UNIT PLAN - TEMPLATE 1
OVERVIEW FOR UNIT AS A WHOLE
TITLE: What's What and What Isn't? Wonderful Ideas for Sustainability
GRADE LEVEL: 3rd
CONTENT AREAS: Science, Art, Reading, Writing, Math
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
Where in the world is carbon conservation?
Earth, Wind, and Solar: The reunion tour?
It isn’t easy being green, or is it? (a la Katy)
I’m melting! Is this a side effect of global warming?
LEARNING TARGET/GOAL:
EALR'S AND GLE'S:
SCIENCE: 3.2.4. Understand how humans depend on the natural environment and can cause changes in the environment that affect humans' ability to survive.
READING: 2.4.4. Evaluate author’s effectiveness for a chosen audience. WRITING: 3.1.1. Analyzes ideas, selects topic, adds detail, and elaborates. MATH: 5.3.1 Understand that mathematics is used extensively in daily life outside the classroom.
COMMUNICATION: 1.2.2. Understands fact and opinion in mass media. ART: 3.2 Use the arts to communicate for a specific purpose. Create and/or perform an artwork to communicate
for a given purpose with instructor direction
SOCIAL STUDIES: 5.2.2 Uses a graphic organizer to organize main ideas and supporting details from visuals
and literary, narrative, informational, and expository texts.
DAY: 1
OBJECTIVE(S): After a mini lesson on how to organize ideas with a graphic organizer, students will be shown
several mixed media sources pertaining to sustainability from which SWBAT take notes and organize ideas on a
graphic organizer.
EALR'S AND GLE'S: SOCIAL STUDIES: 5.2.2 Uses a graphic organizer to organize main ideas and supporting details from visuals
and literary, narrative, informational, and expository texts. MATERIALS NEEDED:
3 R’s video
TFK Article
Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming
Learning Log
PROCEDURES: (Label each step in the process as: Activating prior knowledge, disequilibrating or discrepant
event, elaboration, crystallization)
? Give a mini lesson on the different types of graphic organizers and how to pull ideas and information
from resources and structure it into an organizer. (cluster map, notes). Activating prior knowledge
? Talk to the students about what they know about sustainability, during the mini lesson I would use
articles relating to sustainability designed to get the students thinking. Disequilibrating event
? Set up three stations (video, article, book) and have students rotate through the stations making sure each
student visits at least two. Circulate around the room answering questions and providing guidance as
needed. Help students stay on track and focused. elaboration
? Have students return to their learning pods and share what they learned with their group. crystallization
? Have then do a short writing about what they learned, why they think we are learning about that subject
and any questions they might have. crystallization POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE: What was the learning target?
Why are you learning this?
How is this tied to previous learning?
How well did you meet the target?
How are you being evaluated?
What strategies or resources are available to you?
POST-ASSESSMENT: formative
Completed graphic organizer in their learning log.
DAY: 2
OBJECTIVE(S):
Given a lesson on green house gases and their role in global warming SWBAT draw a diagram of the green
house effect and explain how it affects global warming to someone outside of class. EALR'S AND GLE'S:
SCIENCE: 3.2.4. Understand how humans depend on the natural environment and can cause changes in the
environment that affect humans' ability to survive.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Labels
Learning Logs
Family Response Sheet
PROCEDURES: (Label each step in the process as: Activating prior knowledge, disequilibrating or discrepant
event, elaboration, crystallization)
? Hold a discussion on what a green house is. What is it used for? Ask if anyone has heard of greenhouse
gasses. How might they be similar or different? Talk about what kinds of things emit greenhouse gasses
into the atmosphere. Once you have a good working definition move on. Activating prior knowledge
? Break students into three groups: heat (8), green house gasses (4), and observers. Label one wall the
earth and the other the Sun. Have the heat group start on the sun side of the room. Explain to students
that every day the sun sends heat rays down to the earth and that that heat passes through the greenhouse
gasses. It then bounces off the earth and returns back to the sun. However some of the heat is trapped
by the greenhouse gasses (have one heat get stuck on the earth side), this is normal.
? Explain that if there are too many greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere the heat has a hard time
escaping. (Have observers join the green house gasses). Have the heat travel back down to the earth
and on its way back to the sun have each green house gas trap one heat. Disequilibrating event
? Explain to students that when all the heat is trapped on the earth side of the atmosphere the earth can get
too warm. This process is called global warming. elaboration
? Have students draw a picture in their learning log of global warming. Explain that they are each going
to go home and give a presentation to an adult. The adult will need to answer the question sheet based
on their presentation. crystallization
POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE: What was the learning target?
Why are you learning this?
How is this tied to previous learning?
How well did you meet the target?
How are you being evaluated?
What strategies or resources are available to you?
POST-ASSESSMENT formative
Adult answer sheet and drawing of global warming.
DAY: 3
OBJECTIVE(S):
Given a short tutorial on how to decode story problems, using problems that focus on real life issues of
sustainability SWBAT recognize how math is used outside the classroom and can impact their life. EALR'S AND GLE'S:
MATH: 5.3.1 Understand that mathematics is used extensively in daily life outside the classroom. MATERIALS NEEDED:
Story Problems
Docu-Cam
Calculator
PROCEDURES: (Label each step in the process as: Activating prior knowledge, disequilibrating event, elaboration, crystallization) ? Put a story problem on the board. Ask students what is the problems asking us to do (add, subtract,
multiply, divide), what information is it giving us and what information do we need to find. Work
through a couple of problems on the docu-cam with students. Activating prior knowledge Also talk with
students about the greenhouse gasses from the previous day and how carbon emissions are one form of
greenhouse gas.
? Give students story problem sheet. Have them work individually to find the answers.
? Have them work in pods to compare their answers and talk about what strategies they used to get the
answer.
? Have each pod share their answer and lead a whole class discussion on the content presented within the
problems. disequilibrating event
? Have students think, pair, and share about what they learned in regards to today’s story problems,
greenhouse gasses and global warming. Elaboration
? Have students write in their learning logs any new information they have learned, how it relates to what
they learned already this week, and any questions that they might have. crystallization POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE:
What was the learning target?
Why are you learning this?
How is this tied to previous learning?
How well did you meet the target?
How are you being evaluated?
What strategies or resources are available to you?
POST-ASSESSMENT formative or summative
Learning log entries
DAY: 4
OBJECTIVE(S):
After reading two conflicting pieces written regarding global warming legislation SWBAT decide how effective
each author was at making their case.
EALR'S AND GLE'S:
READING: 2.4.4. Evaluate author’s effectiveness for a chosen audience. MATERIALS NEEDED:
Two articles
PROCEDURES: (Label each step in the process as: Activating prior knowledge, disequilibrating or discrepant
event, elaboration, crystallization) ? Have a discussion with students about books they may have read where two different people or
characters tell about the same event. Were the stories the same? How were they different? Which story
did you believe? Why? Introduce the idea of effective writing and brainstorm some things that make
writing effective. Introduce the topic of global warming and how there are many opposing views about
global warming. Activating prior knowledge
? Have students read the two articles, using a graphic organizer to pull out the important information.
Have them compare and contrast the two articles and the strengths and weaknesses of each. discrepant
event
? Have students get into small groups to discuss their ideas and thoughts about each article. elaboration
? Have students write in their learning logs, which author was more effective and why. Have them use
specific points and details from the articles. crystallization
POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE: What was the learning target?
Why are you learning this?
How is this tied to previous learning?
How well did you meet the target?
How are you being evaluated?
What strategies or resources are available to you?
POST-ASSESSMENT: formative
Learning log entries, graphic organizers
DAY: 5
OBJECTIVE(S):
After a review of the ideas, concepts and lessons learned during the week SWBAT create an art piece which
addresses two of the ideas from the week for example: greenhouse gasses, global warming, carbon emissions,
opposing views, effective writing, or the 3 R’s.
EALR'S AND GLE'S:
ART: 3.2 Use the arts to communicate for a specific purpose. Create and/or perform an artwork to communicate for a given purpose with instructor direction MATERIALS NEEDED:
Construction Paper
Glue
Scissors
Magazines
etc.
PROCEDURES: (Label each step in the process as: Activating prior knowledge, disequilibrating event,
elaboration, crystallization)
? Review the themes from the week’s studies. Bring back out any charts, articles, books and other props
they used throughout the week. Review the ideas (greenhouse gasses, global warming, carbon
emissions, effective writing, opposing views, the 3 R’s). Activating prior knowledge
? Show students several pieces of art relating to the topics they have studied this week. Ask them what
they see. Encourage them to make connections between the art piece and issues of sustainability.
disequilibrating event
? Have students create their own art piece which incorporates at least two of the ideas from the weeks
studies. These are pieces will be on display for other classes to see and need to be accompanied by an
information card on which they explain what their piece represents. elaboration
? Have students share their art in their learning groups and with the class. Put artwork on display for other
classes to learn from and enjoy. crystallization POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING EVIDENCE: What was the learning target?
Why are you learning this?
How is this tied to previous learning?
How well did you meet the target?
How are you being evaluated?
What strategies or resources are available to you?
POST-ASSESSMENT: summative
Art pieces with information cards summarizing what they have learned throughout the week.