Embedded Files
Whole School Curriculum Overview- Units in Elementary Grades that show Environmental Learning have been highlighted.
PreKindergarten - Education for Responsibility October 2016 - 23 students
PreKindergarten - Education for Responsibility October 2016 - 23 students
Grade Pre-K
Grade Pre-K
Unit/Title of Lesson: ReLove
Date: January 2017
Grade: Pre-K - all students
Description:
Students developed an understanding of caring for all animals’ great and small by watching a PowerPoint presentation and engaging in conversations.
Students developed an understanding of how not taking care of our Earth impacts all living things by watching a PowerPoint presentation, engaging in conversations, and telling/writing about the impact of water pollution on animals.
Evidence:
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Trash in the Park and the Power of Me
Trash in the Park and the Power of Me
Mr. V's Kindergarten class - 23 students January 3 2017
Vaupel PPPCS Lesson Plan
Trash/Litter In the Park & The Power of Me
Teacher: Vaupel
Date: 1/3/2017
Subject area/topic/grade level: Kindergarten – Trash/Litter in the Park & The Power of Me
Standards:
Maryland State Standards for Kindergarten for Science, which can be obtained here.
Science:
Standard 2.0 Earth/Space Science
A. MATERIALS AND PROCESSES THAT SHAPE A PLANET
1. Investigate objects and materials in the environment.
OBJECTIVES
1. Observe and describe a variety of natural and human-made objects found in familiar environments (school, neighborhood, etc.).
2. Examine and describe Earth materials. (1) rocks (2) soil (3) water
3. Using examples, describe that objects and materials, such as trees, rocks, and hills on Earth's surface can change.
Common Core Standards – English Language Arts
Writing here
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.5: With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.6: With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Speaking and Listening here
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.B: Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, & ideas clearly.
Lesson objective(s): SWBAT explain :
- Why trash is bad for the environment (plants and animals);
- What trash is, where it belongs, and how to safely pick up trash;
- Apply the “power of me” concept to trash.
Materials: Poster paper, markers, pencils, writing paper, crayons/markers
Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:
- Book on trash and recycling (visual and verbal)
- We will both write and draw about what we saw in the park (trash)
- I will ask students what the Spanish word is for trash and trash items
- I will be questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy (from easier to more challenging).
- We are going on a walking field trip to our local park.
- I’ll bring vocabulary cards with me on our trip to the park (to help ESOL students) and also use some Spanish as well (i.e., basura = trash)
OUTLINE OF LESSON
7 MIN: Drawing Students In:
· Walking outside
· Pretending a piece of trash is an animal (using humor)
5 MIN: Talking about what we saw
· What did you see?
· How did you know it was not an animal?
· Does anyone have any comments, questions, or connections?
· Tell students its time to leave. Do students tell me to pick up the trash? (Provide wait time.)
15 MIN: Trash walk
· Continue walk in park
· Identify items that are trash and not trash. Take pictures of trash.
· Talk about how to safely pick up trash (OR NOT PICK IT UP!).
5 MIN: Poster chart
· What did we see
· Why are these things bad for the environment (plants, animals)
10 MIN: Community circle
· Let’s review what we did and what we saw
· Open the floor for questions, comments, or connections.
5 MIN: Turn and talk about what we will write about (Trash)
· I will call on several students to share what they will write.
15 MIN: Time to write about trash
· At tables
3 Min - Brain Break (Go Noodle to get bodies moving)
10 MIN: Closing circle
· Have class answer question: did we meet our objective?
· Call on students to share their writing/drawing and take comments, questions, or connections from other students.
· If necessary, prompt students with “Well, it’s too bad there’s nothing we can do...”
· OUSTANDING QUESTION: will students come up with the idea of picking up trash as a class on their own, or will they need prompting?
o Reference “The Power of Me” – i.e. – get them thinking about what they can do to make good choices and help solve the problem.
ENGAGEMENT
How will I draw students in? I will act like an explorer (in the past, I have pointed out animals in the park, nests, and bee hives. I’ll tell them I see a wild animal – when – in fact it’s a piece of trash. My students like the opportunity to “correct me” or tell me “how things really are.”
EXPLORATION
What hands-on/minds-on activities will the students do?
· Initially, a nature walk. Then, a trash walk.
· Community circle (talking/listening), writing, and drawing are the main activities for this lesson.
· I am hoping that there will be a student-driven extension activity that has to do with trash clean up.
What are the “big idea” conceptual questions the teacher will use to encourage and/or focus students’ exploration?
· Thinking about man-made vs. naturally occurring objects
· Attributes of trash/not trash
· The “Power of Me” – driving home that students can make a difference in the presence of trash in their community
· The positive impact they have on litter and trash also has a positive impact on the plants and animals in their community
· Students can engage in rigorous conversation about the litter/trash problem in their community
EXPLANATION
What higher order thinking questions will be used to solicit student explanations/answers and help them to justify their explanations/answers?
· Describe trash/litter. What is trash/litter?
· What can someone do if they see trash/litter?
· What is something you learned from our experience and conversation.
· Think about “The Power of Me” and trash – what does this make you think about?
· Is trash good or bad? Why?
Possible student questions or problem points:
· Students who say that even if they pick up trash, there will still be more.
· Students who want to pick up trash with their bare hands (a safety issue!)
ELABORATION
Prior Knowledge
· Prior nature walks in the park and other experiences (with trash/litter)
New Vocabulary: trash, litter, environment, ecosystem, recycling, safety first (they should know this)
How can this be applied in our daily lives?
- Where (else) do you see trash/litter?
- What happens to trash?
- The “Power of Me” and trash (what can students and their families do?).
- How can we reduce our trash?
EVALUATION
How will students demonstrate that they have achieved the lesson objective?
1. Students can state how to safely pick up trash.
2. Students can state why trash is bad for the environment (plants and animals).
3. Students can identify ways they can have a positive impact on trash/litter in their community.
Grade One
Grade One
Unit/Title of Lesson: Astronomy/Earth's Tilt & Our Environment
Date: October 2016
Grade: 1 - all students
Description:
As part of the Astronomy Unit, students did an extension activity from the Project Learning Tree curriculum where they went into the park, collected leaves, analyzed their attributes, sorted, and graphed them. We also looked underneath trees for signs of old leaves, crushed acorns, etc. to see signs of fall and how the earth's tilt effects our environment.
Evidence:
Grade Two
Grade Two
Unit/Title of Lesson: Habitats/Layers of a Rain forest
Date: November 2016
Grade: 2 - all students
Description:
Students researched and described the differences between each of the four levels of a rain forest ecosystem. They created a model from what they learned.
Evidence:
Grade Two
Grade Two
Unit/Title of Lesson: Habitats/Layers of a Rain forest
Date: November 2016
Grade: 2 - all students
Description:
Students researched, described and created the layers of the ocean.
Evidence:
Grade Three
Grade Three
Unit/Title of Lesson: Watershed Moments
Date: February 2017
Grade: 3 - all students
Description:
Students partnered with the National Aquarium to learn about our watersheds.
Evidence:
WatershedMoments_EdBooklet-1 (1).pdfGrade Four
Grade Four
Environmental Instruction Embedded in Existing Curriculum
Environmental Instruction Embedded in Existing Curriculum
Here at PPPCS, we teach thematic, hands-on interdisciplinary units. Many of our units include environmental education that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards for grades K-8. Below, you can see examples of some of our lesson plans that highlight environmental education.
Unit/Title of Lesson: Human Impact on the Environment and Resources/Renewable Energy
Date: May 2016
Grade: 4 - all students
Description: Students researched energy resources using a variety of sources. Students debated the pros and cons of renewable vs. nonrenewable resources. They also created posters illustrating the pros and cons of each type of resources.
Evidence:
Unit/Title of Lesson: Human Impact on the Environment and Resources/Fossil Fuels
Date: April 2016
Grade: 4 - All students
Description: Students learned how fossil fuels are made by creating a model. Students discussed sustainability of these resources. Students also explored how surface mining affects the land and animal habitats.
Evidence:
Extra Curricular Environmental Instruction through Green Team
Topic/Title of Lesson: Chesapeake Bay Conservation/ Oysters!
Date: February 2017
Grade: 4 - all students
Description: Students learned about oysters and their importance to the Chesapeake Bay. We then wrote postcards to Secretary Belton sharing the importance of continuing to fund research and development for Oyster Conservation.
Evidence:
Grade Five
Grade Five
Unit/Title of Lesson: Chesapeake Bay Watershed/Turbidity
Date: November 2016
Grade: 5 - all students
Description: In this lesson students were introduced to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and several factors that impact the health of this ecosystem. Special attention was placed on the link between soil erosion and levels of turbidity seen in the bay. At the end of the lesson students were given a fictional situation in which they were asked to work as a group to advocate for the health and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay. Students created models and posters to demonstrate their mastery of the lesson objectives.
Evidence:
Grade 6
Grade 6
Unit/Title of Lesson: Argumentative Global Warming Module
Date: February 2017
Grade: 6 - all students
Description: In this lesson students were tasks to understand if the actions of humans cause global warming. After reading informational texts on global warming, students wrote an essay that argues the causes, whether natural or manmade, and explains the effects of global warming.
Evidence:
Grade 7
Grade 7
Title of Lesson: To What Kingdom does it belong?
Date: March 2017
Grade: 7
Description: Students will encounter the different
types of life in the Patterson Park pond
and describe there role in the ecosystem
by collecting pond water samples and
observing them with hand lenses and
microscopes.
Evidence:
Grade 7
Grade 7
Title of Lesson: Owl Pellet Dissection
Date: September 2016
Grade:7
Description: Students dissected owl pellets to learn about the ecosystem in which the owl lives. By analyzing the pellets, students learned what animals live in the area and can create a food web.
Evidence:
Grade 7
Grade 7
Title of Lesson: To What Kingdom does it belong?
Date: September 2016
Grade: 8
Description: Students took an investigative walk through Patterson Park to identify the living things that they saw. They then identified the kingdom to which each is placed and cited evidence that they used to assign the kingdom.
Evidence:
Grade 8
Grade 8
Title of Lesson: Sustainable City
Date: February 2017
Grade: 8
Description:
Students will redesign a city so that it will acquire water, obtain energy, treat wastes, and transport people/goods in a sustainable way. The city must accomplish the goals without running out of anything or polluting the environment.
Evidence:
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