Just Do It
Lesson Design
Grade Level: 5-6
Subject Area: Earth Science
Lesson Topic (What is the “big idea?”):What standard(s) and/or IEP goal(s) will it address?
Every individual has control over influencing future climate
Individuals are part of the climate system, and the earth system of the biosphere.
Colorado Science Standard:
-Life 2.1: Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms, populations, and entire species
Main Objective of Instruction (What do you want the student(s) to learn?):
Every individual has control over influencing future climate in a quantifiable way
Supporting Objectives:
Students will learn about the direct connection between daily activities and CO2 emissions
Students will understand that some behaviors have much greater CO2 “cost” than others
Students will quantify the emissions of certain actions through direct CO2 output, money, and energy
Specific Strategies to be taught/modeled:
Using information to make an informed decision
Calculating and estimatingCO2, financial, and energy “cost” using a variety of methods.
Planning for individual differences (mediated scaffolding): What are the accommodations/modifications you need to prepare?
Students background knowledge will vary greatly. There will be a 5-6th grade version of the activity, a 7-8th grade version, and an extra support version for students at a level lower than 5th grade. For group activities, levels will be mixed ability.
Students will receive behavioral support from para-educators.
Whatbackground knowledge do the students have/need?
- basic numeracy skills to understand relative values of CO2 measurements.
- an understanding of graphic representation of more than one variable in order to understand graphs.
- an understanding of the relationship between power and fuel
- an understanding of the processes that get products and services to consumers
- an understanding of the concept of “efficiency”
How will you assess students’ learning – pre, during and post?
Pre- Do you care? Should you care? Can you do anything? What can you do? What are you already doing? Do you want to do anything? What do you know about what other individuals or businesses are doing?
Post-Debate format… evaluation of your persuasion and its use of evidence
Materials and Resources:
Use of computer lab for the joules activity
Lesson Plan
Main Objective of this lesson:Every individual has control over influencing future climate
Session 1
Anticipatory Set – How will you get the student(s)’ attention?)
Gallery walk—newer articles relating to climate change from different perspectives.
10 min.
Pre- Do you care? Should you care? Can you do anything? What can you do? What are you already doing? Do you want to do anything? What do you know about what other people,groups, businesses, or governments are doing?
10 min.
Teaching:
There are lots of things that lead to warming, but the primary thing we do is use fossil fuels: coal, oil, natural gas. We have been using them for a long time, and will continue to use them, but lots of fossil fuel companies, governments, and families are trying to use less.
Examples of past efforts: smog, acid rain, and the ozone layer, successful environmental campaigns
Show:
10/10/10 day in steamboat
sustainability studies
Read out loud: Atlanta mom and daughter:
(20 min)
Guided Practice/Discovery
Give out print-outs of China and North Carolina Family articles along with compare/contrast sheet
North Carolina Family
China Family:
(15 min)
Pair up, and compare worksheets (after you have at least one item in each box) 5 min.
Session 2:
Competition in the computer lab : Who can get the lowest CO2? Highest CO2?
Who can get lowest cost? Highest cost?
Who can get lowest energy use/highest energy saving?
Guided instruction: Walk through with students. (10 minutes)
Independent work: Go through scenario twice or more. Each time record information related to at least one option. Record total usages and choices. (30 minutes)
Wrap-up (20 min.)
State numbers for each category, determine high and low winners, and have them discuss their choices and why they led to high and low (give additional prizes to explainers)
Look at King of the World if time remains.
Session 3: We already looked at what some people are doing in businesses and in their homes to reduce their “carbon footprint” Now lets think about what we can do in our classroom. Have students complete epa checklist. (30 min.)
Identify areas that we can make changes in and develop a plan that we will stick to. (15 min.)
For appliance related goals, use formula to estimate power used per appliance. Cross check it with averages to see how our math was.
Then create a goal to reduce it by a certain number of hours. Figure out how much energy we’ll save by doing that. (15 min)
Teacher: create notes to post around classroom as reminders to follow our plan/nice write-up of plan. (sign) (for appliances, make a chart to record time on and off plus date)