Spreading Awareness
Lesson Title: Spreading awareness through Creative Expression
Lesson Overview: The following lesson plan provides students an opportunity to express and communicate their views and opinions on water conservation and pollution creatively. Students are provided a varied range of fun activities to understand the importance of water in our lives, not only as a necessity but as a source of fun, joy and relaxation.
Curriculum Subject: Science, Language, Music, Arts and PE
Estimated time: 4-5 days
Grade Level: 5th grade
Curriculum Goals: Idaho State Standards for 5th grade
Science
Lesson Objectives
ISTE standards for students
Pre-requisite skills/ key concepts
Students should
Lesson Procedure
Part I : Motivational / Preparatory Activity
Use the following Glogster resource to gain student attention. The glogster has some interesting fun facts and activities about water.
Lesson Overview: The following lesson plan provides students an opportunity to express and communicate their views and opinions on water conservation and pollution creatively. Students are provided a varied range of fun activities to understand the importance of water in our lives, not only as a necessity but as a source of fun, joy and relaxation.
Curriculum Subject: Science, Language, Music, Arts and PE
Estimated time: 4-5 days
Grade Level: 5th grade
Curriculum Goals: Idaho State Standards for 5th grade
Science
- Standard 5 – Personal and social perspectives
- Goal 5.3: Understand the importance of natural resources and the need to manage and conserve them.
- Goal 5.1: Understand Common Environmental Quality Issues, Both Natural and Human Induced
- Standard 2
- Goal 2.1: Analyze the spatial organizations of people, places and environment on the earth’s surface
- Goal 2.2: Explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how physical systems affect human activity and living conditions
- Standard 5: Personal and Social Responsibility
- Goal 5.1: Exhibit responsible and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings.
- Goal 1.2: Acquire Concepts About Text
- 5. LA.1.2.3 - Use the features of texts, such as formats, graphics diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps, and organization to find information and support understanding
- Goal 1.8: Vocabulary and Concept Development
- 5. LA.1.8.3 - Use words and concepts necessary for comprehending math, science, social studies, literature and other Grade 5 content area text.
- Goal 2.1: Acquire Strategies and Skills for Comprehending Text.
- 5. LA.2.1.3 - Draw valid conclusions based on information gathered from text and cite evidence to support the conclusion.
- In addition improve presentation and communication skills.
Lesson Objectives
- Students are engaged in outdoor activities that help them explore the benefits and life giving nature of water.
- Students use creative media to express their ideas, knowledge, views and opinions to spread awareness on a critical issues related to Water conservation and pollution.
ISTE standards for students
- 1a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
- 1b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
- 1c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
- 2a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environment and media.
- 2b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
- 3b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
- 3c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
- 3d. process data and report results.
- 4c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Pre-requisite skills/ key concepts
Students should
- have basic computer skills
- be able to navigate through the internet
- have some knowledge of available water resources on our planet, need for water conservation, issues faced by other countries across the globe and current issues on water pollution ( Preferably students would need to have completed previous lesson plans suggested in the provided thematic unit)
Lesson Procedure
Part I : Motivational / Preparatory Activity
Use the following Glogster resource to gain student attention. The glogster has some interesting fun facts and activities about water.
Part 2: Informational Activity
Part 3: Application Activity
- Using ideas from the Outdoor Adventure Site in the above Glogster, plan a field trip to a nearby Aquarium, Water sanitation facility or research on any Lake clean up project in around your area to provide students an opportunity to explore and interact with issues related to water directly. On completing the field trip, students could discuss on what they observed and learned through the trip.
- As a pre-requisite for this lesson plan students are required to complete the activities of lesson plans 1,2 and 3. Once this is achieved, ask students to analyze the projects they have completed that cover various aspects of availability of water resources suitable for human consumption, water scarcity issues faced by developing countries across the globe, their role and responsibility in adapting water conservation methods and finally current issues on water pollution and sanitation. Inform students that they would be divided into groups of 5 to create a final project using resources and projects created previously. The main purpose of the final project would be to create a presentation using either GoAnimate ( a cartoon developer software) or Glogster that helps spread awareness on issues related to water that they have already researched and studied about.
Part 3: Application Activity
- Divide the class into groups of 5
- Ask students to collect, review and choose desired projects completed through lesson plans 1, 2 and 3 that would help them create an effective presentation to Spread Awareness on the chosen Thematic unit.
- Inform students that the final projects would be assessed on the following criteria
- Includes information from projects created in the previous lesson plans
- Is well structured and effectively uses resources and knowledge gained to communicate the need to save water and reduce water pollution
- Includes student experiences and views on the topic
- utilizes the given media/platform creatively to communicate and achieve the objective of the topic
Part 4 : Closure Activity
Students present and share their final project with classmates, friends and family either through the web or as a class presentation . Provide an opportunity for self reflection on what students learned while creating the project and how it has impacted their views and opinions on the subject of water.
Technology Enhanced Accommodations
Students with Cognitive Difficulties
Hip Step-Talking sequencer- The Hip Step-Talking Sequencer is the perfect portable communicator for the non-speaking child. This assistive technology allows a non-speaking child to have a conversation. This would be wonderful for students with limited communication skills to carry on a pre-recorded conversation and create an effective presentation on the need to spread awareness on water conservation.
Students with Physical Disabilities
Intellikeys IntelliKeys is a flat, programmable keyboard that plugs into your computer. This "plug and play" keyboard is used to assist students who have difficulty using the standard keyboard or mouse. It comes with basic overlays that provide alternative keyboard layouts. These assist with entering letters and numbers, navigating on-screen displays, and executing commands. IntelliKeys can also be used as an alternative for mouse functions or as a switch. This provides students who cannot use a regular keyboard an equal opportunity to use and learn from technology available through the computer which is an integral part of the lesson plan.
Students with Sensory Disabilities
soundAMP R The advanced processor amplifies soft and medium sounds, and softens loud sounds. Students with hearing difficulties will greatly benefit from this to view videos and other multimedia presentations with regard to my thematic unit.
At Risk Students
Go- Animate On GoAnimate you can make your own animated characters, direct your own cartoons and watch others' creations. It's easy, fun and free! This software is wonderful to address the needs of students at risk such as lack of motivation to engage in school work, difficulty in written expression and other related concerns by providing them a platform that encourages creativity, is easy to comprehend and provides excellent means to communicate ideas and concepts in a simple but effective format.
Gifted Students
Think Quest This site provides a platform to create projects that provide a flexible framework for engaging students in exploring curricular topics and developing important 21st century skills, such as communication, teamwork, and technology skills. The Think Quest International Competition challenges students to solve a real-world problem by applying their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills. It helps preparing students with real world skills that would help them succeed globally. This site could be used for gifted students to create a project involving innovative methods to conserve water or any topic of their choice related to current issues on water, water conservation or the properties of water.
Assessment
Group participation rubric
Students present and share their final project with classmates, friends and family either through the web or as a class presentation . Provide an opportunity for self reflection on what students learned while creating the project and how it has impacted their views and opinions on the subject of water.
Technology Enhanced Accommodations
Students with Cognitive Difficulties
Hip Step-Talking sequencer- The Hip Step-Talking Sequencer is the perfect portable communicator for the non-speaking child. This assistive technology allows a non-speaking child to have a conversation. This would be wonderful for students with limited communication skills to carry on a pre-recorded conversation and create an effective presentation on the need to spread awareness on water conservation.
Students with Physical Disabilities
Intellikeys IntelliKeys is a flat, programmable keyboard that plugs into your computer. This "plug and play" keyboard is used to assist students who have difficulty using the standard keyboard or mouse. It comes with basic overlays that provide alternative keyboard layouts. These assist with entering letters and numbers, navigating on-screen displays, and executing commands. IntelliKeys can also be used as an alternative for mouse functions or as a switch. This provides students who cannot use a regular keyboard an equal opportunity to use and learn from technology available through the computer which is an integral part of the lesson plan.
Students with Sensory Disabilities
soundAMP R The advanced processor amplifies soft and medium sounds, and softens loud sounds. Students with hearing difficulties will greatly benefit from this to view videos and other multimedia presentations with regard to my thematic unit.
At Risk Students
Go- Animate On GoAnimate you can make your own animated characters, direct your own cartoons and watch others' creations. It's easy, fun and free! This software is wonderful to address the needs of students at risk such as lack of motivation to engage in school work, difficulty in written expression and other related concerns by providing them a platform that encourages creativity, is easy to comprehend and provides excellent means to communicate ideas and concepts in a simple but effective format.
Gifted Students
Think Quest This site provides a platform to create projects that provide a flexible framework for engaging students in exploring curricular topics and developing important 21st century skills, such as communication, teamwork, and technology skills. The Think Quest International Competition challenges students to solve a real-world problem by applying their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills. It helps preparing students with real world skills that would help them succeed globally. This site could be used for gifted students to create a project involving innovative methods to conserve water or any topic of their choice related to current issues on water, water conservation or the properties of water.
Assessment
Group participation rubric
GoAnimate/ Glogster Presentation
Materials, Resources and Equipment
- Includes information from projects created in the previous lesson plans
- Is well structured and effectively uses resources and knowledge gained to communicate the need to save water and reduce water pollution
- Includes student experiences and views on the topic
- utilizes the given media/platform creatively to communicate and achieve the objective of the topic
Materials, Resources and Equipment
- Computers with Internet Access
- GoAnimate
