Introduction
Since Earth Day is coming up, I wanted us to learn more about the environment, and why it is so important to us. We will learn background on Earth Day, and how it became what it is today. Other things we will be doing is a variety of activities that will allow us to find ways to better the environment.
Task
- For the first task, students will head out to the playground and pick up 5 pieces of trash from the playground.
- Second task, students will learn to compost some of the trash they have found. If enough trash is not found, I will provide some compostable material.
- Third task, student will visit National Parks website and explore.
Process
1st Activity: Trash pickup
Prior to starting, students will research the difference between trash, recycling, and composting via website. Student's will each grab a pair of gloves and a trash bag from the classroom. Student's will then have 15 minutes to find 5 pieces of trash. Once student is done with finding their trash, they are to put it in the designated bucket to sort. Trash will go into the trash bin, recycle will go to recycle, and compost will go to compost. Once students are finished, they will need to journal about their findings, and share with a partner. When we re-group as a class, each student will share their findings.
2nd Activity: Composting
After the first activity, students use their composting bucket to start their composting garden. Step one is to find a shaded spot. Once the students have identified a shaded spot, they will lay out their brown compost which will include things like dead leaves, branches, eggshells, and newspaper. Then they will do a small layer of green compost which can include things like teabags, fruits, veggies, flowers, or coffee grounds. The ratio needs to be 3:1 with Brown compost having the most. After they have laid it out, they will add water to make it moist. Lastly, they will need to use a shovel to break it all down and cover it. Each student will take a turn to do this once every week. After the activity is done, they will journal about their experience and at least 2 things they learned about composting and share with a partner.
3rd Activity: Visit National Parks Website
Students will log onto the computer and visit website National Parks (nationalgeographic.com) and look at 3 different national parks of their choice. Students will need to answer the following questions in their journals for each park.
- What is one interesting fact about the park?
- Where is it located?
- What kind of animals live there?
Lastly, students will need to answer these two questions, and then share their answers with a partner.
- Why are National Parks so important?
- What is their favorite National Park?
Evaluation
Students will need to answer journal questions, and complete quiz in order to receive credit for this assignment.
Quiz Link: https://lijkfa1v12z.typeform.com/to/VL73QVbw
Conclusion
Students have learned the importance of taking care of the Earth, and why we need to take care of it. We only have one Earth, so we need to treat it right before it's too late.