What’s in the environment and how can we care for it?
Topic / In this unit students will focus on the common and unique features of particular places and what is valued about them. They will learn about how land is used in their local area and how and why people cooperate and care for places in their community. They will develop geographic skills including mapping.Students will learn how to recognise local environmental issues. They will gather evidence about an issue and consider what action could be taken based on this evidence.
Students will develop cooperative skills, working as a member of a group. They will set goals and make choices and decisions in relation to shared goals.
*Teacher Note: A major part of this unit involves working with the staff of the Molesworth Environment Centre and visiting the Centre. Teachers should contact Molesworth staff to book class visits well in advance. There is also a cost involved for the use of the centre. Parent Helpers are also required.
Standard / 2
Stages / 4, 5, 6
Year Levels / 2 / 3
Curriculum area / Society and History / Science / English
Strands / 2 - Democratic values and processes
3 - Interactions with the environment
5 - Responsible citizenship
8 - Communication / 2 - Scientific Inquiry / 2 - Writing and representing
3 - Speaking and listening
5 - Using ICT
Understanding Goals / 1Students will understand how to describe some of the common and unique features of their local area.
2Students will understand that democratic processes can be used when working cooperatively to develop shared goals.
3Students will understand how people cooperate to care for places that they value.
4Students will understand how to inform others about ways to address environmental issues involving their local area.
Contents / Page NoContents
1Unit outline, Curriculum areas and strands, Understanding goals
2 - 6Outline of unit of work - tasks
7 – 16 Appendices, proformas
17Resources
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment1 / As an introductory task use the thinking strategy See, Think, Wonder and record ideas on the board
•What do you see in the local environment?
•What do you think about that?
•What does this make you wonder about the local environment? / Teacher note:
For information about Thinking routines see:
See Appendix 1: See, Think, Wonder
Throughout this unit students should record their thinking and ideas in a reflective journal. For more information see:
1 / Mapping in the local area
Take the class on a walk from the school to a local landmark, e.g. park, shop, key intersection in the road.
Have students walk in pairs. Ask students to think carefully about what they see along the way and discuss this with their partner.
Back in the class have students brainstorm what they saw in the environment as they went on their walk.
Make a list of the landmarks from the walk.
Discuss with the class:
•How maps are drawn including the use of the term; bird’s eye view
•How symbols are used on maps.
•How a map of the walk could be drawn
•Ways that landmarks from the walk could be represented as symbols on a map.
Have students draw their own map of the walk from the school to the chosen landmark. Have them use symbols to represent the major landmarks they passed on the way. / Teacher note:
Use the picture book, Highway or the Jacaranda Atlas (see resources), to show students examples of maps and how symbols are used to show landmarks.
The walk needs to have the potential for an environmental study or action so that students view a variety of geographical features and points of environmental significance.
Opportunities should be provided to repeat the walk for different purposes.
This is also an opportunity for a Scientific inquiry.
See Appendix 2: Common Mapping Symbols
See Resources: Rainforest Learning Objects;mapping and using symbols
Assessment for learning:
Assess students’ ability to:
•draw a map of their walk and use symbols to represent major landmarks
•use symbols and graphics to organise information into a Key
•interpret the birds’ eye view
Provide feedback as needed about how to represent landmarks on a map.
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment3 / Caring for places
Considering the walk ask students:
•How do people care for different places we saw on our walk?
•What did you see that shows a lack of care e.g. weeds, rubbish, graffiti
•Where were these places?
•What could people do to care for these places? / Assessment for learning:
Assess students’ ability to:
•contribute ideas about how places are / can be cared for
Provide feedback as needed about how people might care for places.
Teacher Note:
This is an English Assessment opportunity for speaking and listening.
1, 2 / Mapping my way to school
Show the class an aerial map of the local community – you could use Google maps for this.
Show students how maps are drawn in a street directory.
Locate several students’ houses on this map and discuss where students live in relation to the school.
Have students work in small groups to make a map using symbols which show their route to school. Each group will present their map to the class. / Teacher note:
Google maps can be used to show both a satellite and a street view.
See:
Also see pages 4-7 of the Jacaranda Atlas
This is an opportunity for an exploration and assessment using ICT.
See Resources: Rainforest Learning Objects;using a grid map
Select students who live near each other to form groups or 3-4 students who will work together to make one map.
Assessment as learning:
•have students reflect on how they co-operated as a group to produce the map
•have students reflect on their own contribution to the map and how their own understanding of mapping has improved
1 / Molesworth Visit
Plan for a visit to Molesworth Environment Centre. Show students using Google maps where Molesworth is in relation to your school. If possible have this map displayed.
Talk to students about the journey from the school to Molesworth and start to brainstorm some places and landmarks you will pass on the way.
Ask students:
•What things in our local area might be similar to Molesworth?
•What things in our local area might be different to Molesworth?
Make 2 lists on butcher’s paper / Teacher note:
Inform Molesworth staff in advance that your class has undertaken some work in relation to landmarks, geography, mapping and caring for places.
The work covered in this and the next section will be undertaken by the staff at the Molesworth Environment Centre.
Assessment for learning:
•Assess students abilities to recognise and categorise similarities and differences
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment1
2 / At Molesworth:
Divide students into groups of four and walk either Possum’s Playground or Molesworth View Track.
•Use the See, Think, Wonder strategy as students find their landmark from their photo
During the walk ask students to again consider:
•What things in our local area are similar to Molesworth?
•What things in our local area are different to Molesworth?
At lunch time:
•Read either The Ant Explorer, or My Patch
•Have students work in their group to create a miniature map of their journey using the hoops and natural materials collected from the site. / Teacher note:
Contact Molesworth staff prior to the visit and have 8 photos from the walk emailed to you to print in colour.
See Appendix 1: See, Think, Wonder
Provide each group of four with one photo from the track.
Arrange for each group to have a digital camera for taking pictures of what is the same and what is different.
Students photograph their miniature maps of the trail
See Appendix 3: The Ant Explorer
Assessment of learning
Use the cooperative rubric to assess students working in groups: Appendix 4
1
3 / At Molesworth Environment Centre
Have students consider what is the same and different about their school environment and Molesworth:
•Use a Venn Diagram to represent students’ ideas
•Have students create a picture diagram of habitats from Molesworth and the school environment showing what is the same and what is different
Discuss how humans impact on the environment:
•How can we tell that humans have been along the trail?
•How has the Molesworth area been cared for by humans?
•How can we minimise our impact?
Have students classify our waste as:
•Organic Waste
•Worm farm
•Compost
•Recycling
•Re-useable
•Waste - landfill / Teacher note:
Mobile Molesworth could provide an opportunity for follow up and support back at school at a later date
Appendix 5 – Venn Diagram
Assessment of learning
Assess students’ ability to:
•identify what is the same and what is different through their Venn diagram
•use symbols and graphics to show what is the same and what is different in a picture diagram
Teacher Note:
On returning to the Centre the topic of waste will be introduced and the students will sort and classify their lunch waste.
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment1 / At school:
Share the photos taken by each group at Molesworth.
•Have students create their own map of the Molesworth trail.
•Ask students to consider what can be added to their map to make improvements.
•Have students act as a tour guide and talk through their picture diagram of the two habitats and their map with their buddy explaining what is the same and what is different. / Teacher note:
Provide students with a printout of their photo of their miniature map of the trail at Molesworth.
If possible organise for a session with your buddy class – the buddy class could prepare some questions to ask.
Assessment of and as learning
Assess students’ ability to:
•create a map of the Molesworth trail using appropriate symbols
•reflect on how well they could explain the differences and similarities of the two environments to their buddy
1, 3 / Caring for places
Revisit the conversation from Molesworth where students discussed how Molesworth is cared for by humans.
Discuss:
•How do people care for places?
•What are some common issues in the natural environment that people care about?
•What are some common issues that people care about in the man made environment?
Have students map these issues on a Venn diagram showing common and unique issues in the two environments. / Assessment of learning
Assess students’ ability to:
•identify what is the same and what is different through their Venn diagram. Appendix 5
3 / How can we care for the environment?
Have students brainstorm concerns / issues in the environment – either at school or in the local area.
Students select one area or issue that concerns them and then work as a group on a common issue, undertaking research about the issue considering:
•What is the problem?
•Where is the problem?
•Who is responsible for the area?
•What causes the problem?
•What action can we take? / Teacher note:
Use the book Belonging (See Resources) to introduce the concept of human behaviour that results in changes in the environment.
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment2, 3 / •Have these groups consider what action could be taken to address the issue using the strategy:
If we did…….. then……
to consider ways to solve problems
•Have pairs describe their chosen problem and some possible solutions to the class
•Following these presentations, as a class sort the issues, and then rank them in small groups using bundling
Identify the major area of concern for the class using an agreed democratic process.
A class vote could be conducted to decide the issue for investigation after the bundling and classification through the Diamond display. / Assessment of learning:
Assess students’ ability to identify the problem, the cause, parties involved and possible solutions and present these findings to the class
Teacher note:
Useful strategies for sorting and ranking are Bundling and Diamond display – see Appendix 6 and 7
Assessment of learning:
Assess each students’ participation in the democratic process
3, 4 / Finding out more information about the issue - discuss with students:
•Who are some different groups of people who might be concerned about or involved in this issue / area?
•Who could we ask for help / advice about this issue?
•Consider / suggest experts who could be invited to answer questions regarding the problem.
•Have students write letters requesting assistance
•If an expert is visiting have students develop some appropriate questions to ask considering different viewpoints, using the Circle of viewpoints strategy.
Taking action to solve the problem
Have the students consider:
•Who is responsible for this problem?
•How can we contribute to solve this problem?
•What action could we take to address the issue and alert others to the issue?
Taking action
•Students consider ways they can be directly involved in taking action E.g. weeding, planting, cleaning up, picking up litter / Teacher note:
Record ideas on the board
Use the ideas about different people who might be interested to developquestions from different viewpoints
For information about the strategy Circle of viewpoints see:Appendix 8
Assessment for learning
Circle of Viewpoints: Assess students’ ability to develop questions about the issue from different viewpoints
Teacher note:
The main purpose of the unit is bringing the problem to the attention of those with responsibility to make a difference. Depending on the problem, this may be the students themselves, the school, the general public, the local council and so on.
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
UGs / Learning opportunities / Teacher notes and assessment2, 3, 4 / Assessing different courses of action
Make a list of all the student ideas about how to address the issue.
Assess each idea that students have using the Compass points strategy:
•Draw a draw a compass in the centre of the board showing E, W, N, S and then record responses against: Exciting, worrisome, need to know, stance or suggestion
•It is generally easiest for students to begin with what is exciting or positive about the idea and then move to worrisome and need to know.
•Use an Opinion line asking Where do you stand with this idea for action? And have students give a reason for where they stand
•Ask students to write down their individual stance or suggestion for moving forward after the initial group discussion. / Teacher note:
For more information about this strategy see Appendix 9
Assessment for and as learning
Have students record their thinking about the issue, who is responsible and ways they can help to solve the problem in their reflective journal.
Assess students’ ability to use the compass points strategy, opinion line and to make a decision about their own stance and provide feedback as needed.
3, 4 / Communicating and promoting concerns / solutions
Students decide on a particular method to communicate action:
•Design a poster / advertisement/pamphlet/model
•Host an assembly presentation: photo story / powerpoint
•Invite parents to view area to listen to concerns and solutions
•Create a management plan for the environment and deliver to a local council representative including specific questions to be answered at a community forum
•Make a map / model of the area showing what it will look like after the changes
•Design a plaque to value / describe the area E.g. The bush classroom: these plants were planted by…….
•Create an advertisement to lobby support for their project
•Host a Community forum inviting local politicians, landowners and other interested parties to view the management proposal and engage in discussion around set questions / Assessment as and of learning
Have students record their thinking in their reflective journals using these questions:
•What did I do?
•What did I learn?
•What do I remember?
Assess students’ ability to self assess their learning from their reflective journal
Assessment of learning
Assess students’ understanding of how to care for places and inform others about action needed using:
•Information recorded in reflective journals
•Student responses to:
I used to think ……… but now I think ……………..
•Each students chosen method of communication and promotion
- How appropriate was the method chosen?
- How well has the message been communicated to the audience?
•Working as a team the class could develop a rubric and use peer assessment to assesshow well they worked as a team and took action
1
This learning sequence can be accessed through the Society and History SharePoint at
Appendix 1 – see Thinking Routines, at:
See, think, wonder
- What do you see?
- What do you think about that?
- What does it make you wonder?
Purpose: What kind of thinking does this routine encourage?