hillcrest Middle Schoolers, have participated in the Green Ninja Film Festival. They even made films during pandemic school closures, like the video to the left: Big Al's Adventure). Check out more of these student films:
Want to learn more? Go to the 2019 Green Ninja Film Festival webpage or connect with Noah Canton, Hillcrest's Middle School Science Teacher - noah.canton@ousd.org
Science & Arts Integration
Science & Arts Integration
Fourth Graders at Peralta developed a play to educate the community about the San Francisco Bay Wetlands and environmental issues faced by the wetland ecosystem.
Want to learn more? Connect with Ana Thomas, 4th Grade Teacher at Peralta - ana.thomas@ousd.org
Letter Writing Campaign
Letter Writing Campaign
Sequoia students participated in an Earth Day letter-writing campaign, writing letters to OUSD District Leadership and School Board Members. The students are clear about how they feel about the climate emergency, what they want to know more about, what they see as possible solutions and their desire for our schools to do better. Check out all of the student letters.
Want to learn more? Connect with Laura parent at Sequoia - laraclayman@gmail.com
Page updated
Report abuse