Seventh graders learn about the human impact on their ecological surroundings, according to curriculum expectations in various places. During these middle school years, some students lack the motivation to learn. It can't hurt to take the learning outside; in fact, it will probably help!
Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
First they discuss these questions:
Gather everyone around and discuss the health and goodness of habitats each group found on their section of the school property. Discuss in groups how the human activity of building and maintaining this school has affected habitats for animals. Then each group shares their discussion. Again in their groups, reflect on this question: can we share our habitats in better ways that work for both people and animals in this particular place. Come together to discuss.
As their leader, you need to remind students of the schoolyard's primary purposes: "In the first place, it has to be clear what a school aims at using the play yard. The functions of the playground can be as a meeting place, a gathering space, a play area and even as an assembly point. Most applications of the playground end up as multi-use featured spaces that need to be incorporated into the school design right from the very beginning." (asphalt2ecosystems.org)
Then listen to sixth graders' presentations about how the schoolyard can be part of a greater habitat corridor or wildlife corridor in the neighborhood. Sixth graders can also share the information that they learned about designing the area to catch storm runoff so that it doesn't go down storm drains.
Tell each group to back to their assigned section outside and imagine how that section can be a healthy good place for both people and other creatures. Write and draw about it.
Back in the classroom (or outside), share the ideas together. Initiate the opportunity for the class to prepare a presentation to the sixth graders who presented their corridor and runoff information, to the whole school, and even to its administration to suggest the next steps in enlarging (and in future years maintaining) the naturalized area of the school grounds. See Plant for Pedagogy I.
The class can design this project from start to finish, and the school can celebrate the new signs' installation.
Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
Curriculum expectations are always based on the Ontario Ministry of
Expectations. Many of the activities will reinforce, rather than teach,
those expectations. As such, no assessment ideas or rubrics are
included.
Overall Expectations:
- assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
- investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
- demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.
Schoolyard Sharing
In this project, students conduct a survey of their school grounds to discover in what ways it is or isn't a healthy habitat for themselves and for other creatures.* They work in small groups to discuss and sketch their ideas on how to improve their school yard for plants and animals. Prepare for chaperones for this onsite field trip the way you would for an offsite field trip. Prepare clipboards, paper and pencils. Prepare a map of the school grounds for each group. First they discuss these questions:
- What makes a school yard a healthy, good place for us?**
- What makes a school yard a healthy, good place for other creatures?
- What is a habitat, and what do animals need from a habitat?
- How can we share the school grounds well, and why would we?
Gather everyone around and discuss the health and goodness of habitats each group found on their section of the school property. Discuss in groups how the human activity of building and maintaining this school has affected habitats for animals. Then each group shares their discussion. Again in their groups, reflect on this question: can we share our habitats in better ways that work for both people and animals in this particular place. Come together to discuss.
As their leader, you need to remind students of the schoolyard's primary purposes: "In the first place, it has to be clear what a school aims at using the play yard. The functions of the playground can be as a meeting place, a gathering space, a play area and even as an assembly point. Most applications of the playground end up as multi-use featured spaces that need to be incorporated into the school design right from the very beginning." (asphalt2ecosystems.org)
Then listen to sixth graders' presentations about how the schoolyard can be part of a greater habitat corridor or wildlife corridor in the neighborhood. Sixth graders can also share the information that they learned about designing the area to catch storm runoff so that it doesn't go down storm drains.
Tell each group to back to their assigned section outside and imagine how that section can be a healthy good place for both people and other creatures. Write and draw about it.
Back in the classroom (or outside), share the ideas together. Initiate the opportunity for the class to prepare a presentation to the sixth graders who presented their corridor and runoff information, to the whole school, and even to its administration to suggest the next steps in enlarging (and in future years maintaining) the naturalized area of the school grounds. See Plant for Pedagogy I.
Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Form and Function
Overall Expectations:
- analyze personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that need to be considered in designing and building structures and devices;
- design and construct a variety of structures, and investigate the relationship between the design and function of these structures and the forces that act on them;
- demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between structural forms and the forces that act on and within them.
Schoolyard Signs
Students can be assigned to collaborate on building a few interpretive signs for the new naturalized area. They will need to consider what materials to use, what kinds of weather and use the signs will need to deal with. They can research interpretive signs already in use, and reflect on their pros and cons.
The class can design this project from start to finish, and the school can celebrate the new signs' installation.
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| Oakland County Blog |
For more ready-made science lessons for outside, with worksheets, click here.
*Lesson from National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitat PDF
** Is your schoolyard treated with weedkiller? Ask students to do a risk/benefit analysis on that practice. Even in tentative-sounding scholarly articles, like this one, researchers state that they are persuaded that herbicide exposure is linked to cancers, neurological impairment and reproductive/endocrine problems.
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