Environmental Issue Instruction
Riderwood teachers integrate authentic, hands-on, environmental learning into the curriculum at all grade levels and across all subjects. Increasingly, students go outside to investigate, whether on a field trip, a hike around the school grounds, or a visit to our restored schoolyard habitat. Below is just a sample of our environmental issue instruction, beginning with a summary by grade and subject, followed by more detailed descriptions:
Riderwood teachers integrate authentic, hands-on, environmental learning into the curriculum at all grade levels and across all subjects. Increasingly, students go outside to investigate, whether on a field trip, a hike around the school grounds, or a visit to our restored schoolyard habitat. Below is just a sample of our environmental issue instruction, beginning with a summary by grade and subject, followed by more detailed descriptions:
Kindergarten
- Investigating Black Bears (science, language arts, art)
- Collecting and Identifying Leaves (science, language arts, art)
- Tracking School's Reduction in Trash (math, language arts)
1st Grade
- Raising and Tagging Monarchs (science, social studies, language arts)
- Animal Habitat Mobiles (language arts, science, art)
- Mealworm Life Cycle (language arts, science, math)
- Protecting Baltimore Checkerspot Butterflies (language arts, science, art)
2nd Grade
- "Bee an Engineer" Science Unit (science, math)
- Bee Keeper Visit (science, music)
- Environmental Bulletin Board (art, science)
- Tree "Cookies" for Mother's Day (art, science)
3rd Grade
- Guest Speaker on Marine Life (science, social studies)
- Eco-Detectives Decomposition Unit (science, language arts, math)
- Creating Math Games Using Recycled Materials (math, art)
- Safe Racers (science, art, math)
4th Grade
- Eco-Scouts Habitat Improvement Letters (language arts, science, math)
- Eco-Scouts Model Oil Spill Clean-up (science, language arts, social studies)
- Planting Native Pine Seedlings (science)
5th Grade
- Eco-Trekkers Field Trip to Marshy Point Nature Center/Miami Beach (science, math)
- 3-D Ecosystem Project (science, art, language arts)
- Greening the Schoolyard Unit (science, math, language arts)
Reading Specialist
- Native bird project (language arts, science, social studies, art)
Primary Adaptive
- Investigating earthworms (language arts, science, art)
Intermediate Adaptive
- Investigating volcanos (social studies, science, language arts, art)
All Grades
- Physical Education Recycling Game (PE)
Kindergarten: Investigating Black Bears
Date: December 2012 - January 2013, February 2014, and annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Art
Kindergarten teachers re-vamped their traditional unit, "Bear Facts," to make it a more hands-on investigation for the students. As highlighted in Professional Development, Cromwell Valley Park (CVP) staff trained Riderwood's kindergarten faculty on the Growing Up Wild curriculum in November 2012. As part of that training, CVP loaned Riderwood a bear hide, skull, laminated food cards, and vinyl bear tracks to enhance their lesson plans. So, in addition to just reading Bear Facts, all three teachers enthusiastically used the materials to develop fun lessons that allowed students to stroke a bear's fur, touch a bear's teeth, and walk like a bear to forage for food. The students experienced how the parts of a bear's body help it to survive.
Date: December 2012 - January 2013, February 2014, and annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Art
Kindergarten teachers re-vamped their traditional unit, "Bear Facts," to make it a more hands-on investigation for the students. As highlighted in Professional Development, Cromwell Valley Park (CVP) staff trained Riderwood's kindergarten faculty on the Growing Up Wild curriculum in November 2012. As part of that training, CVP loaned Riderwood a bear hide, skull, laminated food cards, and vinyl bear tracks to enhance their lesson plans. So, in addition to just reading Bear Facts, all three teachers enthusiastically used the materials to develop fun lessons that allowed students to stroke a bear's fur, touch a bear's teeth, and walk like a bear to forage for food. The students experienced how the parts of a bear's body help it to survive.
Mrs. Buchman draped the bear hide over herself and crawled around the room. Once the kids stopped giggling, she lay the hide on the floor so the children could examine the outer guard hairs and undercoat of fur.
Click here for pictures of Mrs. Buchman using bear hide for lesson.
Click here for pictures of Mrs. Buchman using bear hide for lesson.
Mrs. Levitt placed the bear tracks around the room and taught the children to simulate the bear's gait on a search for food in the "stream" and "bee hive," two art projects created by the students.
Kindergarten: Collecting and Identifying Leaves
Date: November 2013, and annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Art
As part of their Autumn unit, kindergarteners enjoyed the beautiful fall weather as they explored the schoolyard collecting leaves for identification. To prepare for the outdoor lesson, the teachers were assisted by a Master Naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park (see Professional Development) in identifying the native trees surrounding the playground, including white pine, willow oak, pin oak, white oak, white ash, bradford pear, and red maple.
Back in the classroom, the students participated in a read aloud of Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert and sequenced the events in the story that depict the growth of a maple tree from seed to sapling. Following the sequencing activity, the students were given the opportunity to work in small groups to identify the leaves they had selected in the schoolyard.
Students used the teacher-created repetitive text, What is My Leaf? Each page showcased a photograph of a leaf taken on the school grounds and was supported by the text, “It is a _____leaf.” Students discussed the attributes of their leaves and compared them to the pictures in the text to identify the leaves. The students created tags for their leaves and included them in a craft project. The leaves were ironed between wax paper, put into student-made frames, and hung with twine with the labels attached.
Date: November 2013, and annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Art
As part of their Autumn unit, kindergarteners enjoyed the beautiful fall weather as they explored the schoolyard collecting leaves for identification. To prepare for the outdoor lesson, the teachers were assisted by a Master Naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park (see Professional Development) in identifying the native trees surrounding the playground, including white pine, willow oak, pin oak, white oak, white ash, bradford pear, and red maple.
Back in the classroom, the students participated in a read aloud of Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert and sequenced the events in the story that depict the growth of a maple tree from seed to sapling. Following the sequencing activity, the students were given the opportunity to work in small groups to identify the leaves they had selected in the schoolyard.
Students used the teacher-created repetitive text, What is My Leaf? Each page showcased a photograph of a leaf taken on the school grounds and was supported by the text, “It is a _____leaf.” Students discussed the attributes of their leaves and compared them to the pictures in the text to identify the leaves. The students created tags for their leaves and included them in a craft project. The leaves were ironed between wax paper, put into student-made frames, and hung with twine with the labels attached.
Kindergarten - Tracking School's Reduction in Trash
Date: 2013-14 school year
Subjects: Math, Language Arts
Mrs. Levitt's kindergarten class has taken the initiative to monitor how much less trash Riderwood is creating on Trash-Free Lunch Days. (See BMP Solid Waste Reduction for more details on Trash-Free Lunch Days.) The children practiced their letter-writing skills by composing an email to Ms. Dottie, the school custodian, politely asking her to count the number of trash bags on trash-free Tuesdays and regular days. They made a pictograph in math class to track the difference. The class appeared on the morning announcements to tell the rest of the school about their project, posted the pictograph in the cafeteria, and update it every week.
Email to school custodian:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_note_to_dotty_-trash_bag_pictograph
Date: 2013-14 school year
Subjects: Math, Language Arts
Mrs. Levitt's kindergarten class has taken the initiative to monitor how much less trash Riderwood is creating on Trash-Free Lunch Days. (See BMP Solid Waste Reduction for more details on Trash-Free Lunch Days.) The children practiced their letter-writing skills by composing an email to Ms. Dottie, the school custodian, politely asking her to count the number of trash bags on trash-free Tuesdays and regular days. They made a pictograph in math class to track the difference. The class appeared on the morning announcements to tell the rest of the school about their project, posted the pictograph in the cafeteria, and update it every week.
Email to school custodian:
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_note_to_dotty_-trash_bag_pictograph
1st Grade: Raising and Tagging Monarchs
Date: October 2012
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Language Arts
Mrs. Mays' homeroom experienced the life cycle of monarch butterflies up close and hands-on. They received several monarch caterpillars collected from a classmate's yard and raised them in a butterfly enclosure in their classroom. They learned that they needed to supply the caterpillars with fresh milkweed daily to satisfy their voracious appetites, observed the formation of the chrysalises, and waited patiently for the emergence of the butterflies.
When the caterpillars hatched, Mrs. Mays arranged for a naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park to take the lesson a step further and teach the children about monarch migration. Before the naturalist arrived, the children imagined where they would go if they were migrating butterflies and described it in their daily journals. The naturalist showed migration patterns on a large map of the US and Mexico. She then demonstrated the tagging process, had the children record the data for the Monarch Watch program, and then marched them outside for the release. The children were delighted to have the monarchs rest on their outstretched hands for a fleeting moment before the great migration to Mexico!
Date: October 2012
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Language Arts
Mrs. Mays' homeroom experienced the life cycle of monarch butterflies up close and hands-on. They received several monarch caterpillars collected from a classmate's yard and raised them in a butterfly enclosure in their classroom. They learned that they needed to supply the caterpillars with fresh milkweed daily to satisfy their voracious appetites, observed the formation of the chrysalises, and waited patiently for the emergence of the butterflies.
When the caterpillars hatched, Mrs. Mays arranged for a naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park to take the lesson a step further and teach the children about monarch migration. Before the naturalist arrived, the children imagined where they would go if they were migrating butterflies and described it in their daily journals. The naturalist showed migration patterns on a large map of the US and Mexico. She then demonstrated the tagging process, had the children record the data for the Monarch Watch program, and then marched them outside for the release. The children were delighted to have the monarchs rest on their outstretched hands for a fleeting moment before the great migration to Mexico!
1st Grade: Animal Habitat Mobiles
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Every year at Riderwood, the 1st grade hallways are adorned with dozens of Animal Habitat Mobiles, a project that combines language arts, science, art, and independent research. After several classroom lessons, students select any animal they wish and conduct research at home to answer questions such as:
-- In what part of the world does this animal live?
-- In what type of environment does it live? (forest, ocean, meadow, wetlands, etc.)
-- How does it construct a home?
-- How does it use its habitat to protect itself from predators?
-- Does it live by itself, with a mate, or in a community?
The students carefully write or type the answers to those questions and other fun facts about the habitat and add eye-catching pictures to complete their mobiles.
A side benefit of this project is that students in other grades can't help but learn about the animal habitats as they pass by in the halls!
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Every year at Riderwood, the 1st grade hallways are adorned with dozens of Animal Habitat Mobiles, a project that combines language arts, science, art, and independent research. After several classroom lessons, students select any animal they wish and conduct research at home to answer questions such as:
-- In what part of the world does this animal live?
-- In what type of environment does it live? (forest, ocean, meadow, wetlands, etc.)
-- How does it construct a home?
-- How does it use its habitat to protect itself from predators?
-- Does it live by itself, with a mate, or in a community?
The students carefully write or type the answers to those questions and other fun facts about the habitat and add eye-catching pictures to complete their mobiles.
A side benefit of this project is that students in other grades can't help but learn about the animal habitats as they pass by in the halls!
1st Grade: Mealworm Life Cycle
Date: 2012-1013 school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Math
Students in 1st grade created indoor habitats for mealworms as part of a Primary Talent Development unit called Wiggly Worms. Students began the unit by discussing and researching the question, “What do all living things need to survive?” Then, students conducted investigations in order to answer the question, “What type of habitat do mealworms prefer?” Preferences between hot/cold, wet/dry, rough/smooth, and dark/light were tallied and charted through the investigations involving mealworms, paper plates, and other materials to determine preferences, such as ice, sand paper, water, and flashlights. Based on the investigation results, as well as information about what living things need to survive, students created habitats for mealworms using resources that they found in nature. The students then observed changes in the habitat over a period of a week and recorded observations in Wiggly Worm Journals. After a week, students determined if their mealworms were living or nonliving and brainstormed reasons as to why some worms lived and others did not. Living mealworms were released out into nature to continue their life cycles!
Date: 2012-1013 school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Math
Students in 1st grade created indoor habitats for mealworms as part of a Primary Talent Development unit called Wiggly Worms. Students began the unit by discussing and researching the question, “What do all living things need to survive?” Then, students conducted investigations in order to answer the question, “What type of habitat do mealworms prefer?” Preferences between hot/cold, wet/dry, rough/smooth, and dark/light were tallied and charted through the investigations involving mealworms, paper plates, and other materials to determine preferences, such as ice, sand paper, water, and flashlights. Based on the investigation results, as well as information about what living things need to survive, students created habitats for mealworms using resources that they found in nature. The students then observed changes in the habitat over a period of a week and recorded observations in Wiggly Worm Journals. After a week, students determined if their mealworms were living or nonliving and brainstormed reasons as to why some worms lived and others did not. Living mealworms were released out into nature to continue their life cycles!
1st Grade: Protecting Baltimore Checkerspot Butterflies
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Students learn to become environmental activists during a lesson called Nurturing Nature, which focuses on protecting the endangered Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. They investigate its dwindling habitat and write letters to the governor urging him to take action. The lesson inspired the members of the school's Green Team to designate an area of the restored schoolyard habitat as a "Baltimore Checkerspot Habitat" containing white turtlehead for the caterpillars and nectar flowers such as cardinal flowers and great blue lobelia for the butterflies. (See BMP Habitat Restoration.) The 1st grade teachers now include a trip out to the habitat to check for signs of checkerspot eggs as part of their lesson.
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Students learn to become environmental activists during a lesson called Nurturing Nature, which focuses on protecting the endangered Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. They investigate its dwindling habitat and write letters to the governor urging him to take action. The lesson inspired the members of the school's Green Team to designate an area of the restored schoolyard habitat as a "Baltimore Checkerspot Habitat" containing white turtlehead for the caterpillars and nectar flowers such as cardinal flowers and great blue lobelia for the butterflies. (See BMP Habitat Restoration.) The 1st grade teachers now include a trip out to the habitat to check for signs of checkerspot eggs as part of their lesson.
2nd grade: "Bee an Engineer" Science Unit
Date: March 2014, annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Math
New to the curriculum in the 2013-14 school year, "Bee an Engineer" engages the students in hands-on investigation of pollination and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. Students learn about the structure of plants, pollination and the possible reasons for the decline of honeybee colonies. Using different materials -- marbles, tape, erasers, foil, pompoms, pipe cleaners -- they attempt to construct a pollinating tool and determine what characteristics it must have to effectively pollinate. Math is incorporated into the lesson when the students calculate how much it costs to make each different type of pollinating tool.
Shown below are some of the worksheets that will be used for this unit. (Student work is not shown because the lessons have just begun as this Green School application is being submitted.)
Date: March 2014, annually thereafter
Subjects: Science, Math
New to the curriculum in the 2013-14 school year, "Bee an Engineer" engages the students in hands-on investigation of pollination and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. Students learn about the structure of plants, pollination and the possible reasons for the decline of honeybee colonies. Using different materials -- marbles, tape, erasers, foil, pompoms, pipe cleaners -- they attempt to construct a pollinating tool and determine what characteristics it must have to effectively pollinate. Math is incorporated into the lesson when the students calculate how much it costs to make each different type of pollinating tool.
Shown below are some of the worksheets that will be used for this unit. (Student work is not shown because the lessons have just begun as this Green School application is being submitted.)
2nd Grade: Bee Keeper Visit
Date: February 2014
Subjects: Science, Music
To supplement the new "Bee an Engineer" curriculum, the Green Team and 2nd grade teachers arranged for a bee keeper to visit all the homerooms. "Ranger Gina" Dotterweich, a bee keeper/naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park, brought her beehives (empty!), music, costumes, honey and enthusiasm to each classroom for an hour-long presentation about pollination and honey-making. (See Community Partnerships.) The smiles in the pictures below tell the story!
Date: February 2014
Subjects: Science, Music
To supplement the new "Bee an Engineer" curriculum, the Green Team and 2nd grade teachers arranged for a bee keeper to visit all the homerooms. "Ranger Gina" Dotterweich, a bee keeper/naturalist from Cromwell Valley Park, brought her beehives (empty!), music, costumes, honey and enthusiasm to each classroom for an hour-long presentation about pollination and honey-making. (See Community Partnerships.) The smiles in the pictures below tell the story!
2nd Grade: Environmental Bulletin Board
Date: April 2013
Subjects: Art, Science
Mrs. Vincent's 2nd graders took the initiative to decorate the bulletin boards in their hallway with environmental messages to encourage other students to do their part to protect the Earth. Mrs. Vincent led discussions in science class about air and water pollution and solid waste reduction, and the students brainstormed ideas before writing their messages.
Date: April 2013
Subjects: Art, Science
Mrs. Vincent's 2nd graders took the initiative to decorate the bulletin boards in their hallway with environmental messages to encourage other students to do their part to protect the Earth. Mrs. Vincent led discussions in science class about air and water pollution and solid waste reduction, and the students brainstormed ideas before writing their messages.
2nd Grade: Tree "Cookies" for Mother's Day
Date: May 2013, annually thereafter
Subjects: Art, Science
Mrs. Watson's 2nd graders used beautiful tree "cookies" to create unique gifts for Mother's Day. Mrs. Watson let each child select a tree cookie from a stack cut from a fallen cedar tree in her yard. The children learned about the rings of a tree and how they indicate the tree's age. They then attached their favorite picture, coated with modge podge, and gave their moms a nature-made keepsake.
Date: May 2013, annually thereafter
Subjects: Art, Science
Mrs. Watson's 2nd graders used beautiful tree "cookies" to create unique gifts for Mother's Day. Mrs. Watson let each child select a tree cookie from a stack cut from a fallen cedar tree in her yard. The children learned about the rings of a tree and how they indicate the tree's age. They then attached their favorite picture, coated with modge podge, and gave their moms a nature-made keepsake.
3rd Grade - Guest Speaker on Marine Life
Date: May 2013
Subjects: Science, Social Studies
The entire 3rd grade was treated to a presentation by Richard Anderson from The Snyder Foundation For Animals. He enthusiastically presented information on Maryland aquatic "critters", the Chesapeake Bay, and the importance of environmental preservation.
Date: May 2013
Subjects: Science, Social Studies
The entire 3rd grade was treated to a presentation by Richard Anderson from The Snyder Foundation For Animals. He enthusiastically presented information on Maryland aquatic "critters", the Chesapeake Bay, and the importance of environmental preservation.
3rd Grade: Eco-Detectives Decomposition Unit
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Math
In this problem-based unit, student explore how nature recycles, i.e., the science of decomposition, through outside investigation and in-class observations. Outside, they look for signs of rotting plants and animals and learn how fungi, bacteria, mold, organisms, water and sunlight help with decomposition. Inside, they explore the question "How do bananas, plastic straws, and a napkin recycle into soil?" by observing these items over a 3-week period. Math skills are utilized when the students have to measure gravel, soil and water for the experiment. Students choose one of the items tested and write a summary about whether or not it decomposed.
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Math
In this problem-based unit, student explore how nature recycles, i.e., the science of decomposition, through outside investigation and in-class observations. Outside, they look for signs of rotting plants and animals and learn how fungi, bacteria, mold, organisms, water and sunlight help with decomposition. Inside, they explore the question "How do bananas, plastic straws, and a napkin recycle into soil?" by observing these items over a 3-week period. Math skills are utilized when the students have to measure gravel, soil and water for the experiment. Students choose one of the items tested and write a summary about whether or not it decomposed.
3rd Grade: Creating Math Games Using Recycled Materials
Date: April 2013, annually thereafter
Subjects: Math, Art
In Math class, all 3rd grade students create their own math games to reinforce multiplication facts. Keeping in mind our mission to be a Green School, many children choose to use recycled materials for this project, such as bottle caps, recycled cardboard and old game pieces.
Date: April 2013, annually thereafter
Subjects: Math, Art
In Math class, all 3rd grade students create their own math games to reinforce multiplication facts. Keeping in mind our mission to be a Green School, many children choose to use recycled materials for this project, such as bottle caps, recycled cardboard and old game pieces.
3rd Grade: Safe Racer
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Art, Math
Safe Racer is a STEM unit requiring small groups of students to design, construct, and test a vehicle made from recycled materials. The recycled materials are used to create a vehicle which has features intended to keep Eggbert (raw egg) from being damaged during a crash test. Recycled materials are also needed to add weight to the vehicle so it travels straight and far. Students learn the value of reusing materials in fun, constructive ways.
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Art, Math
Safe Racer is a STEM unit requiring small groups of students to design, construct, and test a vehicle made from recycled materials. The recycled materials are used to create a vehicle which has features intended to keep Eggbert (raw egg) from being damaged during a crash test. Recycled materials are also needed to add weight to the vehicle so it travels straight and far. Students learn the value of reusing materials in fun, constructive ways.
4th Grade: Eco-Scouts Habitat Improvement Letters
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Math
Eco-Scouts is a Baltimore County Public Schools unit of study in which students investigate two different habitats, the forest and meadow. The unit is designed to be taught using both the inside and outside classroom. Students utilize a variety of scientific and mathematical skills to extend their understanding of ecology. At Riderwood, the students are frequently outside investigating the components of a healthy habitat, including the school's two new habitats. (See BMPs, Habitat Restoration and Structures for Outdoor Learning.) The goal is for students to generate ideas for improving their existing schoolyard habitat.
A primary focus of the unit is the interdependence of all of the organisms and resources within a specific ecosystem. Outside, students participate in a deer survival game which simulates the environment consisting of energy, water, and shelter represented by various types of beans. These beans are sprinkled in the grass and the students have to locate one of each kind of bean every round in order to survive. If they survive, they are given a new fawn, in addition to the deer they already have, to take care of in the next round. Students quickly learn the fragile balance of resources within any given ecosystem and the results of overpopulation.
The unit culminates in the students writing persuasive letters to the principal recommending changes that can be made to enhance the schoolyard habitat. Below is an example of one class' recommendation that hummingbird feeders would be beneficial to the school's ecosystem:
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Math
Eco-Scouts is a Baltimore County Public Schools unit of study in which students investigate two different habitats, the forest and meadow. The unit is designed to be taught using both the inside and outside classroom. Students utilize a variety of scientific and mathematical skills to extend their understanding of ecology. At Riderwood, the students are frequently outside investigating the components of a healthy habitat, including the school's two new habitats. (See BMPs, Habitat Restoration and Structures for Outdoor Learning.) The goal is for students to generate ideas for improving their existing schoolyard habitat.
A primary focus of the unit is the interdependence of all of the organisms and resources within a specific ecosystem. Outside, students participate in a deer survival game which simulates the environment consisting of energy, water, and shelter represented by various types of beans. These beans are sprinkled in the grass and the students have to locate one of each kind of bean every round in order to survive. If they survive, they are given a new fawn, in addition to the deer they already have, to take care of in the next round. Students quickly learn the fragile balance of resources within any given ecosystem and the results of overpopulation.
The unit culminates in the students writing persuasive letters to the principal recommending changes that can be made to enhance the schoolyard habitat. Below is an example of one class' recommendation that hummingbird feeders would be beneficial to the school's ecosystem:
4th Grade: Eco-Scouts Model Oil Spill Clean-Up
Date: December 2013, and annually thereafter
Subject: Science, Language Arts, Social Studies
As part of the Eco-Scouts unit, 4th graders try to solve a real-life environmental crisis: an oil spill. Using models of an oil spill in aluminum pie plates, they design unique ways to contain and remove it from a model seashore. The students also complete activities on locating possible points of pollution within a pretend town. Throughout the unit, scientific notebooks are kept by the students.
Date: December 2013, and annually thereafter
Subject: Science, Language Arts, Social Studies
As part of the Eco-Scouts unit, 4th graders try to solve a real-life environmental crisis: an oil spill. Using models of an oil spill in aluminum pie plates, they design unique ways to contain and remove it from a model seashore. The students also complete activities on locating possible points of pollution within a pretend town. Throughout the unit, scientific notebooks are kept by the students.
4th Grade: Planting Native Pine Seedlings
Date: April 2013, April 2014, annually thereafter
Subject: Science
The entire 4th grade class is excited to plant native pine seedlings in their yards! Thanks to the quick response Ms. Detter to a notice from the Baltimore County Forestry Board that free seedlings were available, 81 seedlings were obtained for the 2013 class and 78 for the 2014 class.
Before receiving their seedlings, the students watched Dr. Seuss' original version of "The Lorax," to put them in the right frame of mind to "speak for the trees." The teachers told the students about the importance of planting native trees to provide food and shelter for native insects, birds and mammals, and gave each student written planting instructions. The students appeared on the morning announcements to share this important project with the entire school in 2013.
See the attached email documenting the teacher's correspondence with the Baltimore County Forestry Board to acquire the seedlings.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_seedlings_email.doc
Date: April 2013, April 2014, annually thereafter
Subject: Science
The entire 4th grade class is excited to plant native pine seedlings in their yards! Thanks to the quick response Ms. Detter to a notice from the Baltimore County Forestry Board that free seedlings were available, 81 seedlings were obtained for the 2013 class and 78 for the 2014 class.
Before receiving their seedlings, the students watched Dr. Seuss' original version of "The Lorax," to put them in the right frame of mind to "speak for the trees." The teachers told the students about the importance of planting native trees to provide food and shelter for native insects, birds and mammals, and gave each student written planting instructions. The students appeared on the morning announcements to share this important project with the entire school in 2013.
See the attached email documenting the teacher's correspondence with the Baltimore County Forestry Board to acquire the seedlings.
/uploads/1/8/1/3/18132917/gs_seedlings_email.doc
5th Grade: Eco-Trekkers Field Trip to Marshy Point Nature Center/Miami Beach
Date: Every school year
Subject: Science, Math
Each year 5th grade students complete an outdoor learning study of four ecosystems in the state of Maryland. These ecosystems include a marsh, shoreline, forest, and meadow. Children participate in an 8-lesson unit with their teachers, called Eco-Trekkers. On Day 5, the children travel to Marshy Point Nature Center and Miami Beach in Essex, MD, to apply in a real-life situation what they have learned in the classroom. With the guidance of outdoor education specialists, children measure for salinity and temperature, identify living and nonliving factors, and look at wildlife and plantlife in each of the four habitats. When they return to the classroom, students analyze and discuss the data collected in relation to the material presented in the unit.
Date: Every school year
Subject: Science, Math
Each year 5th grade students complete an outdoor learning study of four ecosystems in the state of Maryland. These ecosystems include a marsh, shoreline, forest, and meadow. Children participate in an 8-lesson unit with their teachers, called Eco-Trekkers. On Day 5, the children travel to Marshy Point Nature Center and Miami Beach in Essex, MD, to apply in a real-life situation what they have learned in the classroom. With the guidance of outdoor education specialists, children measure for salinity and temperature, identify living and nonliving factors, and look at wildlife and plantlife in each of the four habitats. When they return to the classroom, students analyze and discuss the data collected in relation to the material presented in the unit.
5th Grade: 3-D Ecosystem Project
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Art, Language Arts
As a fun conclusion to the Eco-Trekkers unit, students use all their newly-acquired environmental knowledge to create a 3-dimensional model of a marsh, shoreline, forest or meadow. They include detailed keys and labels to indicate living, non-living, and once-living factors and producers, consumers and decomposers. Most students collected their nonliving and once-living items outside, i.e., twigs, rocks, and fallen leaves.
Date: Every school year
Subjects: Science, Art, Language Arts
As a fun conclusion to the Eco-Trekkers unit, students use all their newly-acquired environmental knowledge to create a 3-dimensional model of a marsh, shoreline, forest or meadow. They include detailed keys and labels to indicate living, non-living, and once-living factors and producers, consumers and decomposers. Most students collected their nonliving and once-living items outside, i.e., twigs, rocks, and fallen leaves.
5th Grade: Greening the Schoolyard Unit
Date: Every school year, beginning in 2013-14
Subjects: Science, Math, Language Arts
The science unit, "Greening the Schoolyard," began in the 2013-14 school year, specifically to challenge 5th graders to devise plans to help their school become a Green School. Specific topics include: renewable and nonrenewable resources, recycling, water conservation, electricity conservation, and collecting evidence of air pollution. We were pleased that, because of our Green School efforts, the students were already very aware of topics such as native plants for habitat restoration, water conservation projects like rain barrels, and solid waste reduction through recycling and trash-free lunches! In addition, the students participated in a hands-on simulation to show how recyclables are sorted at a waste management facility using magnets and wind, and they measured how much water they waste if they leave the tap running while brushing their teeth. Other activities are shown in the student work below:
Date: Every school year, beginning in 2013-14
Subjects: Science, Math, Language Arts
The science unit, "Greening the Schoolyard," began in the 2013-14 school year, specifically to challenge 5th graders to devise plans to help their school become a Green School. Specific topics include: renewable and nonrenewable resources, recycling, water conservation, electricity conservation, and collecting evidence of air pollution. We were pleased that, because of our Green School efforts, the students were already very aware of topics such as native plants for habitat restoration, water conservation projects like rain barrels, and solid waste reduction through recycling and trash-free lunches! In addition, the students participated in a hands-on simulation to show how recyclables are sorted at a waste management facility using magnets and wind, and they measured how much water they waste if they leave the tap running while brushing their teeth. Other activities are shown in the student work below:
Reading Specialist: Native Bird Project
Date: Spring 2013
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art
Laura Wingate, primary reading specialist, thought of a new, creative way to incorporate language arts, science, social studies and art into a fabulous environmental project for her reading class. Each student was charged with choosing a native bird and researching and writing a paper describing its appearance, diet, breeding habits, predators, and migration patterns. Then, the fun part -- using recycled materials, each student constructed a replica of the bird. The results, shown in the pictures below, were nothing short of spectacular! (And, although we didn't get a picture, this group of students also made bird feeders out of small milk cartons for the schoolyard habitat to celebrate the finale of their bird project.)
Date: Spring 2013
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art
Laura Wingate, primary reading specialist, thought of a new, creative way to incorporate language arts, science, social studies and art into a fabulous environmental project for her reading class. Each student was charged with choosing a native bird and researching and writing a paper describing its appearance, diet, breeding habits, predators, and migration patterns. Then, the fun part -- using recycled materials, each student constructed a replica of the bird. The results, shown in the pictures below, were nothing short of spectacular! (And, although we didn't get a picture, this group of students also made bird feeders out of small milk cartons for the schoolyard habitat to celebrate the finale of their bird project.)
Primary Adaptive: Investigating Earthworms
Date: Fall 2012
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Mrs. Dennis' primary adaptive class learned about how important earthworms are for healthy soil then made their own wormy bulletin board in the hallway!
Date: Fall 2012
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Art
Mrs. Dennis' primary adaptive class learned about how important earthworms are for healthy soil then made their own wormy bulletin board in the hallway!
Intermediate Adaptive: Investigating Volcanos
Date: Fall 2012
Subjects: Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Art)
Mrs. Lebedda's students had a "blast" on their volcano project! Knowing that constructing volcanoes was the reward for doing a good job on their research and writing, the students rose to the challenge by composing paragraphs describing types of volcanoes, where they are located, and what makes them erupt. Then, the reward: they worked in teams to build volcanoes with newspaper and masking tape, painted them, and, finally, demonstrated the ever-thrilling vinegar-and-baking-soda-induced eruption!
Date: Fall 2012
Subjects: Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Art)
Mrs. Lebedda's students had a "blast" on their volcano project! Knowing that constructing volcanoes was the reward for doing a good job on their research and writing, the students rose to the challenge by composing paragraphs describing types of volcanoes, where they are located, and what makes them erupt. Then, the reward: they worked in teams to build volcanoes with newspaper and masking tape, painted them, and, finally, demonstrated the ever-thrilling vinegar-and-baking-soda-induced eruption!
All Grades: Physical Education Recycling Game
Date: Every school year
Subjects: PE
Students learn about reducing, reusing, recycling and composting WHILE completing exercise challenges in this sorting game held in the gym.
Date: Every school year
Subjects: PE
Students learn about reducing, reusing, recycling and composting WHILE completing exercise challenges in this sorting game held in the gym.