Amy Martin - ESCI 302 - Spring Semester, 2014
Lesson Three: Researching an Environmental Issue
Date: Day 21 - 25 Subject: English B30 Grade: 12
Time: Lesson Three will be taught over a period of five days. Each day the teaching time will be one hour. A portion of the first day will be spent explaining the research project and presentation and discussing the marking rubric. During the first class I will also explain how to fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart properly. The remaining four class periods will be allotted to students' research and creating their presentations.
Parts of the Learning Cycle Involved: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Evaluation
Lesson Objective: Students will demonstrate effective research skills by investigating an environmental issue of their choice and organizing their information into a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart as they undergo their research. Afterwards, students will use their chart to create a presentation that shares their topic and research with the class.
About/In/For the Environment:
· About: This lesson will cover "about the environment" by allowing students to research an environmental issue (either social or ecological) that they are passionate about. After the researching phase, students will then create a presentation that shares their topic and research with the class, allowing for their peers to learn about the issue as well.
· For: This lesson will cover "for the environment" through student research. As part of their research, students will be required to investigate how one can advocate on behalf of their issue, as well as preventatives measures one can take to try and reverse the issue. This will inspire students to advocate for, and work towards a better, more positive environment.
Outcomes:
CC B 30.2: Create a visual or multimedia presentation that suits the topic, purpose, and audience; teaches others about a global social issue; and persuades them to act on the issue in a responsible manner.
Indicators:
a. Prepare and present visual and multimedia presentations:
· Exhibit logical structures appropriate to audience, purpose, and context
· Have a central foci and strong messages
· Organize ideas in logical and appropriate sequences
· Include smooth transitions
· Use a variety of forms and technologies such as sound, photographs, models and understand how ideas are communicated through elements of design (e.g., colour, shape, line, texture, placement) and principles of design (e.g., proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast)
· Provide logical and convincing conclusions.
d. Create and present a visual or multimedia presentation persuading an audience to act on an issue using presentation techniques most appropriate to audience and purpose:
· Identify and establish that a problem exists (e.g., crime in a community)
· Analyze the problem (e.g., what are the causes?)
· Provide possible solutions (What has been tried? What has not been tried?)
· Select a solution (What’s best? What are possible future obstacles?)
· Persuade audience to implement solution
· Use digital presentation tools or other media to highlight the problem and point to possible solutions.
Content Background:
The Five W's & H:
The Five Ws and H are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They are often mentioned in journalism (cf. news style), research, and police investigations. They constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word:
· Who is it about?
· What happened?
· Where did it take place?
· When did it take place?
· Why did it happen?
· How did it happen?
Source: (Five Ws, n.d.)
Processes Developed: The processes that students will develop in this lesson are:
· Researching: Students will develop this process by conducting effective research using reliable sources to help find information for their environmental issue research project.
· Organizing: To help students develop this process, they will be required to organize their information into a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart as they undergo their research.
· Summarizing: Students will develop this process by summarizing the information that they find during the researching phase into a clear, concise presentation.
· Presenting/Communicating: Students will develop this process by speaking and presenting their environmental issue to the class. To help students develop this process, they will be given the freedom to present their project in any form that they are most comfortable with (ex. PowerPoint, short story, poetry, sculpture, poster board, pamphlet, etc.).
· Collaborating: Students will be given the option to individually, or in pairs for the environmental issue research project. Students that choose to work in pairs will develop this process in Lesson Three.
Adaptive Dimensions:
· Extensions: Any students that have a knowledge of their environmental issue to a degree of mastery will be expected to include a learning activity as part of their presentation. The learning activity should be engaging and participatory, and should include the entire class. The learning activity can be a game or demonstration that is created to reinforce knowledge of the environmental issue in question and that will facilitate student learning at a deeper level.
· Modifications: To ensure student learning success, students will be given the freedom to present their environmental research project in any form that meets their learning style, and that they are most comfortable with. Students will be able to present their project through a PowerPoint, a short story, poetry, a sculpture, a poster board, a pamphlet, or any other form of presentation that is approved by me.
Cross Curricular Competencies:
· Goals to develop Identity and Interdependence: Through their research, students will come to understand and value social and ecological interdependence by investigating the current impacts, as well as possible future impacts, that develop as a result of their environmental issue of choice.
· Goals to develop Literacies: Students will explore and interpret their environmental issues and their impacts by analyzing and interpreting the data they find through a variety of texts and online sources.
· Goals to develop Social Responsibility: Students will use moral reasoning to evaluate the impacts of their environmental issue on the world, on others, and themselves.
Interdisciplinary Connections: The content and activities that are in Lesson Three are applicable to most any subject, as organizing, researching and presenting are valuable skills and important components of any class.
Day 21
Prerequisite Learnings: Students must be able to differentiate between social and ecological issues. Students must have knowledge on a variety of social and ecological issues (i.e. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism and homophobia). Students must also understand how to conduct effective research and how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.
Materials/Equipment/Safety:
· Environmental Issue Research Project Outline (See Unit Resources)
· Environmental Issue Research Graphic Organizer (See Unit Resources)
Advanced Preparation: Prior to class:
· Print & photocopy Environmental Issue Research Project Outline for students
· Print & photocopy Environmental Issue Research Graphic Organizer for students x2
Lesson Procedure:
Engagement (20 minutes):
· Begin by handing out the Environmental Issue Research Project Outline to students.
· Introduce the Environmental Issue Research Project to students. Explain the assignment to students, go over criteria for marking, and establish due dates for work.
· Answer any questions students might have about the project, marking scheme, or due dates.
Explanation (25 - 30 minutes):
· Hand out two Environmental Issue Research Project Graphic Organizers to students.
· Explain to students that the Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart is an important tool when collecting information. The chart will help students to organize their information as they undergo their research for the project and will come in handy when students are creating their presentations.
· Explain how to fill out the different sections of a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart.
- Who: This section answers who is involved in the issue and who the issue affects (ex. Farmers and meat corporations are involved in industrialized farming. Humans, animals and the environmental are affected by industrialized farming)
- What: This section provides background information to the topic (i.e. What is the topic about?)
- When: This section looks at the timeline of your issue (i.e. When did the topic become an issue? Were there any major movements surrounding your issue?)
- Where: This section answers where the issue takes place (i.e. Global, nation, or local level)
- Why: This section refers to why the topic is an issue. Essentially, the "who cares?" section.
- How: This section answers how the issue happens, and how the issue can be prevented.
· Next, demonstrate how to fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart to students. Use an example environmental issue to fill out the chart (ex. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism or homophobia would be good examples since students have previous knowledge of those issues already). Ask students to help fill in each section using what they know about the example issue.
· Reiterate to students that they are expected to fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart as they undergo the research for their project. Remind students that their charts will be due at the end of class on Day 25 so I can look them over and provide feedback before they start working on their presentations.
Evaluation (Remainder of class):
· To end, have students practice filling out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart on their own. Write another example environmental issue on the board so students have a set topic.
· Collect students' charts even if they are not finished. These will not be used for assessment, but they will illustrate students' understanding of how to fill out the graphic organizer and will determine the students that need the learning to be reinforced.
· Ask students to decide before the next class whether they want to work in a pair or individually for the research project, and to decide what environmental issue (social or ecological) they want to research.
Day 22
Prerequisite Learnings: Students must be able to differentiate between social and ecological issues. Students must have knowledge on a variety of social and ecological issues (i.e. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism and homophobia). Students must understand how to conduct effective research and how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Students must also be able to properly fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart.
Materials/Equipment/Safety:
· School laptop carts
· Whiteboard & whiteboard markers
Advanced Preparation: Prior to class:
· Book out school laptop carts for students to use during the period
· Book out school library for students to use during the period
Lesson Procedure:
Engagement (10 minutes):
· To begin, ask students if they plan to work individually, or as a pair for the environmental issue research project. Create a list on the board of students working individually and in pairs.
· Next, ask students to name the environmental issue they would like to research. Beside each name on the board, write the student's chosen topic. If there is a topic overlap, ask students to pick another topic or choose decide who will research the topic.
Exploration (Reminder of class):
· Take students up to the library to begin their research. Students will be allowed to use books from the library, as well as the school laptops to conduct their research. Students will only be allowed one laptop per pair to ensure that there is enough for the entire class.
Evaluation (While students are researching):
· While the students are researching, supervise and answer any questions that students may have about the project.
· To end, have students sign out their books from the library, put the school laptops away and clean up their space.
Day 23
Prerequisite Learnings: Students must be able to differentiate between social and ecological issues. Students must have knowledge on a variety of social and ecological issues (i.e. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism and homophobia). Students must understand how to conduct effective research and how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Students must be able to properly fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart. Students will have also have a brief knowledge on their environmental issue of choice.
Materials/Equipment/Safety:
· School laptop carts
Advanced Preparation: Prior to class:
· Book out school laptop carts for students to use during the period
· Book out school library for students to use during the period
Lesson Procedure:
Exploration (Entire class):
· At the beginning of class take students directly up to the library so they can continue researching their environmental issue.
Evaluation (While students are working):
· While the students are researching, supervise and answer any questions that students may have about the project.
· To end, have students sign out their books from the library, put the school laptops away and clean up their space.
Day 24
Prerequisite Learnings: Students must be able to differentiate between social and ecological issues. Students must have knowledge on a variety of social and ecological issues (i.e. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism and homophobia). Students must understand how to conduct effective research and how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Students must be able to properly fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart. Students will also have knowledge on their environmental issue of choice.
Materials/Equipment/Safety:
· School laptop carts
Advanced Preparation: Prior to class:
· Book out school laptop carts for students to use during the period
· Book out school library for students to use during the period
Lesson Procedure:
Exploration (Entire class):
· At the beginning of class take students directly up to the library so they can continue researching their environmental issue.
Evaluation (30 minutes)
· As students are working, walk around and conference with individual students and pairs to see how the research is going and to map student progress. Ask: Are you finding good, reliable information? Are you having trouble finding sources? What kind of information have you found so far? How is the Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart coming along? Do you know how you are going to present your project yet?
· Before the end of class remind students that their Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Charts are due at the end of class the following day.
Day 25
Prerequisite Learnings: Students must be able to differentiate between social and ecological issues. Students must have knowledge on a variety of social and ecological issues (i.e. Deforestation, industrialized farming, marine debris, racism and homophobia). Students must understand how to conduct effective research and how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Students must be able to properly fill out a Who/What/When/Where/Why/How Chart. Students will also have concrete knowledge on their environmental issue of choice.