I want my grade 5 science students to solve the world’s greatest problem.

How might we invent a product using renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon foot print?

Research and Introduction

Important environmental science topics will be learned through research and discussions in our grade 5 classroom. Ideally students will learn the answers  the following essential questions throughout the research phase of the LAUNCH sequence. The learning goal is to be able to answer all of the essential questions.The project goal is to use their learning to invent a product which will reduce our dependence on burning fossil fuels.

10 Essential Questions

1. What are fossil fuels?
2. What is climate change?
3. What are renewable energy sources?
4. How does the green house effect work?
5. What type of gases make up our atmosphere?
6. How does burning fossil fuel effect our environment?
7. What is a carbon foot print and how do I calculate it?
8. Does the production of meat as food effect the atmosphere?
9. How does having too much carbon dioxide effect our atmosphere?
10. How does using renewable energy sources effect the environment?

Recognizing “The Problem”

Our dependence on fossil fuels and overindulgence in meat consumption is causing climate change.

How might we ….

How might we invent a product using renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon foot print.

Ideation:

Students will complete a crazy eight activity to come up with a product which will help to reduce green house gas emissions. 8 minutes and 8 squares, 1 minute per square.

After 8 minutes students will be asked to select their best idea and create a story board to show how they may create this product.

Gallery

Students will place their idea on the wall and provide feedback on other ideas. Students will be asked to post their critique on top of each storyboard.

Prototype

Everyone will build a model of their product.

Sharing with the world

Students will share their idea with the class in any form they would like. Some may want to create a commercial for their invention. Students will have the opportunity to share their product with the school in a showcase display for their products.

My hope

At the conclusion of this project students will have created change. Their knowledge of our effect on the environment will impact the decisions that they make when managing their own energy consumption.

I want my grade 5 science students to solve the world’s greatest problem.

How might we invent a product using renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon foot print?

Research and Introduction

Important environmental science topics will be learned through research and discussions in our grade 5 classroom. Ideally students will learn the answers  the following essential questions throughout the research phase of the LAUNCH sequence. The learning goal is to be able to answer all of the essential questions.The project goal is to use their learning to invent a product which will reduce our dependence on burning fossil fuels.

10 Essential Questions

1. What are fossil fuels?
2. What is climate change?
3. What are renewable energy sources?
4. How does the green house effect work?
5. What type of gases make up our atmosphere?
6. How does burning fossil fuel effect our environment?
7. What is a carbon foot print and how do I calculate it?
8. Does the production of meat as food effect the atmosphere?
9. How does having too much carbon dioxide effect our atmosphere?
10. How does using renewable energy sources effect the environment?

Recognizing “The Problem”

Our dependence on fossil fuels and overindulgence in meat consumption is causing climate change.

How might we ….

How might we invent a product using renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon foot print.

Ideation:

Students will complete a crazy eight activity to come up with a product which will help to reduce green house gas emissions. 8 minutes and 8 squares, 1 minute per square.

After 8 minutes students will be asked to select their best idea and create a story board to show how they may create this product.

Gallery

Students will place their idea on the wall and provide feedback on other ideas. Students will be asked to post their critique on top of each storyboard.

Prototype

Everyone will build a model of their product.

Sharing with the world

Students will share their idea with the class in any form they would like. Some may want to create a commercial for their invention. Students will have the opportunity to share their product with the school in a showcase display for their products.

My hope

At the conclusion of this project students will have created change. Their knowledge of our effect on the environment will impact the decisions that they make when managing their own energy consumption.

Power of Three

Step 1:

Now that November approaches and it is time for progress reports to be finalized I have had enough time to be able to know my students enough to reflect on their pressing needs.

1. Science Collaboration – students need to take advantage of the time they have together. Having one or more lab partners is necessary to complete many of our experiments. Some groups of student can become engaged in conversation outside the realm of science discussions, this results in wasted time.

2. Recognizing the need for math extra help – There is a wide range of student understanding within my classroom. Some concepts come easy for students while some students struggle. Those that need reinforcement beyond our class time have 3 extra math help opportunities to attend my math help sessions. Some have not taken the initiative to come in for one on one help to practice their skills. I am hoping that all students feel welcome and encouraged to drop in when concept are difficult.

3. Encouraging perseverance among phys ed students who lack athletic confidence. Those students who have had limited access to sports equipment are often very tentative which makes skill development difficult.

Step 2:

These are the questions that I have asked particular students.

1. Who do you work best with. What lab partner do you think you would get the most work completed with?

2. Would you like to attend extra math help tomorrow morning or any morning?

3. What is your favourite sport? What sports would you like to improve? What games would you like to play in gym class.

Step 3:

the outcomes

1. Buy giving the chance to reflect on past lab partners and a choice to who they work best with I have found their reasoning mature and effective. The specific student who I questioned let me know that his partner was seldom on task and required constant redirection on his part to complete work. I moved him to a different partner and he appreciated it and his teamwork improved.
2. Some students simply require more one on one help in order to consolidate concepts. Asking students to come in regularly for early morning extra math help does make a difference but parent communication is essential for consistent weekly help. The student group that I targeted for extra help was attending extra math help inconsistently until I reached out to the parents. After parent contact attendance improved which helped the group consolidate their learning together.
3. Taking an extra moment to ask struggling phys. Ed. students what their favourite sport is seemed to get them to come out of there shells. I asked them for their favourite gym game and made sure to incorporate their game within a class or warm up. Making these students more comfortable in their class seems to increase participation.

The power of three process helped to better fulfill the needs of my students producing a better academic outcome while communicating with parents to ensure they are being help accountable for their learning.

Today is my first face 2 face session at cohort 21. I’m a teacher at Kingsway College School and teach grade 4 gym, grade 5 science and grade 6 math. So far I’ve made lots of great personal connections with several educators and am feeling really good about my decision to enrol in the cohort this year. I am looking forward to learning about design thinking and using my new skills in my classroom. This is my first blog post, up next I take on twitter.

Welcome to Cohort 21. This is the first post on your new blog. This journal is an integral part of your Cohort 21 experience. Here you will reflect, share and collaborate as you move through the C21 learning cycle towards your action plan.

Cohort 21 is a unique professional development opportunity open to CIS Ontario teachers and school leaders who are seeking to explore  what it means to a teacher in the 21st century.