Strategies
The first strategy is to bring my students to an understanding that our backyards, our city, our state, our country and our earth is comprised of many different life forms that are highly interdependent. Through the introduction of environmental issues, ecology, ecosystems, food chains, food webs and interactions of organisms (including humans) we will explore systems to gain an understanding of the interconnectivity in the world in which we live.
The second strategy is to help my students understand the plight of endangered species and to gain a perspective on human activities that continue to impact endangered animals and threaten our global environment. To accomplish this, the students will work in groups to research selected or self-selected animals from the endangered species list. I have pre-selected six animals but some students might choose to do an independent study and choose another animal from the list.
All animals were selected because they are found in North Carolina. Three animals are currently listed on North Carolinas Endangered Species List. They are Red Wolf, Manatee and Eastern Cougar (puma). The Leatherback Sea Turtle is listed as threatened. The Bald Eagle and American Alligator were once listed and now are downlisted from the endangered list. These animals were selected because they are found within our state and they come from different classifications of the Endangered Species Act.
The class will be divided into six cooperative learning groups with each group being responsible to study in depth their particular animal and the animals' habitat. Students will use computers, books, articles, and video clips to learn about their animal. They will discuss their finding within their cooperative learning group. Students will individually create a Science Journal to record information, write creative stories, draw diagrams and pictures and record their reflections throughout the unit. Students will individually design a food chain incorporating their animal, and then share their food chain with their small groups, combining the chains to create a food web. Students will create a presentation (poster, transparencies, chart, power point) showing their animal and how it interacts with other animals in the food web. Each group of students will have the opportunity to share the information with their classmates.
Another strategy I will use is the use of simulation games. I will start by roping off a small portion of my room simulating encroachment. Each day I will increase the size of the roped off section until half of the room is off limits. We will discuss how it feels to only be able to use half of our classroom habitat. As a group we will discuss our feelings and then the students will reflect on the situation in their science journals. Through simulation games I want my students to become aware that human populations will grow and with that growth we will demand more land. The outcome of this growth is a threat to the habitats of animals and many other organisms.
During the course of this unit I will use hands on, minds engaged activities. One activity that the students will do in groups of four is an experiment where they will test different pollutants on water plants and record the outcome. Each group of students will receive five cups and five Elodea plants. They will label one cup the "control cup" and fill it with clean water and a plant. For each of the other cups they will select a specific pollutant, and place a fourth of a cup of that pollutant into the water then add the plant, carefully labeling each cup for clear identification. I will have a variety of pollutants for them to select from such as vegetable oil, motor oil, vinegar, salt, brown sugar, baking soda, pieces of plastic bag and peelings from fruit. I will then discuss both the import and vital role water plays in an ecosystem for all organisms and how human actions have polluted the water. Acid rain, oil from cars, boats or spills, plastics floating in the water and salt from roads can all be discussed as the students make their predictions prior to their daily observations.
Another strategy I will use is a science center. The science center will contain books and articles on endangered animals, environmental issues, and ecology. I will also set up a demonstration experiment that will last for the duration of the unit. As a group we will discuss products that generate trash and I will ask each student to bring in a small piece of trash. I will place my 20 gallon aquarium in the center and fill it partially with soil. I will make a grid in the dirt and make a corresponding grid on a piece of paper with the name or description of each piece of the trash (making sure that someone brings plastics, a leaf, cardboard and styrofoam). When each student has placed their trash in the dirt grid I will cover all the trash with another layer of soil. We will keep the soil moist and make a class decision if we should add worms and mealworms to the soil. Students will be asked to recreate the grid in their journals and predict what they think will happen to the various pieces of trash.
After several weeks the students will dig up the trash, observe the results and write about the experiment in their journals. As a class we will discuss some various types of trash that are naturally recycled by nature, such as leaves, banana peals, and most paper. These materials are considered biodegradable due to the fact that nature can break them down and naturally recycle them. Students will compare the biodegradable materials with the non-biodegradable materials and discuss what happens to the materials that do not break down.
Through all of these strategies it is imperative that the students understand that their actions and voices can make a difference. I want my students to know that they can be a change agent and partner to keep endangered species from becoming extinct. I want them to know that as leaders in our school they can influence other students to become good stewards of our earth and become aware of simple changes they can personally make to recycle and reduce our contribution to pollution.
As a culminating activity each group will create/participate in at least two projects that promote awareness, support or directly effect endangered animals. Students will form self-selected groups of no more than three. Each group will then brainstorm ways in which they can inform and raise awareness of the human impact on our environment which leads to the reduction and damage of habitats. They will use their journals to review the lessons they have learned to help them pinpoint what the message is that they would like to share. They will also select an audience to share the message with (Kindergarten class, whole school, parents.) Students will then create a project (play, poster, power point, commercial, pamphlet, radio interview, rap, ect) and share their project with the audience they have selected.
The second project will be a self-selected action based project. The purpose of this project is for me to empower by students to take action and for the students to see themselves as having the ability to be agents of change. I want them to see that students in elementary school can make a difference in their own world.
For this project students will select from many options or develop their own "agent of change" project. Students might want to "adopt" an endangered bird of prey from our local Raptor Center where they can join in an organized program to save endangered species sponsored by our North Carolina Science Center. They can launch a petition to use real dinner plates instead of paper plates in our cafeteria, or encourage students to cut their consumption of paper towels every time they go to the restroom. They could train an "energy monitor" for each classroom who would be responsible for making sure lights were turned off when the class leaves the room. These are just a few examples of the projects the students might want to do in order to change their world!
Comments: