IST Group 1: Jessica, Jennifer, and Marwa

With a growing interdependence among world economies and a rapidly expanding population, environmental education is critical to encourage trans-national global solutions for issues such as climate change, over-consumption and waste, and sustainable living. Through problem-solving and critical analysis of complex issues, students will consider global environmental challenges and develop an understanding of environmental education through interdisciplinary learning integrated with technology for middle school students in grades 6-8. With instruction organized around the theme of the environment, students will seek knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines to provide an expanded and deeper understanding of the world. Students' active engagement in their learning experience will help them develop a wide range of perspectives and encourage them to apply a variety of skills learned in the classroom into their everyday lives. The diversity of instruction provided by the teacher in the classroom will help mold productive citizens in the community.

Aim: Create a classroom environment centered on interdisciplinary learning through environmental education and technology, intertwining disciplines and making connections to real-life scenarios using all subjects and skills including language arts, math, science, social studies, music, and art. Students will engage in active learning, paving their own path through the open-ended curriculum, with facilitation from the teacher, to engage in critical thinking and problem solving in an integrated and hands-on cooperative learning environment.

Goals and Objectives: Develop awareness, knowledge, and appreciation for the natural environment. Demonstrate knowledge of local and global natural history. Evaluate environmental factors and how they affect social, economic, and educational programs. Engage in active individual and group participation to create and interpret written reports, visuals, maps, tables, and graphs. Become familiar and understand environmental pollution. Explore water, air, and land pollution and their possible remedies. Participate in group study and planning to organize information on sources of local pollution and identify potential remedies. Create written reports, presentations, speeches, and/or activities using various print and electronic media, visuals, and artifacts to present findings to other students and the community on environmental pollution. Evaluate methods for sustainability and the consumption of resources. Evaluate sustainable resources, the human impact on the ecosystem, consumption and waste, urban planning and transport, agriculture, and lifestyles and consumerism. Perform research using various print and electronic sources to write reports and create visuals. Participate in group study and discussions to further explore solutions to the world's complex problems. Develop and maintain a green environment in the classroom. Research various methods to conserve energy, reduce waste, and reuse resources. Create written reports and interactive presentations working as a group and individually to explore methods of conservation in the classroom. Participate in group projects and activities to collect and measure data and present findings to other students and the community.

The teacher will facilitate learning for the students, encouraging spontaneous activity and providing direction when necessary. Background information and learning will be provided in various ways, incorporating some direct instruction from the teacher, and students will gather information from print and online resources, such as textbooks, the Internet, newspapers, academic journals, magazines, tables, charts, graphs, visuals, and artifacts. What is environmental education?

Environmental education "refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably." - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_education Why is environmental education relevant in the classroom? Integrating environmental education into the curriculum stimulates academic and social growth of young people. Studying environmental education creates enthusiastic students and innovative teacher-learners. Children have a natural interest in the environment, and interested students are motivated students. Instructional strategies integrated with environmental studies fosters leadership qualities. Environmental education makes school subjects rich and relevant. Students who experience environmental education become real-world problem solvers, demonstrate better academic performance across the curriculum, and are provided with community service learning requirements. http://www.eeweek.org/pdf/EE_Benefits.pdf Environmental literacy integrated into the curriculum: Prepares the students for realistic problem-solving in authentic contexts. Engages the student in a cross-disciplinary and communication-intensive curriculum. Provides a rational approach to problem-solving. Encourages independent thought, intellectual and cultural breadth, and ethical awareness. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Summer-Fall-1999/Coppola.html Important topics for the knowledgeable instructor to introduce to students: Climate change Consumption and waste Overpopulation Pollution Ecological footprint Habitat loss Biodiversity Recycling Conservation Urban sprawl Fracturing Ozone depletion Food and farming Organic gardening Industrial farms Environmental policy Endangered species Geography, maps, and natural history Biology Earth science Environmental science Math and geometry Disasters and conflicts Natural resources Alternative energy Toxics Technology the students will integrate into their learning: PC and Mac Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari Mobile applications: iPad, smart phones

MS Office Suite WordPress (Blogs) Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter) Skype and other instance messaging Final Cut Pro Video and broadcast recording equipment YouTube Databases (research) Teacher programs and resources for cutting-edge curricula and instructor guides, grants, and online communities. http://www.ecoliteracy.org/teach http://neefusa.org/programs/classroom_earth.htm http://www.earthrangers.org/bring-back-the-wild-curriculum-resources/?gclid=CO_hwb3f07MCFUqoPAodtU0AYw http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/poisonedwaters/resources.html

Important facts:
There is an increase of disease through unpurified water. Harmful chemicals (pesticides) in our food are the causes of illness. Organic is the ideal process to avoid this. There are an overabundance of trash in land fields in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Through using recycled materials, this will decrease. 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.6 billion have little or no sanitation, millions of people die annually 3,900 children a dayfrom diseases transmitted through unsafe water.

The philosophy of this curriculum is progressive because it aims to imply change by critical evaluation for the sake of betterment or improvement (Hlebowitsh, p. 65). The curriculum seeks to expose students to fundamental ecological issues by engaging in real-world problems to nurture environmental awareness and encourage living in healthy communities. Students will be encouraged to explore complex issues and search for thoughtful remedies, creating an implicit or "hidden" curriculum intended to develop a classroom citizen into a self-actualized global citizen. The focus of the curriculum is to engage students in progressive learning methods. The curriculum follows a romantic naturalism philosophy, promoting an individualistic, emotional, and spontaneous experience (Hlebowitsh, p. 68). Rich, open-ended, activity-based instruction will be provided to students in individual and group work. In a group dynamic, students will learn to engage in an unhampered environment and learn by doing (Hlebowitsh, p. 68-69). Students will become disciplined, productive, self-actualizing human beings in an environment that is child-centered and defines the role of the student as an active participant in the learning process and the teacher as a facilitator of learning. Students will also learn how to integrate technology in their learning when they research and write reports; calculate data; generate and test hypotheses; take photos; create visuals, graphs, and tables; direct short films; and engage with other students and the community through social media. While the students will drive their own learning, the teacher will integrate engaging learning models for students to have an ongoing and engaging discourse in the classroom, integrating such methods as discussion-based learning, inquiry-based learning, Socratic questioning, and project-based activities, among others. Much of the curriculum will be collaborative, encouraging students to

work cooperatively in teams and share responsibilities, with the teacher molding the group dynamic to reflect an innovative workplace dynamic.

Students will be given many opportunities throughout the year to learn and explore through engaging activities and projects. Their experiences will offer opportunities to practice the behaviors laid out in the objectives through a variation of instructional models and approches that foster written and oral expression, critical thinking, problem solving, discussion and inquiry-based discovery, cooperative group dynamics, and project-based learning. Group projects: The teacher will facilite group projects throughout the year to foster learning by developing diverse team dynamics through a variety of learning models. Students will learn shared responsibilities and conflict resolution. One group project the teacher will utilize on occasion is the Jigsaw model. Students will break up into groups of four, and each student will become on "expert" on their given topic. Each student will then perform in-depth research on their topic using a variety of sources. The student will document their findings and prepare a speech, presentation, or activity using interactive technology. Groups will brainstorm, conduct experiments, perform assessments, and evaluate their peers. "Research shows that project-based learning increases critical thinking skills and fosters positive attitudes toward subjects such as mathematics and superior performance with conceptual questions and applied problems" (Center for Eco Literacy). Field trips to environmentally friendly landmarks: Students will engage in fun and learning during several field trips throughout the year to places like the Edwards Aquifer, Natural Bridge Caverns, the Canyon Hydro Electric Plant, wastewater treatment plants, and to various state parks to examine plant and wildlife. Organic gardening: The class will create and maintain a class garden and use the produce in the school and community. They will perform research and learn to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and will also learn how to compost. Students will explore the

effects of gardening on the environment, economy, and health, such as impacts to cost and production and eating habits and lifestyle. They will also consider policies and institutions that produce food, learn about genetically modified organisms and processed food, and animal welfare and worker's rights. Harvesting rainwater: Developing a rainwater harvesting system as a group to use rain water to water plants and the class garden. The class will also work in groups to develop a purification system in an attempt to recycle water for drinking. Interpersonal skills building: Students will be given several opportunities individually and in groups to engage in an ongoing discourse in the classroom. Activities will include public speaking, discussion-based instruction, inquiry-based discussion, and socratic questioning. With the instructor facilitating the conversation, students will engage in critical thinking, improve their listening skills, learn to better articulate their thoughts and ideas, and consider other students' diverse perspectives. The teacher will also utilize counter-narratives, engaging with the students and sharing stories of personal experiences to build understanding and personal connections. Research and writing: Students will have to perform extensive research and document their findings in outlines during brainstorming sessions, weekly journals, and individual and group research papers. Films and documentaries: Students will screen and write reviews on films and documentaries such as Food Inc., An Inconvenience Truth, or other films of their choice. The instructor will develop discussion guides to engage students in critical discourse about important topics discussed in the films. Technology: While students will use technology to research, write, and organize their work, they will also use computer systems to show progress of their activities. They will utilize social media, such as Facebook, as a class to update the community on classroom activities. They will also create and maintain a student blog and post updates, pictures, and videos of their work for other students and the community. For example, the stages of the garden, documenting the progress, and determining what fruits/vegetables are the best in demand will be recorded on the social media site. Extra credit: Students will be given opportunities for extra credit. Qualifying activities include joining a community garden in the city, carpooling with friends to and/or from school, starting a book club, visiting local environmentally-friendly workshops or lectures, or making changes in his or her home life (using less electricity, walking or riding a bike to school, etc.) and keeping a weekly journal of activities. Teacher assessments: The teacher will assess students on an individual basis and determine their progress on a nine-week period. Progress reports will be issued at the end of the period, detailing in writing the students' progress and areas of needed attention. Letter grades will not be given. Students will be assessed on their level of skill in subject areas through their practical activities.

Online Sources: Classroom Earth Center for Eco Literacy Center for Environmental Education Earth Rangers Environmental Protection Agency EPA in Texas Greening the Technological Curriculum National Environmental Education Foundation

Nourish PBS Frontline - Environment San Antonio Office of Environmental Policy Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting United Nations Environmental Programme Wikipedia: Environmental education Text sources: Hlebowitsh, Peter S. (2005). Designing the School Curriculum. Boston, MA. Pearson Education Incorporated. Paterson, J. (2010). Integrating environmental education. The Education Digest, 75(7), 38-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/docview/218189124/fulltextPDF?accountid=7122 . Willis, J. & Weiser, B. (2005). Technology and Environmental Education: An Integrated Curriculum. Applied Environmental Education and Communication. 4(4), 297-303. Virginia: AACE.

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