Content Area: Science

Topics: Conservation of the Environment

Why This Standard:

I chose this standard because giving children the opportunity to come up with there own ideas of how to help the planet is the first step to creating little conservationists .

Students are coming up with and brainstorming there own decisions on how to take a stand against climate change. Climate change is an injustice in our everyday lives.

The learning standard encourages students to brainstorm and discus simple ways that they can take care of the environment. This is an example of interconnectivity because discussing these ideas helps students understand the natural world and the impact we can have on it and the consequences if we don't take care of our world.

Ecological Identity Goal: Students will appreciate that we share a home on this earth with many species and systems.

1. How will students develop a sense of self in relation to the natural and social world? Students understand there self relation to the natural world by sharing ideas on how they can make an impact on the natural world.

2. Why do students need to learn this topic? Conservation is how we are able to understand our interconnectivity to each other and to this world. The first step to conservation is coming up with ideas as to how we can make a difference.

3. How does it connect to their lives? Students are coming up with ideas that they can do in there own lives to make a little difference. A lot people doing little things to help the earth, builds up to big results.

4. What are some real-world issues or current events, local or global, you can connect this topic to? (Think of specific real-life examples or events.) Before this discussion I would read a book that introduces my students to ideas like: recycling, helping pollinators, overproduction in grocery stores etc. with the hope to have students think about ways we can make a difference with these issues.

Text Structure: Illustrations

Expository Fiction

1. This book talks about many different ways that bees help our environment. It talks about the necessity of bees within our ecosystem and their important role in the food chain. It goes into depth about how humans have made it significantly more difficult for bees to do their job because of industrialization and the effects that it has on humans. It also talks about and shows many different ways we can support bees. For example, it talks about creating rest stations for bees and planting flowers in the cities so that bees can have a snack while they're flying from their home to a flower to get pollen. I thought this is a perfect book to go along with my learning standard because it prompts discussion and gives ideas of how we can take care of the environment.

2. One downside of this book is it only talks about bees and the impact they have on our environment. Therefore the book also only talks about ways we can help bees.  It gives an in-depth look at one specific way we can help the environment, which is a good thing but it does mean that there are some elements of conservation being left out. With that being said this book is actually only one in a bigger series that talks about the importance of conservation. Some examples of the other books Bethany Stahl has created are: Save the Oceans, Save the Air, Save the Land, Save the Artic, Etc…

Text Structure: List

Expository Non Fiction

1. This book is very cute, simple and to the point. It is a list of 10 different ways we can help the environment. I think that this book would be perfect for a closing activity after a discussion because it reinforces the ideas that would have already come up in the discussion. It could be used as a tool to see if the ideas the class came up with matched the ideas in the book. 

2. The biggest downside I see with this book is the fact that, if it was read before the discussion, students might just steal the ideas that the book had and wouldn't be coming up with creative new ideas which I think is the intent of this learning standard. It also doesn't give very thorough explanations as to how you can implement these ideas, it just gives you the idea itself.

• Because of the simplicity of this text I think it is accessible for almost all ages.

• This text allows for inquiry within the  problem / solution layout of the book.  It will give the teacher an opportunity to ask students what they think the answer to the solution is going to be before reading it and then checking to see if they're correct. 

Obstacles

• I don't think it would make sense to immediately introduce this book as an introduction to a lesson because it gives a lot of great examples that I think students could come up with on their own first and then this could be used as a tool to confirm the idea that they had.

• I think this book has the potential to be a great beginner reading book.  The problem is the explanatory part can get a little wordy and might be difficult for new readers. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@mommakingstuff/video/7229708175216397614

GATES: Step 4: Analyze Knowledge Demands

This Sensory table has a Low Knowledge demand and is super tactile and engaging for many age ranges.

Summary: This Sensory table gives students the opportunity to explore through sensory and tactile learning about bees and there hives.

Limitations: Sensory tables are very open ended play and learning experiences, therefore there is no explicit instruction built into the sensory activity in the the table itself. Instead students have to use there prior knowledge along with teacher prompting and guidance to make connections to the unit they are learning in the classroom.

GATES: Step 4 Analyze Knowledge Demands

This Episode of Bluey has Low Knowledge Demands. Much of the episode focuses on observation and focusing on our attitude toward nature and its beauty.

Summary: In this episode Bluey and his friends go on an adventure to the creek. At first Bluey is hesitant and a little bit scared but by the end of the episode she falls in love with the beautiful nature and doesn't want to leave. I think this episode is a great conversation starter to talk about our attitude towards nature and our experience in nature. This would be a great way to build prior knowledge before having a conversation about conservation.

Limitations: Although I think that this is a great resource for a conversation starter on attitudes towards nature, and I believe conversation is the foundation of understanding why conservation is so important, it does not talk about climate change or conservation explicitly. Therefore I would have to supplement this episode with, reading a book about conservation and connect the two.

Students will use the sense of touch to answer the question: How do Bees Pollinate Flowers?

Materials:

• Tissue paper flowers

• Crusty snacks like: Cheetos, Puppy chow, blue Takis, spicy Cheetos. (Try and find many different colors.)

• Your fingers!

The Teacher will create big flowers with tissue paper and place them around the classroom or even better on the grass outside or in trees. In the different flowers place a few Cheetos, puppy chow or other dusty snacks that make your hands look crusty. Start the lesson by telling the students that, "Today we are going to be bees!" Explain to the students that pollinators like bees, butterflies and humming birds go from flower to flower and collect pollen that is found on the inside of the flowers. The pollen is collected on the creature's footlets and you can see it. The crusty chips will be our pollen and we will touch our fingers to the chips and see how many different colors we can collect on our fingers. The students will buzz around and find the flowers you have placed outside or in the classroom. Make sure to tell the kids: DO NOT EAT the chips or lick your fingers! Once the children have collected their pollen, have them come inside and record their findings. 

Introducing a New Book:

(Before) I would use this strategy to get the children familiar with the book and have them make some hypotheses about what we will learn when reading the book.  I'll have students look at the cover and make inferences of what the book might be about. We can also talk about the characters that are in their book and their names. I will allow students the opportunity to share their predictions and thoughts about the book before reading the actual text. This would also be a great time for me to ask students what they know about bees and activate their prior knowledge.

Think-Pair-Share:

(During) Throughout reading the book I will give students the opportunity to answer questions or share their thoughts using the think-pair-share strategy. I have found this to be a very useful strategy especially when working with large groups of children. So many of the students have things that they want to share throughout the book but there isn't enough time to address everyone's questions, thoughts or connections, so giving them an opportunity to talk with the person next to them about what they're thinking helps everyone feel heard.

Question-Answer Relationship:

(After) I love this strategy for a quick and simple wrap up to a read aloud or used as a more formal assessment strategy. When I do read-aloud's with my students in clinical I always ask them questions after we have finished reading the text. Oftentimes I also prompt them to look back into the text to find the answer to the question or have them activate their prior knowledge. We also use similar work sheets to assess the students comprehension after a unit has been taught. 

Multimodal Interactive read-aloud:

Becoming a Bee: As the students are reading about bees in the text I would give them opportunities to "become a bee" and act out what a bee looks like, what a bee sounds like, and what a bee does.

Describing a Bee: Giving students the opportunity to describe when they have seen a bee or what they saw the bee doing. Making sure to encourage them to show with hand movements what they saw the bee doing.

Examining Bee parts: When talking about the anatomy of a bee make sure to connect it to what the students know. For example have the student show with there fingers how big a bee is or asking students if bee's have fingers like us or not, etc.

Pollen

Pollination

Nectar

Herbs

Renewable

Resource

Concept Sort: I have seen this strategy used before and it is very successful. Previewing vocabulary before the read aloud is super important and helps students make meaning and comprehend what is being read. Having a tangible note card that students can look back at gives them a reminder of what the word means. There are many game you can make out of these cards as well to help students remember the vocabulary words.

Interview a Word: This is a great strategy to use while reading. When students come upon a word that they don't understand they can interview this word and ask it questions like, "Who are you?", "What do you mean?" and "Who are your friends? (Synonyms)" You could even have an engaging element such as a play microphone to hold up to the word in the book and the teacher can pretend to be the word talking back at the interview.

KIM Strategy: I think this would be a good after reading assessment or worksheet for first or second grade students. It allows them to write the word and practice there spelling which also helps with word recognition. Write out the definition to help transfer there understanding into long term memory and finally draw a picture and be creative so that they can really remember what they wrote, further cementing this definition into long term memory.

Multimodal Vocabulary Instruction:

Artifact (Smell): For the word herbs I would bring in some herbs that I grew in my garden or dried herbs. I would let the students smell them and explain how herbs are used in cooking and they add a spicy leafy smell to our food. The bees also like the smell of herbs.

Movement: For the word Pollination I would have the students pretend like they were bees and fly around pretending to pollinate different things in the classroom.

Visual: For the word Renewable Resource I would bring in a visual of two different things. A resource before its renewal and after its renewed. I would explain to the kids how some things can be created into other things after they are used. I Would use the example of bamboo or trees.

For my multimodal composition I would have the students put on a dance performance to Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. I would would start by explaining the piece to them and how it was written to sound like little bees going around and pollinating the flowers. Then I would give them an opportunity to go outside and dance to this song as if they were little bee's buzzing around. In the fast parts I would encourage them to buzz around quickly like a buzzy bee going from flower to flower! In the slow parts I would prompt them to dance like little bees gently sucking up the nectar on a flower or resting in the petals of a flower. This would be a very kinesthetic way for students to engage with the idea of pollination and would give them a tangible correlation to the hard work bees do just like the hard work they put into composing there fight of the bumble bee's dance.

Question 1: Inclusive Talk Move (Before Reading)

 “The title says Something Happened to Our Planet. Who do you think our planet belongs to?”

Question 2: Inquiry Talk Move (During Reading)

 “What do you think we would see more of if we took better care of our planet?” 

Question 3: Disruptive Talk Move (During Reading)

“Did you notice how the children work together to make an impact in their community? Why might kids’ ideas be important when making decisions about the planet?”

Question 4: Action Talk Move (After Reading)

“What could our classroom do to make the Earth feel better?”

I will start off this summative assessment by asking students our essential question and having them brain storm answers.

“What can we do to help our plant and conserve its health and beauty?”

Some potential answers might be:

• Pick up trash

• Plant flowers or trees

• Walk instead of drive

• Take care of the bees!

Reinforce the students' answers “These are all correct answers and great ways we can take care of our planet!”

Continue to ask questions that assess the students' understanding of the unit's material and main focus.

“Do you remember how we have been focusing on one special animal when it comes to taking care of our planet? What animal have we been talking about?”

Answer: Bees!

“You're right! We have been focusing on bees! Why do you think I focused on bees when we were talking about what we can do to help our planet? What impact bees have on the well being of our planet?”

Some potential answers might be:

• They pollinate flowers!

• They help plants grow!

• They make honey!

“You're right! Bees are a super important part of our planet, without them it would be very difficult for us to grow food and have beautiful flowers and trees. That’s why for us to take care of the planet we also have to take care of our bee friends.”

“Today we are going to be creating something really special for our bee friends that will help them while they are busy pollinating flowers and helping them grow! Just like us, bees get thirsty while they are busy buzzing around helping our planet, but oftentimes it's hard for them to find water and they can get too hot and tired to continue flying. To help the bees we are going to make them watering stations that they can use to get a drink and stay happy and hydrated!"

Each student will get their own small clay planting pot. They will have the opportunity to paint the planting pot however they like so that the bees will have a colorful base of the watering station to help attract them. This also gets the students engaged and creative which will help create lasting memories of helping the bees. Then the students will have the opportunity to choose from a group of thrifted tea saucers to create the top bowl of their bee watering station. The teacher will glue the base pot and saucer together for the student. Then the students will then get to choose from a selection of rocks and glass gems to put in the saucer of the bee station. Once the project is complete the students will bring their bee watering station home to place outside for the bees in their neighborhood. A note will be sent home with the creative assessment describing to the parents how they can help their little one put together their watering station and fill it with water or sugar water.

I chose this activity because not only does it meet my learning standard by having critical conversations at the begging of the lesson it also is a way that my students can make real change in the world. It gives students a real life opportunity to make a difference in a small and age appropriate way. This lesson was created for pre-schoolers so it would not be appropriate for them to do an assessment based on writing about what they know, so instead I focused on multimodal creative ways to engage the students in making an impact in our world. I wanted to implement some way of assessing what they have learned so I added the critical questions in the begging to asses there understanding of the unit.