Environment
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Content Area: Science/Social Studies
Topic: Environment
Time: 60 minutes, the preparation for the classroom debate may take place over several class periods
Enduring Understanding: Students will develop an understanding of the ways counties take care of the environment as well as ways people of a community can maintain a clean environment.
Content Objectives: Students will recall the ways counties care for the environment. Students will identify ways they can take care of the environment.
Learner Objectives: Students will recall ways to help the environment. Students will use public speaking skills and group collaboration skills to debate in favor of or against the building of a paper mill in a community.
Process Objectives: Students will work in partners, small group, and individually to discuss new information as well as debate in favor of or against the building of a paper mill in the community.
Materials Needed:
-Environment video
-Access to Google Doc or notebook paper for note taking
-Written assessment (attached below)
-Access to technology and the internet for researching
Overview:
Counties take care of the environment by maintaining and protecting it. A county’s priority is to preserve the natural pathways, soil, and wetlands. Counties do this by constantly monitoring streams, lakes, soils, and the wetlands to see what the health of them are and what needs to be done to improve or protect them. If needed, counties will restore wetlands and fix stream banks. Counties also have tree planting programs that help install more trees in the landscape.
Besides the conservation department, other county departments also focus on using environmentally responsible practices on a daily basis. For example, in Waukesha County, the highway department uses a brine maker to create salt brine which keeps more salt on the road instead of in the ditches. Keeping the salt out of the ditches, curbs, and gutters helps keep the lakes and streams clean and the fish healthy. Salt is toxic to fish and other wildlife, so it’s important to try to keep the salt out of the water.
Counties also manage where the snow and water goes. This is important because storm water and agriculture runoff washes more things into our lakes and rivers. This can cause blue-green algae. This is not good for recreational activities such as boating, swimming, or fishing.
Along with water sources, counties also protect the land and wildlife. In Wisconsin, counties maintain over 600 parks. Parks are an important recreational part of a community so it’s important to keep them well maintained for people to enjoy. In addition, counties also care for the campgrounds at parks. This includes the hiking trails and fishing areas within the parks.
Counties also decide where parks, subdivisions, and schools will be located. This is part of the planning and zoning departments within a county. There is a lot of planning involved with any big construction project in a community. It often takes years of planning before the project is even started.
There are many things people in a community can do to help the counties take care of the environment. People can adopt a stream, lake or highway and clean up debris or trash that would affect the rivers. Members of a community can also plant trees. Trees give oxygen and clean the air. Biking or walking to work or school is a good way to save gas and air pollution.
In this lesson, students will develop an understanding of the ways counties take care of the environment as well as ways people of a community can maintain a clean environment.
Procedures:
1. Activate prior knowledge: tell students they will be learning about how counties in Wisconsin help take care of and maintain our environment. Think, Pair, Share: have students pair up with another student and share the reasons why it’s important to maintain our environment and how they think counties may help our environment. Tell partners to record their discussion ideas on either a Google Doc or a piece of notebook paper. Students will be going back and adding more information throughout the lesson, so the notes should be saved for later use. Briefly have partners share out what they discussed about taking care or the environment and how counties help our environment.
2. Show students the Environment video. Tell students they should be adding new information to their documents or chart paper throughout the video. If students are using a Google Doc, partners can be adding information at the same time. Tell students to add any information to their notes they may have missed. After the video, discuss as a whole class what information partners added to their discussion notes.
3. Debate- Give students the following scenario: A developer has interest in building a new paper mill in the community. The mill would be located one mile from a community park. The park is located on a river that runs through the community and the mill would also be located on the river. The river houses a variety of wild life. Split the class in half. Half of the class will be debating in favor of the restaurant and the other half will be debating against the development. Students may be debating for the side they don’t agree with and that is okay. Students will need to find the pros in the side they are debating in favor of. The instructor may want to give students some research time to learn more about paper mills. Access to the internet would be helpful for this task. The following website has additional information on how to set up and run a formal debate in a classroom. The instructor can manage the debate as he/she sees fit but may want to give each group adequate time to prepare for the debate. This may take several class periods to prepare for. The instructor can use a formal rubric to grade each group in their debate of the topic. Example rubrics can also be found on this website. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson304b.shtml.
4. Written assessment-Students will respond to questions in written form and will be graded on the quality of the response. Students can use the notes they took with their partners earlier in the lesson to help them respond.
Assessment:
1. Students will be informally assessed throughout the lessons based on their participation in class discussions.
2. Students will be formally assessed on their participation and presentation of the classroom debate. The instructor will be grading each group using a rubric and this will go toward each student’s grade. The written response will also be used as a form of formal assessment.
Extension Activities:
· Environmental Science Fair-students can set up an environmental fair and invite the community. Students can be divided into groups and each group can focus on a specific part of the environment that needs to be maintained and/or preserved (lakes, rivers, wildlife, parks, etc.). Groups can make posters or use technology to give information to the community on keeping a clean environment. High school students could gear information toward younger students and present at a local elementary school.
Additional Resources:
The following resources offer additional information on how to hold a classroom debate at the secondary level:
http://712educators.about.com/cs/lessonsss/ht/htdebate.htm
http://noisyclassroom.com/primary/ideas/preparing-a-debate-with-a-class.html
Standards:
Wisconsin State Standards and Benchmarks for High School:
English and Language Arts: Speaking and Listening Grades 9-10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B
Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
English and Language Arts: Writing Grades 9-10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
English and Language Arts: Speaking and Listening Grades 11-12
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B
Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
English and Language Arts: Writing Grades 11-12
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Wisconsin Teacher Standards:
The following Wisconsin Teacher Standards may be met while teaching this environment lesson:
Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils.
Teachers know how to teach.
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Teachers communicate well.
The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Teachers know how to test for student progress.
The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil
Environment Assessment
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What are some ways counties help maintain and take care of our environment? Why is this important?
2. What are some things the county looks at when developers want to come in and build a business in a community?
3. What are some ways you can help take care of the environment?
Environment Assessment(Answer Key)
1. What are some ways counties help maintain and take care of our environment? Why is this important?
-preserve waterways, soils, and wetlands
-manage and make own salt to spread on the roads in the winter to reduce salt usage and to protect the lakes, streams, and fish that live there
-manage storm water to ensure runoff stays out of the rivers and lakes (keep the fish healthy)
-maintain land and wildlife…this includes county parks and caring for the campgrounds and hiking trails
-zoning departments decide what buildings and business will be developed in the community
2. What are some things the county looks at when developers want to come in and build a business in a community?
-Is there a need?
-Is the location good?
-Would the community benefit from the business?
-What effects would it have on the environment?
3. What are some ways you can help take care of the environment?
-walk or bike to work or school
-pick up trash to keep the roads, waterways, and wildlife clean
-reduce, reuse, and recycle
-enjoy and spend time in nature!