Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
Environmental Detectives Curriculum Calendar
Week 1 – Introduction (Activity #1)
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Procedures & Team Building
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9/11 – 9/13
Take extra time to review classroom procedures
Team building games and activities in science groups
Introduce GEMS curriculum
Mystery-themed activities
Goal: Team building
Vocabulary: environment, detective, investigate
W
Introducing the Mystery
Activity #1 (p. 19-24)
- Introducing the Mystery of the Dying Fish
- Creating a Timeline of the History of Gray Area
- Timeline Discussion
- Outlining the Unit for the Students
Goal: Briefly introduce unit, build excitement
Vocabulary: clue, suspect
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Becoming Detectives
Activity #1 – Going Further
- Review/Finish previous session
- Introduce and investigate Headquarters, Detective
Folder/Notebook, Materials
- Observation v. Inference Mini-Lesson
- Journal/Notebook Writing Mini-Lesson and Practice
Personal Timeline
Goal: Build understanding of science tools/materials
Vocabulary: observation, inference, assumption
Week 2 – Chlorine
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Community & Government
9/18 – 9/20
Government Mini-Lesson
- Federal, State, City, Town
- Focus on town government/boards
Activity #2 (p. 35)
- Introducing the Chlorine Problem (#1)
- Discuss/Breakdown Meeting
Write in notebook
Goal: Provide context about the who’s who in Gray Area,
Introduce and practice helping reading strategies
Vocabulary: government, economy, chemistry
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
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Bio-Indicators & Chemical Tests
Activity #2
- Juan and Ken opening statements
- Biological v. Chemical Tests
- Chlorine Files pages 1 & 2
Writing
- See page 50
Goal: Model scientific inquiry as large group, foster
understanding of the issue and how the evidence relates to the
research
Vocabulary: chlorine, bioindicator
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Chlorine Tests & Waterslide
Activity #2
- Review & Finish previous session’s activities
- Chlorine Files pages 3&4
o Breakdown language as large group
o Make connections in small groups
Detective Notebooks
- Organize properly
- Complete cover page in teams
Writing
- Page 51
Goal: Model scientific inquiry as large group, foster
understanding of the issue and how the evidence relates to the
research
Vocabulary: confidential, bacteria
Week 3 – Chlorine/Acid Rain
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Intro to Blogging
9/25 – 9/27
Blogging
- Lesson
- Tutorial (together in large group)
- Learn to log on, work on profile
Blog Entry #1
- Introduce blog assignment
- Write entry
Goal: Introduce blogging
Vocabulary: blog, reflection
W
Blogging
Blog Entry #1
- Tutorial (part 2)
- Work on blog
Typing Games
Goal: Build blogging and typing skills
Vocabulary: guilty
Environmental Detectives Curriculum Calendar
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
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Intro to pH
Rudimentary pH lesson
Goal: Introduce pH
Vocabulary: pH, acid, base
Week 4 – Acid Rain
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pH Tests
10/2 – 10/4
Activity #3, Session #1
Writing
Goal: Successfully complete experiment in teams and with
minimal teacher assistance
Vocabulary: acid rain
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Acid Rain
Activity #3, Session #2
Organize Detective’s Notebook
- Coversheet
- Vote
Writing
Goal: Successfully complete research and make inferences in
teams and with minimal teacher assistance
Vocabulary: scrubber, buffer, nitric acid rain, sulfuric acid rain
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Blogging
Blog Entry #2
- Writing process mini-lesson
- Introduce Blog assignment
- Review blog procedures
- Work on blogs
Typing Games
Goal: Successfully complete blog in teams and with minimal
teacher assistance
Vocabulary: brainstorm, outline, draft, edit
Week 5 – Acid Rain/Sediment
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Mini-Project
10/9 – 10/16
Do a mini-project on Acid Rain that can easily be accomplished
within the hour. Try to emphasize skills that haven’t been used
much so far.
Goal: Catch up on curriculum, if fallen behind; build on
knowledge, have fun and utilize alternative skills
Vocabulary: TBD
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Intro to Sediment + Testing
Activity #4 (pp. 97-99)
- Introducing the sediment problem… (p. 97)
- Juan Tunó and sedimentation… (p.98)
- Introducing sediment stations (p. 99)
Environmental Detectives Curriculum Calendar
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
Experimenting with preventing sediment runoff
Writing (p. 111, # 1-2)
Goal: Run experiment independently, think critically about the
issue and how to prevent excessive run-off
Vocabulary: sediment, erosion
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Sediment Research
Activity #4 (pp. 99-101)
Organize Detective’s Notebook
- Complete coversheet
- Vote
Writing (p. 11, #3)
Goal: Work as teams to help read, decode and interpret
Sediment files, come to conclusions with minimal teacher
prompting
Vocabulary: suffocate, Secchi disk
Week 6 – Sediment
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Blogging
10/16 – 10/18
Work on Blog
- Give students assignment, reiterate writing/blogging
processes
- Have students work in teams
Goal: Take steps toward mastery with blogging and the basic
writing process
Vocabulary: TBD
W
Mini-Project
Do a mini-project on Sediment that can easily be accomplished
within the hour. Try to emphasize skills that haven’t been used
much so far.
Goal: Catch up on curriculum, if fallen behind; build on
knowledge, have fun and utilize alternative skills
Vocabulary: TBD
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Intro to Population
Activity #5 (pp. 117-123)
- Focusing on Parallel Park (p. 117)
- Population Game (Active Version)
- Interpreting the Graphs (p. 129)
Writing
Goal: Understand the game
Vocabulary: population, resource, predator
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
Week 7 – Population
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Population in Gray Area
10/23 – 10/25
Activity #5 (pp. 129-130)
Organize Detective’s Notebook
- Complete coversheet
- Vote
Population Game
- http://puzzling.caret.cam.ac.uk/game.php?game=foodchain
- Who can get the highest score?
Goal: Understand population dynamics, connect to sediment
activity
Vocabulary: boom and crash
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Blogging
Work on Blog
- Add pictures
Goal: Learn to take and add pictures to blog posts
Vocabulary: TBD
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Mini-Project
Do a mini-project on Population that can easily be accomplished
within the hour. Try to emphasize skills that haven’t been used
much so far.
Goal: Catch up on curriculum, if fallen behind; build on
knowledge, have fun and utilize alternative skills
Vocabulary: TBD
Week 8 – Review/Phosphates
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Review
10/30 – 11/1
Teach students to review notes
Allow time to review notes
Play review game
Goal: Check student understanding, remind students of the
overall mystery and build a holistic view of the activities, etc.
Vocabulary: skim, review
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R
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Testing for Phosphates
No class (Harvest Carnival)
Activity #6, Session #1
Writing
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: phosphate, identify, algal boom
Environmental Detectives Curriculum Calendar
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
Week 9 – Phosphates/Oil
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Phosphate Research
11/6 – 11/8
Activity #6, Session #2
Writing
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: manure, fertilizer, dissolve,
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Phosphate Research/Blogging
Detective’s Notebook
Begin Blogging Assignment
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
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Blogging/Thanksgiving/Election
Finish Blogging Assignment
Thanksgiving and/or Election Activity
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
11/13 – 11/15
11/20 – 11/22
Week 10 – Oil
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Intro to Oil
Fun oil activity (observation/inquiry-heavy)
- Liquid Exploration and/or alternate activity
Read Oil Spill books (see 1st-3rd grade teachers)
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: refinery, oil spill
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Oil in Gray Area + Blog
Activity #7 (pp. 186-190)
Blog
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: autopsy, dissection, chromatograph
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Who Done It? Prep
Mini-Lesson about persuasion and debates
In teams, pick a culprit then prepare for debate presentations
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: persuade, debate
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Adventures Ahead
Fall 2012
Week 11 – Who?/Solutions
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Who Done it? Trial
11/27 – 11/29
Work on presentations
Hold a mock-debate or board meeting, have teams try to
persuade each other, then take a class vote
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
W
Celebration & Blogging
Celebrate the end of the mystery! Good detective work!
Complete final mystery-related blog
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
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Solving the Problems
Activity #8
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: synchronous, gray area
Week 12 – Solutions
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Our Community Project
12/4 – 12/6
Begin and work on projects
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
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Our Community Project
Finish projects, present to class (time permitting)
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
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Project/Wrap-Up
End well! Congratulate students for a job well done.
Goal: [Pick your own goal]
Vocabulary: TBD
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