NCDPI -- AIG Instructional Resource: Background Information
Resource Title: Conservation Counts
Subject Area/Grade Level (s): Task 15 ELA/ Grade 2
Time Frame: Two weeks
Common Core/Essential Standard Addressed:
W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts,
and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Additional Standards Addressed:
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity: On or near Earth Day, the AIG students will read the selected advanced text, then collaborate to plan
and execute a conservation practice to benefit the community, and write personal narratives recounting their work.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply):
x Enrichment
Adaptations for AIGs:
x Product
Content
x Process
x Extension
x Acceleration
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs: AIG students will engage in this real-world task of practicing conservation. They will
critically read an advanced text about true stories of people who are helping protect our planet, use collaboration and creative problem solving
to identify and determine a conservation need in their own community, and then plan and execute a conservation practice. They will benefit
from the problem-solving and open-ended nature of this task. They will build social and leadership skills and gain satisfaction by helping make a
difference. They will increase writing skills through writing a personal narrative recounting the experience.
Needed Resources/Materials
 Rohmer, Harriet. Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet. Chronicle Books, LLC. 2009.
Sources: NA
TEACHER NOTES: If you cannot obtain multiple copies of the book, it can be read-aloud by you or rotating students. Having the students write
two-column notes showing illustrations and summary statements will be beneficial.
You will have to guide the AIG students in planning and executing their conservation practice. They need to be mindful of resources available
and plan something that can actually be done, not just a great idea.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project
NCDPI AIG Curriculum Resource Outline
STAGE ONE: ENGAGE
Concept: Change
As an extension of the second grade Earth Day activities, AIG students will be grouped to engage in this problem-solving task.
They will read the advanced text Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet and take two-column
notes to summarize and illustrate key points about each of the people featured in the book.
Post-reading group discussion questions:
 How did the twelve people in the book help our planet?
 Where in the text did you read about personal qualities that enabled the people to do their work?
 How did they get their ideas?
 What problems were they trying to solve?
 What evidence is there that the people encountered problems in their work?
 Why do you think the author wrote this book?
 Where in the text can you find support for the author's main idea?
 Where can you find reasons that support the author's specific point that the heroes demonstrate persistence in the text?
 How does this book inspire you to practice conservation?
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
Engage the students in reflection about their own community conservation measures.
What conservation practices do we currently have in our community?
e.g. recycling, fluorescent bulbs, bicycling, turning off the water, farm to table organic farming, etc.
 What needs for conservation do we still have?
 What is not being done?
 What problems are occurring because people are not conserving?
 What could you do as students to help save the planet?
 How would you carry out your plan?
 What are your specific reasons for this action?
 How did the heroes in the text inspire you about practicing conservation?
Students work collaboratively to identify an environmental problem in the school or community, plan a conservation practice to address the
problem, and plan a course of action. This could include making posters or signs to inform and involve others.
This may take days or weeks to execute.
Upon completion of implementing the conservation practice, each AIG student will write a personal narrative recounting the sequence of
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project
events. They will include details of the planning, execution, thoughts and feelings, will use temporal words to signal event order, and will provide
a closing to summarize the experience.
 Guiding questions for the narratives:
 What was your first step in this project?
 What interesting details will you include to describe your actions?
 How will you include your thoughts and feelings in the narrative?
 What temporal words will you use the signal the order of events?
 How will you summarize the entire experience and provide a sense of closure in your narrative?
STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
Evaluate the students' plans for successful collaboration, reflection on real-community needs, inclusion of reasons for action as inspired by realworld conservation heroes in the text, and execution of their plan as complete or incomplete.
AIG students' narrative writings will be assessed using a rubric.




Clear Evidence
3
Moderate Evidence
2
Little Evidence
1
recount of the conservation plan and practice
inclusion of details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings,
use of temporal words to signal event order,
and a sense of closure.
TEACHER NOTES: NA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project