Our process to develop this "Thematic Classroom"
Gayle asked the question "Can you clarify our plan for me? As of now, we are looking at resources and trying to piece together a unit plan? If that is so, I'm wondering if we need to look at overall and more specific expectations and match resources to those?"
When we are done, we want a space in COOL that a Grade 10 teacher can go to where there is everything they need to do a bang-up job on this unit: easy to use, ready to go, with how it meets curr expectations clearly laid out -- a unit plan would help with all these.
And would it help us in our work right now?
In general, pls weigh in on how we want to structure our process -- once we've compiled some resources, what next?
14 Replies
I think it would make sense to create some sort of Unit framework in which to list "recommended" resources (with a good variety of options) and their sequence.
We need to have this structured and very user friendly for teachers.
Doug
What might this framework look like? Topics? Themes? Expectations? Lessons?
Stephen
There are different ways to approach a framework but I think the most "teacher-friendly" would be in a logical chronological sequence for teaching the unit - this would need discussion within our group. For "example" a course outline might include . . .
1. an introduction to the unit (diagnostic items, STSE engagement, getting started activities)
2. "Basic climate science"(the atmosphere, Sun/Earth relationships,heat transfer/convection currents on the planet, climate cycles etc), then
3. the current situation - ie AGW science (the production and consequences of GHG production - this would include sources of GHGs and the major impacts of climate change - weather events, biome shifts, Arctic impacts, sea level rise, ocean acidification etc etc)
4. Implications for society/needed actions (responding to CC through adaptation and action to reduce our carbon footprint).
5. Unit task - options for summative assessment
Of course throughout we would need both local and global perspectives and rich resources that engage students in the learning process.
Example of introduction lesson:
video on Ice Core
Generic unit outline.
Implemented in different ways.
This post was edited on: 2012-05-15 at 04:17 PM by: GreenLearning(SM)
Intro video
- Canadian
- traditional knowledge
IISD
check email.
The 20 min version of the video/DVD is called: Sila Alangotok and is produced by International Institute for Sustainable Development (iisd) and produced with the cooperation of the community of Sachs Harbour and the Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat. The iisd is in Manitoba. They still have the 50 min video available, but I find that's a bit too long for the students to really get good stuff out of it.
Meg
Introduction
The Basic Science of Climate Change
Current Situation
Implications of Climate Change
Living with Climate Change
Unit Task
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3B1VQY9zN8
This a link to Meg's video reference.
There is a 13:44 version of the Sila Alangotok video on Youtube.
I have put it in the Video section here in this collaborative space.
We can embed it into the Resouce in the COOL data base.
This is EXACTLY the one I'm talking about. This is better than the you tube video I found for last year - which was clunky & took forever to load throughout. I'll check this out on the data projector in a classroom tomorrow - sometimes the you tube videos don't project all that well (well, the one I found last year didn't).
Thanks all.
Meg
I've created a new Folder, "Tools for Developing Unit," and added the template file to this folder -- the one we talked about at our last meeting -- the headings for a entry (lesson, etc.) to the COOL Resource Database.
I've added the notes from our May 29 meeting to the Folder, "Tools for Developing the Unit." It contains 1) how to download and work on a document someone else added; 2) the Unit Outline that Doug will draft and how to use it to track new additions; 3) Sarah searching the COOL Database to identify resources to add to the project (hopefully reducing workload); 4) working in Word; 5) when Threads get too long.
I've added the notes from our June 14 meeting. I will do up curriculum expectations for this unit and add here.
Doug Fraser
Apr 27, 2012 at 11:38 AM