Title: Recycling
Summary: (Condensed Version J )
Starting next year, the school will be doing a service learning project which involves recycling. To kick off the beginning of our project, students will learn about the importance of recycling. They will use a variety of technology throughout the unit to make the unit more engaging for the students. They will work in mixed ability groups on many of the assignments in order to have each student be able to succeed and also placed in groups that has various strengths so that the can complement each other in their groupings. Students will utilize the school administrators, their neighbors and family as well as the school faculty by interviewing them about recycling. The results of the survey will be compared later to a second survey at the end of the year (with the same questions) given to the same people in order to compare results. Students will make a PowerPoint with another class member about recycling, along with posters that they will hang around the school and community in order to convince others to recycle.
Description of the students the plan is for:
This unit will be used in my 4-5th grade class at Main Street CEC. The students have varying ranges of ability in the classroom from special needs learners to gifted and talented students. The class will consist of one teacher, one teacher’s assistant (occasionally) and 15 students. The staff will be utilized to take surveys with, along with the administration and all teachers to work together as a school on this service learning project teaching different lessons to the students about recycling. This unit will take place over the course of two weeks initially, and will be a course of discussion throughout the year due to it being a service learning project.
Description of the plan highlights:
1. Students will learn about why recycling plastic is important with an experiment on polymers. Students will learn about why there are various codes on plastic recyclables through this experiment. They will also be watching a YouTube video about recycling.
2. Students will research using the internet what can and can’t be recycled. They will view many websites that help them with their research and will make markings on receptacles so that we can begin our service learning project. Students will make posters for the school to show them what can be recycled.
3. Students will learn about persuasive advertising techniques and make posters that persuade others to recycle. They will view with the teacher various recycling posters at Google images on the computer and projector. We will display posters in the school and around the community.
4. Students will work in groups to interview teachers, staff, parents and guardians, and community members about recycling. (This paper will be taken home as well to interview neighbors and parents as homework.) Students will analyze data so they can compare it to a survey will be doing with the same participants at the end of the year. Students will make graphs on Microsoft Office.
5. Students will use various internet resources to research about recycling. In groups of two, they will make PowerPoint’s about recycling and why it is important. (There will be parent volunteers and the teacher helping the students with their PowerPoint’s.) Students will share their finished product on Friday.
Key learner outcomes:
1. Students will be able to write explanations on data collection sheets why some plastics can be broken down and why some can not through experimentation.
2. Students will be able to make posters explaining what can and can not be recycled.
3. Students will be able to use persuasive devices to convince others to recycle.
4. Students will be able to organize and collect data in survey format and make charts/tables with Excel using their data.
5. Students will be able to use technology (PowerPoint) to teach others about recycling.
Description of how you will measure if the plan was successful
There will be many assessments throughout the unit. Here is a list of the assessments:
Assessment 1 – Students will be filling in data collection sheets about the experiments that they are doing in class on the first day of the unit. The data collection sheet will graded for accuracy.
Assessment 2 – Teacher will take anecdotal notes of individuals/groups in progress, incidental questioning of students' observations, quality of students' review questions and answers.
Assessment 3 – Students will be assessed on a rubric for the poster that they make about why they should recycle.
Assessment 4 – Students will be assessed on an assignment asking them to write what can and can not be recycled.
Assessment 5- Students will complete surveys in school and at home about recycling. Students will receive a check mark for completed, and a 0 for incompletion.
Assessment 6- Students will make graphs that organize their surveys using Excel. Their graphs will be graded for accuracy.
Assessment 7- Students will be assessed with a rubric for their PowerPoint presentation and project they worked on. http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.nclark.net/PowerPointRubric.pdf
Making plans J
I am very excited about teaching this unit and have already begun making contacts with the school staff and all seem to be on board with this plan. I am also contacting Can Dew recycling facility to see if it is possible to get a guest speaker in. This is going to be the first year our school recycles, (the school is 7 years old and currently located in an area that does not have a recycle pick up) so this will be a big task for the school. We have been discussing for years wanting to do it and many of the teachers have volunteered already to help with their family truck to pick up the recyclables to take to the center. I will keep you all posted!
I am so proud of you and your school for taking on this big task! We have recycle bins at our school but I am never quite sure if anything is actually getting recycled. I would love to hear how this goes so that I could fix the problems with recycling at my school. The activities in your unit would make the authors Marzano and Pickering (2011) of The Highly Engaged Classroom very happy! :) You have incorporated hands-on activities that allow students to get up and move around, as well as a variety of high-interest activities involving some choice. Even more importantly, you are teaching self-efficacy and helping students realize that they can make a difference. To increase this, perhaps you could have the students set specific individual and classroom goals, track their progress, and then reevaluate the goals at the end. I also wanted to share two books with you that Marzano and Pickering (2011) included when discussing self-efficacy. 1) Kids With Courage: True Stories about Young People Making a Difference by Barbara A. Lewis 1992 and 2)It's Our World, Too! Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference by Phillip M. Hoose (1993). I don't know anything about these books other than this information, but they might be something worth looking into to further push your students to realize that they can keep making a difference.
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that you already have so many teachers on board with your plan. You sound excited about it, too!
ReplyDeleteI read the same book as Emily above--Marzano and Pickering's The Highly Engaged Classroom. One of the hindrances to student engagement is that students don't see the importance of the task (p. 12), but you have made extensive efforts to help them see the significance of your project--research, guest speakers from the recycling plant, interviewing parents and neighbors. You have made it important by connecting it to their lives (p.88)and their knowledge (p. 99). I hope your plan is successful!
This plan sounds great! Your students are going to be so excited to be a part of the beginning of this wonderful project. It's awesome that you have so many people already volunteering to help! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. Kids can learn so much through the environment. I love that you are incorporating so many different individuals within the school and community to become involved in this project. I think reaching out to as many people as possible will make the project much more successful.
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