Lesson Plan by JB

Tree Identification and the use of GPS units

Standards: Physical Education Standards:

1. Students demonstrate competent skills in a variety of physical activities and sports.
2. Students demonstrate competency in physical fitness.
3. Students demonstrate the knowledge of factors important to participation in physical activity.

Grade level: 6th – 8th

What I want them to know: Students will be able to navigate school grounds using a GPS.

While navigating students will identify Colorado native species trees on campus.

How will I know they know it: I will know students have gained the knowledge via multiple avenues.
1. Question and Answer conversations
2. Written assessment
3. Quizzes
4. Homework / classwork

What will I do if they already know it: After clarifying knowledge I will allow students to create
a scavenger hunt for Colorado tree species with the use of GPS units.

What will I do if they do not know it: If students are struggling with gaining knowledge I will
work with them in small groups or one on one to develop skills in either Colorado tree
identification or how to use of GPS.
Materials needed:
 GPS units (30) on loan from Division of Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Native Tree Guide and Dichotomous key (Colorado State Forest Service), and Trees of Colorado Field Guide (Stan Tekiela).

This unit / lesson plan will integrate multiple subject areas. 1st I will integrate science via the
Colorado Tree identification. I can also introduce the idea of dendrochronology. 2nd I will work
with my Computers teacher and develop some GIS applications. The overarching theme is I
want students to realize that we as a race are responsible not only for ourselves but more
importantly we are part of a much larger picture, nature. If we do not begin to pay attention to
our surroundings and take responsibility for our own actions we as a whole could face dire
straits. I am not interested in scaring them I just want them to think about their actions and what
they can do to make this world that much better.

------------------------------------------

Lesson Plans/Curriculum Implementation Ideas by CB

Theme:  My overall theme is to get my students outside and to have them become more aware of the forest and their surroundings.

Standard:  4^th Grade, Science Standard #2

Sc.4.2.3.d Create and evaluate models of the flow of living and non-living components and resources throughout the ecosystem.

District Goal:  80% of 5^th grade students will be proficient on the Colorado Transitional Assessment Program (TCAP).  4^th grade is a critical year to help students with scientific vocabulary and thinking skills.

Activities:  My lesson plan and curriculum implementation ideas involve the “Forest Health Summary” that we had the opportunity to experience in our field trip to the forest near Sunlight.  I am planning to take my students on a monthly exploration of the wooded areas near our school.  We will check one forest health indicator each month.  Prior to the field trip, my students will need a lot of vocabulary and background knowledge.  (I anticipate 85-90% of my 4^th grade student population to be ESL.)  To develop vocabulary, I will assign words to partners and have them responsible for teaching the word to the rest of the class.  They may use pictures, gestures, and descriptions to help clarify the meaning.  All students will be required to take 3 column notes-

1) Word, pronunciation and part of speech 

2) Picture

3) Definition and 4^th grade sentence.

We will thoroughly review the Forest Health Indicator prior to the field trip. 

students will need a lot of structure and guidance to ensure success in this activity.

Along with the science standards, I will be teaching new vocabulary, how to make sense of the student pages, and numerous math skills.  Students will be using tape measures to measure the radius of their plot.  They will also need to decide on their data collection method and how to calculate their results.  Students will also have the opportunity to do some journaling about their discoveries.  In addition, Cooperation among group members will be a key to success.

Materials:  Science journals including vocabulary

               Student page for Forest Health Indicator

               Writing utensils

               Tape measure

Calculator

Good cooperative attitude

Water Bottle

Challenges:  I will need to be very clear about behavior and student expectations.   It is my responsibility to set my students up for success-academically and behaviorally.  My plan includes being in contact with the local Forest Service to provide expertise and assist with supervision. 

I am relying on my students to be able to hike to our forest location on a regular basis.   Weather may prove to be a challenge and school bus service is cost prohibitive.  I will have to promote fitness with my students and look for alternatives if necessary.

Additional Support:  Within my school community, I work closely with my team teacher.  In addition, I have a mentor and master teacher that may be able to accompany us on trips.  I plan to see what resources are available through the Forest Service, BLM, Division of Wildlife and the local CSU Extension Office.

-----------------------------

Lesson Plans by RG

Geographic Forests

Grade Level –5th

Subject(s) -Geography & Science

Big Understanding –

This lesson is designed to teach students about forests as a renewable resource.

Materials Needed –

       ·        Tree cookies (cross sections) or tree core samples

·        Computer lab with the ArcGIS/ESRI mapping software

·        Google maps virtual tour of forests in the United States

·        GoogleTrek worksheet

·        BOOKS....

·        Fire Wars the documentary

      ·        Poster paper

·        Colored markers

·        Our Changing Forests PowerPoint

·        Student science notebooks

Colorado State Standards –

                Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level Expectations: Fifth Grade
Standard: 2. Geography

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Use various geographic tools and sources to answer questions about the geography of the United States

Evidence Outcomes

Students Can:

a)    Answer questions about regions of the United States using various types of maps (DOK 1-2)

b)   Use geographic tools to identify, locate, and describe places and regions in the United States and suggest reasons for their location (DOK 1-3)

c)    Locate resources in the United States and describe the influence of access on the development of local and regional communities (DOK 1-3)

       

                Content Area: Science
Grade Level Expectations: Fifth Grade
Standard: 3. Earth Systems Science

Concepts and skills students master:

1. Earth and Sun provide a diversity of renewable and nonrenewable resources

Evidence Outcomes

Students Can:

a)    Develop and communicate a scientific explanation addressing a question of local relevance about resources generated by the sun or Earth (DOK 1-3)

b)   Analyze and interpret a variety of data to understand the origin, utilization, and concerns associated with natural resources (DOK 1-3)

Lesson Objectives –

Students will gain a basic understanding of fire and the role it plays in our forests.

Students will use ArcGIS to locate and map forests in Colorado and the United States.

Students will learn about forests as a renewable and manageable resource.

Students will learn various ways in which we manage our forests.

Engagement –

Students will be put into groups in the classroom and then asked to create a concept map using the words “FOREST” and “FIRE” as starting points. They will be asked to write anything and everything that comes to their minds when thinking about forests, fire, or a combination of the two. This will act as a pre-assessment of sorts to gauge the students background and knowledge in these two areas. Teacher and students will lead a Socratic seminar/class discussion regarding the concept maps that they created. Towards the end, teacher will guide discussion towards renewable resources and how we manage forests to sustain these renewable resources. Students will watch segments from the documentary Fire Wars by NOVA.

Investigation –

Students will be taught from a short PowerPoint that is about how our forests have changed over time and what causes them to continue to change in today's world. Student discussion will follow about the impacts of today on the forests and trees. Students will be given tree cookies or tree core samples and will learn how to determine age and history of the tree. They will record their findings in their science notebooks. Students will then go to the computer lab and take a virtual tour or GoogleTrek on forests in Colorado and the United States. The GoogleTrek will take thru to logging sites, the USFS, the Colorado State Forest Service, fire websites, and etc. Students will complete the GoogleTrek worksheet as they progress through the assignment.

Lesson Closure –

Students will use ArcGIS/ESRI mapping software to look at how forests have changed over time. Teacher will have prepared relevant .shp files for the students to load onto their maps. After the investigation, teacher will lead a wrap-up unit discussion on forests as renewable resources and the different impacts on the forests today.

One of the materials that I will need to procure for this lesson will be the tree cross sections. I think I am going to cut down some Russian Olive trees that will provide me with some basic tree cookies but I will also try to get my hands on some cross sections that show.

-----------------------------

Curriculum Implementation by TS

Teaching sixth grade humanities in a diverse urban environment offers the opportunity to carry the message of the FEI from a variety of perspectives. Humanities fundamentally allows students the opportunity to understand the world around them and the interconnectedness of people through different perspectives. I will incorporate my learning from the FEI into my current curriculum and state standards through basic human empathy and curiosity, Geography, Economics, Civics, and current events. While each of these subjects must surround specific skills and content necessary when developing a common body of knowledge among sixth graders throughout the state, FEI topics will serve as the foundation for this development in the form of case studies and basic skills.

The first and foremost theme that I will share with my students is the importance of green spaces and environmental integrity. This is a theme that has previously been visited through current events and economic perspectives; however, the FEI has provided me with numerous resources to further develop student comprehension and personal connection. While the opportunity to visit the wilderness is limited by budget and other extraneous circumstances, our proximity to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge will provide students with a personal connection with green spaces and environmental preservation.

Surrounding the topic of geography, the sixth grade humanities curriculum aggressively evolves around an understanding of the five themes of geography (Place, Location, Region, Human/Environment Interaction, and Movement). The introduction of each of these themes will serve as an opportunity to connect the resources and topics of the FEI with the current curriculum. For example, when studying Place students will begin building the personal connection with the physical environment and the importance of green spaces. Surrounding Location, students will familiarize themselves with the components of community and basic orientation skills through the ESRI program as they create maps and draw correlations between a variety of human and physical components. Human/Environment interaction will be a topic that allows students the opportunity to comprehend the positive and negatives of basic human impact on environmental sites. In addition, students will recognize the differences between good fires and bad fires and the human created conditions that allow each outcome. The subject of Movement will be surrounded by the displacement of people and allocation of resources resulting from wildfires and other environmental circumstances. Geography will serve as the subject allowing students the opportunity to acknowledge the fundamental themes and skills of the FEI and apply them to other aspects of the curriculum.

Because economics and civics are content areas that reach a wide variety of topics, education in these areas will contain specific case studies surrounding the FEI. When discussing economics, students will analyze the fishing and hunting industries within Colorado, the logging industry and its impact on the natural environment, and basic resource management. Elaborating on the idea of civics through specific case studies, students will gain a basic understanding of environmental policy on local and federal levels as well as the agencies responsible for management.

Throughout each of these subject areas outlined above, students will immerse themselves in current events and resources aimed at connecting them with the outside world. My experiences working with a variety of different professionals and teachers from different areas within Colorado has allowed me the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of outdoor education for the student population of a diverse urban environment. While I will need to contact a variety of resources within the community of Commerce City, I am confident that I will be able to connect my experiences and knowledge attained through the FEI with students and the community.