Forest River Conservation Area Clean-Up

I was very excited about creating this service learning project experience. Unfortunately, I could not fully implement my service learning assignment because it would involve students going on a field trip to the local Forest River conservation Area. Since the students could not perform their own clean-up I went to the park myself with trash bag to collect materials. I brought the bag of materials into the classroom and we sorted the materials while discussing types of recyclable materials as well as why to keep litter out of conservation areas.

           I believe if the students can experience the beauty of the conservation areas as well as the magnitude of trash they would be able to be more involved in the project. I would conduct this service learning project into my future classroom because I believe it is a dynamic learning experience. I might even create further service learning projects based on the students’ needs and interest. Exploring topics that students are interested in will guarantee their willingness to partake and their enthusiasm. 

• LINKS

How to Recycle and Reuse ANYTHING!

Find a local Recycling Center  

Volunteers investigating the health of local wetlands

Massachusetts Service Learning

Friends of Salem Woods

Service Learning Project!

Family of Swans at Forest River Conservation Area

Service Learning Project: Local Clean-up and Recycling

            Students will participate in a local clean-up at Forest River Conservation Area which is part of Salem Woods in Salem, Ma. The park contains a vast population of wildlife. The students are bringing their own trash bag and their own work or gardening gloves (try to avoid using plastic gloves). The students will be walking the trails of Forest River Conservation Area and will be picking up any trash that has been littered. During this trash clean-up students will find recyclable objects. Throughout the walk there will be discussions of the wildlife that lives on the land and in the water. Basically we are voicing the needs of the wildlife while we are in their habitat.  After the students are done picking up trash we all come back to the school.

            At the school there will be specific recycling bins larger than the ones used in the classroom. The students will talk about what can be recycled and why it can be recycled. The students have already seen why there should not be trash in an animal’s habitat. Now the students can visualized the magnitude of trash that goes untouched and unnoticed. Students learn by doing, they are sorting the items by discussing what materials made these objects.

            As a final project the students will be in groups of three or four students. Each student’s prepares a presentation on why it is important to clean the earth and recycle the trash. The presentation also includes areas the students think should be cleaned-up or maintained. The students have already studied landfills as well as habitats, so there will be a clear connection. The students are given about 4 class periods to finish their projects. When all the presentations are finished they will present the projects to each other. After they have mastered their presentation the school will have an assembly possibly per grade if school is very large. The presentations will allow the whole school to see what a difference each person can make, especially when we all have a common goal.

Critical Attributes Strategy

Critical Attributes strategy

1.  What is critical attributes strategy?

            The critical attributes teaching strategy focuses on identifying essential ideas of a concept to discourage the creation of inaccurate concepts which may lead to inadequate ideas. “Teaching children to distinguish the noncritical and critical attributes is a systematic strategy that leads to the most accurate conceptualization and sound decision making.” (Page 42)  Systematically and rationally analyzing concepts allow new information to be synthesized correctly without bias. 

2.  Develop a critical attributes list of the concepts in your current event topic. List the content, definitions, and examples. What are some non critical attributes? Current event topic: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Concepts: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Landfills, natural resources.

Definitions:

Reduce: We need to reduce the amount of the earth's resources we use to make products which may not be essential. Reducing the amount of consumption of store bought products on a daily basis.

Reuse: We need to adopt the habit of reusing products. Don't just throw an item away, instead, why not see if a friend, relative, or charity can make use of the item. Many items can be used for projects and creative ideas

Recycle: process of re-using a given product (beyond its intended use), or producing a new product from a recyclable material. We need to be able to identify old products which could be made into something new. Is the product recyclable?

Landfill: A method of solid waste disposal in which refuse is buried between layers of dirt so as to fill in or reclaim low-lying ground.

Natural Resources: A material source of wealth, such as timber, fresh water, oil, gas or a mineral deposit, occurring in a natural state and has economic value.

Examples:

Non-critical attributes: fallacies of thinking: Global Warming is not occurring so we don’t need to change anything. I recycle everything I buy even if it is band new (not reusing or reducing consumption and therefore producing unnecessary waste.

3.  What is your level of passion in this topic and/or your detached objectivity?

            I am very passionate about saving the earth’s delicate environment. The need to reduce, reuse and recycle is rooted against the very origins of our consumer based society. Educating students about the harmful effects of human activity on our climate and habitats can set a path of improvement.

4.  Do you think a level of passion gets you more fired up to want to learn it?  How can this be tempered and harnessed at the same time? (Duplass pg.41 and reference to topic 3 on social emotional learning) explain.

            The passion for a subject or topic definitely gets me fired up to learn. This same passion based motivational drive is crucial to engaging students in any lesson or activity. Collaborating ideas and being open to new ideas is part of the learning process. “Everyone’s perspective deserves to be aired and examined” (page 41) even if their beliefs are drastically different. “The emphasis on thoughtful, considerate, detached, objective analysis and discussion of history, cultures, (and) current events” (page 41) are crucial to the development of social and emotional learning and detached objectivity. This balance of self-interest and the public good rests on the recognition and management of their emotions and behaviors (page 20). A students’ perspective can be tempered, or have a certain disposition based on personal experiences. The students’ perspective can also be harnessed or controlled based on the views of society. 

5.  How can you avoid a discussion in your classroom becoming a debate? (bottom page 41)

Discussions of personal beliefs can sometimes turn into a debate. During a teacher led discussion we can avoid a debate by emphasizing the use of “thoughtful, deliberate analysis of facts and concepts…to ensure they understand that any issue has multiple perspectives that they should thoughtfully consider.”(page 41). Simply understanding that not everyone has the same views is crucial to social studies instruction because it is part of living in the real world. Modeling the thought process of a thoughtful person who solves problems systematically is a good first step.

6.  Take the four challenges, and develop four questions you would ask to facilitate a discussion in our class on Tuesday on your topic.

1. Where does trash go if we do not reduce, reuse and recycle? A landfill

2. How are landfills hurting our environment? Landfill areas are filled with junk, paper, plastic and waste that could harm the soil as well as the ecosystems within the environment.

3. How can I stop contributing to landfills? Reduce, Reuse and Recycle all “trash” materials.

4. How can I reduce, reuse and recycle? You can reduce the amount of things you buy every day, reducing waste in landfills. You can reuse things by giving them to other people, schools, organizations or you can use the materials for fun projects!

Book Resources used:

Duplass, James A. "Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Strategies, Standards and Internet Resources" third Edition

Talking Trash: Landfills

Today I was researching about recycling projects and I found this article about landfills. To see why recycling, reusing and reducing are important we must first see the horrible effects that occur. Many students are misinformed about where all the trash goes when they take it out the the curb. These big heaps of trash are just dumped into a hole in the ground, just to sit and hopefully decompose. The trash "needs oxygen and moisture in order to break down, (and) materials that are buried in a landfill will not decompose very soon. As a matter of fact, when workers dig up old landfills, they often find magazines and newspapers that are still readable! ".The buried trash leaks into our ground water, contaminating drinking water supplies.

How can we Create Change in our Communities

My overall topic is creating change in our communities. Students will research ways that the environment is being depleted. Topics such as oil drilling, endangered marine life and hurricanes shaping coastlines. These are topics I have researched, but students may even come up with different interesting issues. I choose this topic because I care about our planet and want to foster the same drive in my students. I am still exploring more ideas of how I can expand this across lessons and through a service learning project.

All about me :-)

Hello Everyone,
I am a student at Salem State College and I am enrolled in the Elementary Education Teacher Program. I am currently in junior block in a Social Studies for Elementary Teachers seminar. On this blog I have decided to talk about students participating in making changes in their communities. I will integrate a service learning project as well as a lesson plan that can be integrated into an elementary classroom.

Sincerely, Felicia