January

Environmental Projects:

 Lowell Community Awareness Project

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”. What do those words mean to you? Every day we walk past things in our community that may bother us. Things that may make us think to ourselves “that needs to change”.  How many of us take that first step toward change? One inspired elementary class took that first step and it led to a wonderful environmental project that impacted a whole community!

The fifth grade Expanded Learning Program class at Lowell Community Elementary School in Waterloo, Iowa, led by ELP teacher Stacey Jambura, designed and carried out a plastic bag community environmental project. The students brainstormed ideas, and decided to focus on plastic grocery bag litter. They conducted research to develop their project. They learned that not only do plastic bags look bad along the roadways and in ditches; but that they cause multiple problems once they enter our waterways.

The project expanded and eventually grew so big that the fifth grade class decided to ask the third and fourth grade classes to join them on the project. During the process the students wrote and published their own book “The Day I Got Thrown Away: A Diary of a Plastic Bag”. They held a community-wide event that showcased their project, it included displays, and demonstrations. The students sold reusable t-shirt bags made from old t-shirts that they had gathered from donations (and sewn themselves!). All of the proceeds from the sale went to organizations that they chose.

The students also have plans to expand their project in the future!

Watch this inspiring environmental project story on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZNFARWBBiI&list=PLP_s_GPHuWDfGCoD4E-1ax9n-mf-10lx1&index=7

Remember, even the youngest members of our communities can have an impact!

January

Project-Based Learning: Environmental Projects

Articles, Examples, & Inspiration

How Does Our School Garden Grow? Part 1

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2012/03/how-does-our-school-garden-grow

How Does Our School Garden Grow? Part 2

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2012/03/how-does-our-school-garden-grow-part-2

Classroom Management for Project-Based Learning Work

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/11/classroom-management-project-based-learning-work

Another Take on Earth Day – Project-Based Learning

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2010/04/another-take-earth-day

Project-Based Learning: Endangered Animal Unit, Part 1

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/02/project-based-learning-endangered-animal-unit-part-1

Project-Based Learning: Endangered Animal Unit, Part 2

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/02/project-based-learning-%E2%80%94-endangered-animal-unit-part-2

Books

Asch, F. 1994. The Earth and I. Gulliver Green.

Aston, D.H. and K. Murphy. 2007. Loony Little: An Environmental Tale. Candlewick Press.

Barraclough, S. 2007. Respecting Our World. Black Rabbit Books.

Broda, H. W. 2011. Moving the Classroom Outdoors. Stenhouse Publishers.

Brown, P. 2009. The Curious Garden. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Chalufour, I., and K. Worth. 2003. Discovering Nature with Young Children.Redleaf Press.

Dr. Seuss. 1971. The Lorax. Random House, Incorporated.

Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Eclare, M. 2002. Harvest of Color: Growing a Vegetable Garden. Handprint Books.

Galko, F. 2004. Ecology on the Playground. Heinemann.

Glaser, L. 1996. Compost!: Growing Gardens from Your Garbage. Millbrook Press, Inc.

Green, J. and M. Gordon. 2005. Why Should I Protect Nature?. Barron's Educational Series, Inc.

Guillain, C. 2008. Caring for Nature (Help the Environment). Heinemann Library.

Harlow, R. 2001. The Environment. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Inches, A., and V. Garofoli. 2008. I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Little Simon.

Kalman, B. 1993. The Colors of Nature. Crabtree Publishing Company.

Lovejoy, S. 1999. Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children. Workman Publishing Company.

Martin, B. Jr. 2006. I Love Our Earth. Charlesbridge Publishing.

Paolilli, P. and D. Brewer. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Viking.

Schimmel, S. 2002. Children of the Earth…Remember. T&N Children's Publishing.

Schimmel, S. 1994. Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home. T&N Children's Publishing.

VanCleaves, J. 1997. Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out About Nature: Easy Experiments for Young Children. Wiley.

January

Project-Based Learning

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence.  Project-based learning is an instructional method that provides students with complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that includes teacher facilitation, but not direction.

Project-Based Learning is focused on questions that drive students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a subject hands-on. Students form their own investigation of a guiding question, allowing students to develop valuable research skills as students engage in design, problem solving, decision making, and investigative activities. Through Project-Based learning, students learn from these experiences and take them into account and apply them to the world outside their classroom. Project-Based Learning is a different teaching technique that promotes and practices new learning habits, emphasizing creative thinking skills by allowing students to find that there are many ways to solve a problem.

Project-based learning in the preschool classroom

A project is an in-depth investigation of one single topic. The investigation can be done by a small group of children or the entire class as a whole. The key concept of the project approach is that research is the main focus. The research is often more important than the project itself, and the children will work together with the guidance of the teacher to find answers to the topic.

It is important to first understand that your lesson plan will probably not resemble a "normal" lesson plan. Often these project-based learning lesson plans look like curriculum webs. A plan will begin with a central idea or theme and branch out in several directions with small projects in all areas of the curriculum. All small projects will lead back to the central theme. Once you have decided on the central theme, ask the children for their input

When using the project approach, children are empowered to ask their own questions, conduct their own investigations, and make decisions regarding their daily activities. By providing these opportunities to children, we are enabling them to become independent thinkers and lifelong learners. They are able to experience self-motivated learning, which will only increase their desire to dig deeper, ask more questions, and conduct more research.

Just be aware that much of this investigation must be guided by an adult, either a parent or the teacher, as preschoolers will not obviously be able to do it independently. Collect resources on the topics you are targeting and help with gathering and recording methods.