The Environment Collection
Thu, Nov 15, 2012 9:41 PM
Great job!
I really liked this collection because the resources had a bunch of creative ideas on how to approach environmental science with students, which could be modified for different grade levels. There were different types of resources, like science objects and web seminars, but I found the articles and book chapters to be the most interesting. In “Trash or Treasure?”, Donna Kowalczyk develops a lesson plan to teach students about the effect trash has on animals and their habitats. Each student is assigned a different animal and given a trash item. They have to determine how the trash item is both harmful and helpful to their animal. The students’ responses are often creative and fun to share. In “The Dirty Water Challenge”, by Mark Walker, Angelika Kremer, and Kirsten Schülster, students design, plan, and build their own water filters. In the meantime, they learn about the water cycle and filtering pollution out of water. I especially like that at the end of the activity, the students get to test their water filters to see which ones are the most effective. This leads to healthy competition and heated discussions on whose water filter is better. “Project FLORA: Flora Love Our Revegetation Area”, by Mary Nied Phillips, Melissa Forsythe, and DJ Sanders, is about a school that takes its students to the Big Bend National Park (BBNP) because it’s close to their location. There they collect native seeds and plants them in greenhouses they’ve built themselves. They also identify distressed areas in the park and through revegetation, restore them. I liked the idea of having students be proactive in their community, working towards improving it. Taking these field trips and doing these activities also gives them a chance to be scientists, which could encourage them to pursue the field in college or as a career. “A Science Club Takes Action”, by Olivia LaDee, Anna Mosses, Tony Gamble, Gred Childs, and Karen Oberhauser is about students in a science club who took what they learned at school and applied it at home. They learned about how various contaminants effect health and how contamination could be prevented. Then the students went home and tested their water and soil for contaminants. It inspired parents and other family members to get involved. I think it’s really important to connect what students learn at school to real world situations. With environmental education, we can teach our students how to make decisions that protect the environment, whether we’re getting them to recycle paper and plastic, or conserve water and electricity. “Plants and Pollutants”, by Eric Brunseu and J. William Hug, is about an educator who develops an entire unit on plants, plant life cycles, and how pollutants affect plants. The lessons were inquiry based which increased student involvement and taught them skills in inquiry, organization, presentation, and team work. I was particularly fond of the lesson where students grew Wisconsin Fast Plants and then tested pollutants on them. They worked with diluted road salts, vinegar, laundry detergent, and cooking oil. I loved the article “Poetry and the Environment” by Jeanne McLain Harms and Lucille J. Lettow; it was about integrating language arts and science through poetry. I have heard that some teachers take their students on nature walks to observe certain aspects of the environment. Then the teacher has his/her students take the notes on their observations and use them to write poetry. Teachers can also read published poetry to the students that focus on a specific aspect of the environment. Overall, I found these resources to be very informative and I added them to my library.