BACHELOR OF EDUCATION
UNIT PLAN SAMPLE FOR EDPR 3200, EDPR 4100 AND EDPR 4200
Unit Title:
Name:
Reducing Garbage
Number of Lessons:
Subject(s):
4
Time: (in weeks)
Science
Grade(s):
|1.5
7
Rationale: This unit is important as it will instill in students the desire to preserve our natural resources and will inform them of ecologically friendly ways to dispose
of garbage.
Overview: This unit is designed to highlight the impact of garbage on ecosystems. Students will learn that there are alternatives to simply ‘throwing things away’,
including reusing, recycling, and composting. The unit will culminate with a compost building project on Earth Day. Students will be assessed on: posters they
create depicting the affect of garbage on the elements of ecosystems; treasures they make out of garbage; advertisements describing their ‘treasure’; questions on
worm needs and composting; and their compost collecting buckets and composting units.
Prescribed Learning Outcomes from IRPs:
Life Science: Ecosystems
It is expected that students will:
E1 - analyze the roles of organisms as part of interconnected food webs, populations, communities, and ecosystems
E2 - assess survival needs and interactions between organisms and the environment
E3 - assess the requirements for sustaining healthy local ecosystems
E4 - evaluate human impacts on local ecosystems
Prerequisite Concepts and Skills: As students have already done a unit on ecosystems, they will be expected to know most of the ecological terms after a short
review session. Students also need to be able to research and find information given appropriate websites through which to search.
Teacher Preparation Required:
- Firm grasp on ecosystems, garbage (where it goes), and vermicomposting (worm composting).
- Create handouts: one with questions on how to take care of worms in compost and five reasons for composting; one with compostable and non-compostable
materials; and one with diagrams on how to build the composting unit.
- Buy worms, soil, buckets, and Rubbermaid containers.
- Punch holes in Rubbermaid containers for aeration.
Cross-Curricular Connections: In this mini-unit there are no specific cross-curricular connections. If the unit were longer, distinct connections would be made to
language arts (reading, writing, viewing and speaking), health and P.E.(recycle relay games.)
Extensions to Unit: After this unit, further lessons could be designed around experiments on what the worms are eating, how long it takes for food to be consumed
in the bin, and how much compost is being consumed. Other extensions could involve more green alternatives for the school including a school garden, programs
for recycling plastics, and awareness campaigns about less energy consumption.
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BACHELOR OF EDUCATION
UNIT PLAN SAMPLE FOR EDPR 3200, EDPR 4100 AND EDPR 4200
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI):
Learning Difficulties: When researching, information can be limited to a provided information sheet, rather than a variety of websites. Students can work with the
guidance of the SSW for researching and be provided with the Frayer’s Model worksheet for focusing research on ecological terms in lesson #1. During the trash to
treasure activity, students will be given an example sheet to assist them if they are having a hard time selecting something. This sheet will be reviewed with SSW
ahead of time to ensure something is available at each student’s level. When needed, students will be given more time to finish projects and can answer fewer
questions at teacher’s discretion.
Enrichment: Students will be given a ‘finishing’ activity of writing the Principal to ask for a school-wide composting program. Students will also be reminded
individually that even though projects may be easy for them, I expect them to do their best work and challenge themselves with creations of posters, ‘treasures’,
composting bucket and unit.
ESL: When working with large amounts of text, such as with the researching or advertisement poster, students will be given less text-intensive alternatives.
Students will also be assigned groups with compassionate peers and when choosing own groups, I will check in with them at beginning of class to make sure they
are comfortable and understand the topic.
Aboriginal: Relate unit to concept of aboriginal philosophy/belief of our connection to the earth. Talk to Aboriginal support workers in the school to see if any
adaptations would be beneficial.
Resources:
http://www.wormdigest.org/content/view/133/2/ - worm composting resource
http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html - worm composting resource
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/decomposers.htm - worm composting resource
http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/MarsSim/SimHTML/info/whats-a-decomposer.html - worm composting resource
http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/wormfarm.html - video on worm composting
http://rcbc.bc.ca/files/u7/education_sampleactivity.pdf - trash for treasure questions
http://rcbc.bc.ca/files/u3/add_Waste_Prevention.pdf - waste prevention handouts
http://rcbc.bc.ca/files/u3/add_ThinkTwiceBeforeThrowingitAway_000.pdf - where does garbage go?
http://rcbc.bc.ca/files/u3/add_facts-composting.pdf - hand out for composting
http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/vermiculture_and_worm_composting - food and bedding for worms
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4072895 - Berkley man saves trash
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/wa-ted-new-zealand-fast-food-is-bad-food.html - Wasted trash
“There’s a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm’s Story” book by Gary Larson
B.C. Science Probe 7 - textbook
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BACHELOR OF EDUCATION
UNIT PLAN SAMPLE FOR EDPR 3200, EDPR 4100 AND EDPR 4200
Overview of Lessons:
Lesson
#&
time in
minutes
PLOs
in
lesson
(a) Instructional
Objectives
(b) Teaching Strategies
Lesson Activities
Assessment Strategies
Materials
(Specific to This Lesson)
#1
Review
of
Ecologic
al Terms
& Impact
of
Garbage
E1
E2
E3
E4
(a)
TSWBAT define ecological
terms using pictures and
words.
TSWBAT evaluate the
impact of garbage on local
ecosystems.
(b)
- Group work
- Mini-posters
- Direct instruction
- Class brainstorming
- Large class poster
Hook/Video - Show Earth Day video
Term Mini-poster- In groups, create miniposter defining and expanding on a
specific ecological term
Garbage Web - Contribute to class
brainstorming web on garbage
Class Poster - In groups, create class poster
answering, “what affect does garbage
have on x (group’s ecological term)?”
Closure/1 Word - Write 1 word that
summarizes the impact of garbage
Assessment for/of
Learning:
- Group mini-posters on
ecological terms and
class poster on the
affects of landfills on
terms (rubric)
- Earth Day video
www.youtube.com/watch?v
=EqGNIKvnluI
- Large piece of paper from
roll
- Construction paper
- Felts
- Laptops
- SMARTboard
- Textbook
- Informational books
E4
(a)
TSWBAT create a product
from recyclable materials.
TSWBAT justify why
reusing garbage benefits
the environment.
(b)
- Individual building project
- Walk-about
Hook/Video - Garbage for a Year video
Recycled Junk Build -Individual building
activity with discarded materials.
Ad - Write advertisement describing newly
built treasure
Closure/Walkabout - Walk around room to
see and encourage other students’ work
Assessment for/of
Learning:
- garbage treasure
(observation)
- advertisement
(checklist)
- Garbage for a Year video
- Discarded items
- Used paper
- Felts
- Glue
- Tape
- String
75
Minutes
#2 Reuse
&
Recycle
– Trash
to
Treasure
75 min.
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Assessment as
Learning:
Question on ad: “Why I
chose this project and
what I liked about it?”
3
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION
UNIT PLAN SAMPLE FOR EDPR 3200, EDPR 4100 AND EDPR 4200
#3
Worms
E1
E2
E3
75
Minutes
(a)
TSWBAT list the needs
(nutritional and habitat) of
worms.
TSWBAT generate reasons
for composting in school.
(b)
Small- group research race
Class collaboration on
organization of research
Direct instruction
Handout
Partner-share
#4
Mini
Worm
Compost
Bucket
75
Minutes
(Closure
may take
place
during
next
class)
E1
E2
E3
E4
(a)
TSWBAT construct a
composting unit that is
appropriate for the survival
of worms.
TSWBAT produce
educational information on
worm care and composting
for other classrooms.
(b)
Direct instruction
Class discussion
Small-group building
projects
Hook/Worm Pics – Show pictures of
composting worms
Research Race - In groups of 3, do research
race on worms/detrivores (habitat,
food/water, and contributions to ecosystems)
and composting (materials, benefits, and
how-to): 1 student researches, 1 writes, and
1 runs to board and sticks each piece of
information to board.
Organize Research - Class collaboration and
organization of information gathered into
categories (eg: food, bedding, compostable
materials)
Handout - Do handout on
how to take care of worms and 5-finger
tracing with reasons for composting
Closure/3 Things Learned - Share 3 things
learned today with a partner
Hook/Challenge – Explain the challenge:
Assessment for/of
“Worm Compost Bucket Design” In groups of
Learning:
3, students will design an informative
composting bucket for other classes in the
- Informative composting
school that includes list of worm needs and
bucket project (rubric)
compostable and non-compostable materials
as well as five reasons for composting
Discussion - Contribute to class discussion
on design of worm composting unit. Choose
a class for which to design bucket.
Compost Bucket
Construction - In groups of 3, build, fill, and
decorate composting unit.
Closure – When complete groups deliver and
explain the bucket to their chosen class.
Reflections/Revisions (if necessary, continue on separate sheet): To Be Determined
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Assessment for/of
Learning:
- Observation during
group research time
Handout:
- Student directions for
taking care of worms
- 5-finger reasons for
composting
(checklist)
4
- Pictures of composting
worms
- SMARTboard
- Informational books
- Scraps of recycled paper
- Websites on worms and
composting (listed in unit
outline)
- Handouts of research
information
- Handout of questions on
needs of worms and
reasons for composting
- Laptops
- (8) 4L ice cream buckets
- Construction paper
- White glue
- Paint brushes
- Newspaper/recycled paper
- 8 8”-12” deep Rubbermaid
containers
- Soil
- Newspaper
- Paint
- Paintbrushes