FORMAL LESSON TWO
Purpose: The students will be informed about Earth Day and why it is celebrated. They will be introduced to problems involving air, water, and recycling as well as ways to improve the environment.
Vocabulary:
- conservation: to protect the remaining amount of something
- restoration: to bring back to a good condition
- preservation: to protect something from destruction or harm
Skills and Objectives: As a result of this lesson students will be able to…
- define the vocabulary terms
- identify problems involving air, water, and recycling in accordance with the environment
- propose pledges on how they will improve the environment
- reflect on their thoughts and findings
NYS Learning Standards:
English Language Arts
Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Speaking
-Ask questions
-Summarize, with assistance
-Describe a problem and suggest one or more solutions
-Speak loudly enough to be heard by the audience
Listening
-Acquire information and/or understand procedures
-Collect information
Reading
-Read and understand written directions
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 4: Science
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Technology
Standard 5: Computer Technology
-Key idea: Computers, as tools for design, modeling, information processing, communication, and system control, have greatly increased human productivity and knowledge.
Pre Assessment: As a class we will review the definitions of reduce, reuse, and recycle which have been learned prior in relation to Earth Day.
Set Induction: To begin, the teacher will introduce the new vocabulary terms- conservation, preservation, and restoration.
Procedure:
1.) Begin by calling the class by table to the meeting area with their science notebooks.
2.) The teacher will repeat the vocabulary words and read the definitions. The students will write the definitions in their notebooks.
3.) The class will have a short discussion about these words and why they are important for the upcoming Earth Day.
4.) The teacher will write the words and definitions on the Smartboard.
5.) The teacher will pass around a bag of strips with different information on them to set up the groups for centers. See bottom of lesson.
6.) The students will read their strip and choose which group (Air, Water, Recycling, or Reflection) is most fitting for their strip.
7.) The teacher will hand out a Problems and Pledges Book to each student.
8.) The teacher will send the students by center to their stations with their books.
9.) The air station will consist of different air pollutants and the students will write in their books what they think the problem at this station is and what we can do to fix the problem.
10.) The water station will consist of 3 bowls of water. One filled all the way representing the amount of undrinkable salt water on earth, one filled a quarter of the way representing the only fresh drinkable water on earth, and one filled about half way representing the water, on average, that humans waste. They are to make observations about the amount of water in each bowl and why the amounts are an issue. They will then have to write down their pledges about how they will improve the water situation.
11.) The recycling station will consist of a regular trashcan as well as a recycle bin. The teacher will place a mixture of garbage, paper, and recyclables mixed into the bins. The students will have to sort these out so that all the materials are in the right bins. The students will write in their books what the problem was when they arrived to the table and how they fixed it.
12.) The reflection station will be in the meeting area. Different questions to guide their thoughts will be taped to the floor. The students will sit in a circle around the questions and answer these questions in their books as a sort of reflection. See bottom of lesson for these questions.
13.) There are a total of 4 stations. The students will rotate every 8-10 minutes to the next center until each group has been to all 4 centers.
Closure: After the groups have finished, we will again meet in the meeting area. Here, we will wrap up by discussing what we have found at each station as well as our new pledges for Earth Day and how we will continue to help the environment by conserving, preserving, and restoring.
Materials:
- Pencils
- Science notebooks
- Can of aerosol hairspray
- Pictures of automobiles and nuclear plants
- 3 large bowls
- Trashcan/Recycle bin
- Problems and Pledges book
- Reflection questions
- Strips of information to group children into centers
Follow Up Activity: The students will use the space provided in their Problems and Pledges book to illustrate what they wrote in during the lesson. This will be done for homework.
Assessment: The teacher will assess the students as he or she walks around to observe and listen to each group of students.
Differentiation: This lesson is appropriate for students of all different learning styles. It allows for hands on activity to help interactive learners. It allows for visual learning as well as cooperative learning in groups so the students are able to help one another.
Resources:
- Smartboard
Questions for Group Selection: (each question needs to be multiplied and cut into strips)
1. I am a car. My engine fills the environment with dirty pollution.
2. I am a factory. I release tons of smoke that fills the environment with dirty pollution.
3. I threw my garbage in the lake. It is now polluted.
4. When I brush my teeth, I keep the water running while I brush.
5. I put my garbage in the recycling bin when I knew it was the wrong place for it.
6. I threw my plastic water bottle in the trashcan. Now it can’t be reused.
7. It is my turn to reflect on the environment.
Reflection Questions:
Imagine that you are in a beautiful place that you love…
1. What colors do you see?
2. What sounds do you hear?
3. Are there animals here?
4. Are there any trees or plants here?
5. How do you feel here?
6. What is it like?
7. What is the land like—Flat? Hilly?
8. How does the air feel—Cold? Hot? Is it clean?
Vocabulary:
- conservation: to protect the remaining amount of something
- restoration: to bring back to a good condition
- preservation: to protect something from destruction or harm
Skills and Objectives: As a result of this lesson students will be able to…
- define the vocabulary terms
- identify problems involving air, water, and recycling in accordance with the environment
- propose pledges on how they will improve the environment
- reflect on their thoughts and findings
NYS Learning Standards:
English Language Arts
Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Speaking
-Ask questions
-Summarize, with assistance
-Describe a problem and suggest one or more solutions
-Speak loudly enough to be heard by the audience
Listening
-Acquire information and/or understand procedures
-Collect information
Reading
-Read and understand written directions
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 4: Science
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Technology
Standard 5: Computer Technology
-Key idea: Computers, as tools for design, modeling, information processing, communication, and system control, have greatly increased human productivity and knowledge.
Pre Assessment: As a class we will review the definitions of reduce, reuse, and recycle which have been learned prior in relation to Earth Day.
Set Induction: To begin, the teacher will introduce the new vocabulary terms- conservation, preservation, and restoration.
Procedure:
1.) Begin by calling the class by table to the meeting area with their science notebooks.
2.) The teacher will repeat the vocabulary words and read the definitions. The students will write the definitions in their notebooks.
3.) The class will have a short discussion about these words and why they are important for the upcoming Earth Day.
4.) The teacher will write the words and definitions on the Smartboard.
5.) The teacher will pass around a bag of strips with different information on them to set up the groups for centers. See bottom of lesson.
6.) The students will read their strip and choose which group (Air, Water, Recycling, or Reflection) is most fitting for their strip.
7.) The teacher will hand out a Problems and Pledges Book to each student.
8.) The teacher will send the students by center to their stations with their books.
9.) The air station will consist of different air pollutants and the students will write in their books what they think the problem at this station is and what we can do to fix the problem.
10.) The water station will consist of 3 bowls of water. One filled all the way representing the amount of undrinkable salt water on earth, one filled a quarter of the way representing the only fresh drinkable water on earth, and one filled about half way representing the water, on average, that humans waste. They are to make observations about the amount of water in each bowl and why the amounts are an issue. They will then have to write down their pledges about how they will improve the water situation.
11.) The recycling station will consist of a regular trashcan as well as a recycle bin. The teacher will place a mixture of garbage, paper, and recyclables mixed into the bins. The students will have to sort these out so that all the materials are in the right bins. The students will write in their books what the problem was when they arrived to the table and how they fixed it.
12.) The reflection station will be in the meeting area. Different questions to guide their thoughts will be taped to the floor. The students will sit in a circle around the questions and answer these questions in their books as a sort of reflection. See bottom of lesson for these questions.
13.) There are a total of 4 stations. The students will rotate every 8-10 minutes to the next center until each group has been to all 4 centers.
Closure: After the groups have finished, we will again meet in the meeting area. Here, we will wrap up by discussing what we have found at each station as well as our new pledges for Earth Day and how we will continue to help the environment by conserving, preserving, and restoring.
Materials:
- Pencils
- Science notebooks
- Can of aerosol hairspray
- Pictures of automobiles and nuclear plants
- 3 large bowls
- Trashcan/Recycle bin
- Problems and Pledges book
- Reflection questions
- Strips of information to group children into centers
Follow Up Activity: The students will use the space provided in their Problems and Pledges book to illustrate what they wrote in during the lesson. This will be done for homework.
Assessment: The teacher will assess the students as he or she walks around to observe and listen to each group of students.
Differentiation: This lesson is appropriate for students of all different learning styles. It allows for hands on activity to help interactive learners. It allows for visual learning as well as cooperative learning in groups so the students are able to help one another.
Resources:
- Smartboard
Questions for Group Selection: (each question needs to be multiplied and cut into strips)
1. I am a car. My engine fills the environment with dirty pollution.
2. I am a factory. I release tons of smoke that fills the environment with dirty pollution.
3. I threw my garbage in the lake. It is now polluted.
4. When I brush my teeth, I keep the water running while I brush.
5. I put my garbage in the recycling bin when I knew it was the wrong place for it.
6. I threw my plastic water bottle in the trashcan. Now it can’t be reused.
7. It is my turn to reflect on the environment.
Reflection Questions:
Imagine that you are in a beautiful place that you love…
1. What colors do you see?
2. What sounds do you hear?
3. Are there animals here?
4. Are there any trees or plants here?
5. How do you feel here?
6. What is it like?
7. What is the land like—Flat? Hilly?
8. How does the air feel—Cold? Hot? Is it clean?