example final assignments - university of northern iowa · final assignment reflection and...

Example Final Assignments Below are samples of final assignments. Several samples include instructor comments in red. Final

assignment formats change from year to year; these are assignments from 2011 & 2012. The following teachers have granted permission to reprint and share their assignments: Jennifer

Bowen, Lisa Krapfl, Melanie Langner, Brian Martz, Kathy Morrison, Kelly Neumann, Sharon Paulsen, and a 4th grade teacher from Linn County.

K-2 SAMPLES

Kindergarten

Final Assignment Reflection and Questionnaire

Name: Kelly Neumann Grade you teach: Kindergarten

School: JF Kennedy Subject where you taught the mini-unit: Social Studies

E-mail address: [email protected] Phone: 563-552-3943

1) Restate what you wanted your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit. (Found in

Item #1 of your Draft of Mini-Unit, completed this summer.)

A)…be aware of how much we have as a society vs how much we need.

B)…understand trash vs recycle.

C)…even as one small person you can make a difference.

D)…other options instead of throwing “stuff” away.

Instructor note: The learning objectives are doable for kindergarteners, and they are empowering for the

students.

2) Final mini-unit plan (daily activities)

Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources used: (Insert text here and follow the same format for the

following days.)

Read, “The Wartville Wizard” by Don Madden donated by Waste Reduction Class

After reading the story display 2 hula hoops one with the word RECYCLE and one with the word

TRASH. First, I had collected a basketful of items from around the room that we first sorted into trash

and recycle. Next, we brainstormed things that we recycle and things that must be thrown away.

Handout magazines and have each student cut out one picture of something they would throw away and

one thing they would recycle. Have students place inside the corresponding hula hoop. Discuss how we

can change the amount of “stuff” we put in both the trash and recycling. Instructor note: Creative use of

the hula hoops and age-appropriate activity.

I invited our business partner, Alter Metal Recycling, to come in and talk about recycling things they

may have around their house/garage.

I sent homework paper for the number of shoes each member of your family has and what you do with

them when you are finished with them. This needs to be back by Day 3.

Formative assessments (how I monitored whether the students learned what I wanted them to

know or do): (Insert text here and follow the same format for the following days.)

Were we able to brainstorm things to be recycled or what must be thrown away. We were able to tell

the difference? Did we have things in the trash that could be recycled? Were we able to identify them?

Day 2 Daily Activities and Resources used:

Read, “The Old Red Rocking Chair” and “Joseph had a Little Overcoat”. Bring to school things

that have been handed down to me, purchased at 2nd hand stores, and or made into other things (ex…my

dad’s jackets made into bears, my antique dolls, by grandma’s quilts). Add to our existing hula hoops

our third REUSE. Have students brainstorm what we can add. (Paper to use the backside/toilet paper

rolls/water bottles/magazines/counting jar stuff) I had a para educator from our school talk about “The

Hanger,” a local consignment shop that she frequents. Several of the kids had heard about it and either

had stuff from there or their moms took their stuff there. Instructor note: Great to increase learning by

adding the Reuse concept in Day 2. Great, concrete examples of reuse. Appropriate formative

assessment (shown below).

Formative assessments:

Students were able to verbalize or draw things they have that have been “handed down”, made into

something else, or purchased at a 2nd hand store.


Read, “Agatha’s Feather Bed”. Have quote on paper. Do graph, “Just Look At Our Shoes”. Use the

homework sheet for reference. Instructor note: Apparently this wasn’t too much for one class period,

but I would guess it was plenty. Teachers tell me students love Agatha’s and can discuss where things

come from for quite awhile. Even 8th grade science teachers have said so.


Students will understand that we have more than we need and we get rid of things when they are not

totally worn out. Students will share with an elbow partner and draw what we can do with things we no

longer need/want/can’t use.


Introduce Service Project of collecting shoes that your family and friends no longer use. Introduce that

we are going to have a competition with a Kindergarten class from Hoover to see who can bring in the

most shoes to donate to Soles for Souls. Instructor note: Great to partner with another school, and even

better to add a service component to the unit.


Students will verbalize what a service project is and how it can help our earth, society, and us.


Ask students what they have learned so far this week? Did we understand? Did we change our ways?

Can we do more?

Read, “The Gift of Nothing” by Patrick McDonnell. Generate list of “nothings”. Make a gift of

nothing (piece of leftover 2x4 cut (reused) and wrapped with leftover wrapping paper with a ribbon and

note attached.) They may give this gift of nothing to anyone they want.


Students can verbalize what they learned this week. Show we were able to make changes as just one

small room/person.

3) Reflect on your mini-unit and provide a self-assessment. At a minimum, answer the following

questions:

This unit was amazing. My students knew more than I would have ever guessed. They brought a lot to

the group with their wisdom. They learned what I wanted and this I know because daily they go through

the trash and recycle and pull out things that can still be used and come up with creative ways to use

them. They love to share when they get something that has been handed down or purchased from

Goodwill, The Hanger, or St. Vincent de Pauls. They have also been chatting about how they want to

pass things on instead of throwing them away. Many have brought things that we can use at school.

We didn’t get to Skype or meet with the Hoover Kindergarten. I would still like that to happen. We

collected 70+ shoes to donate. The reason I say + is because after the deadline they kept coming in and

I just added them to the pile. The shoe store in Cedar Rapids was overwhelmed when I brought in our

and Hoovers, equaling 100+ pairs. Instructor note: Great to see behavior change, understanding of the

learning objectives, and student engagement.

4) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes, it terms that this is a unit I teach,

the students were actively engaged and they are caring over what they have learned.

Optional: Include a copy of one to three samples of completed student assignments, one-three teacher-

generated handouts, and/or other materials that could be shared with future participants in the Waste

Reduction course.

________________

2nd Grade Unit, by Melanie Langner The Gift of Nothing& Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Before: bring a pair of washed pants to re-purpose

Essential Question: What is the relationship consumption/ownership to happiness?

Divide class in ½. 1-1:30 Group 1 with Mrs. Loving, Group 2 with Ms. Langner 1:30-2 Group 2 With Mrs. Loving, Group 1 with Ms. Langner

Day 1 August 27

http://pbskids.org/loopscoops/happiness.html view…Think, Pair, Share What can we learn from Brad, Oliver & Clementine?? “One small thing can

make you happier than a ton of stuff” Read Aloud The Gift of Nothing (Use Smartboard document) Quick Write Assessment: What is a gift you can give to yourself or others?

Draw or write Share with your table partners your ideas

Reflection: Students immediately understood the message from the loop scoops video. That having more toys & other “stuff” does not complete their lives. They loved the book, The Gift of Nothing. I am going to plan on rereading this book before Christmas as a reminder of what brings happiness. In students’ journaling they shared that they could give the gift of smiles, hugs, kisses, pictures & paintings. One student shared that they could give the gift of time. This led to an interesting

http://pbskids.org/loopscoops/happiness.html

discussion about their parents…this is what they want the most from their parents. A deep thinking day! Day 2 August 28

Review yesterday, Do we need “stuff “ to make us happy? Have you ever had a toy, piece of clothing etc. that you turned into something

new and different? Think, Pair, Share Read aloud from the Smartboard document Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Quick Write Assessment:What did Joseph do when his coat became old and

worn? Can you give any examples of other ways that Joseph reused his coat? Group Question: What do you do when something is old and worn out? (Share

Ben’s reused pants for bulletin board use) Remind students tomorrow we start repurposing pants…bring them!!

Reflection: The kids have a great grasp of the message….things don’t make us happy. Reading Joseph was a fantastic example of our project to come. Their Quick writes showed varied examples of reusing. I plan to REUSE this book every year during our communities unit! We discussed if things are no longer useable to us, having garage sales & taking things to Goodwill. Kids talked about having & giving away hand-me-down clothes. Many students have not yet brought pants after many reminders. I am going to have to have an alternate plan for them. Day 3 August 29

Fill out the web together as a class (use the Smartboard) How can we reuse a pair of jeans?

Group Brainstorm: What does your family do with their stuff when you are done with it? Use Smartboard to document it.

Show “garbage” video http://pbskids.org/loopscoops/garbage.html Quick Write Assessment: Do we have things at home that other people would

be able to use? Where could we take that to make sure it goes to a purpose? Reflection: The idea of Goodwill was brought up by students again today. Many take old/unusable things in, but many also shop there. The ones that shop there tried to convince kids that had never been inside to make a visit. Loop Scoops is a fantastic resource. We are going to continue use of it throughout the year! We also watched a “juice box” loop scoop that shared scary facts about a juice box’s decomposition time. Many kids noted this in their quick write and vowed to never use juice boxes again.

http://pbskids.org/loopscoops/garbage.html

Day 4 August 30

Set up stations for glittering, painting, cutting around the room at lunch Have students place pants on desks before they leave for lunch Organize and begin to repurpose our pants! Have students plan to do 2 things

to them. Lay on the floor under the white board to dry If we need extra time…use after recess Reflection: Incredible day! Students were fantastic working together on their projects. They needed lots of help with cutting at first, but teamed up to complete their shirt-bags & funky pants. Our principal visited and thought this was a fantastic project. She encouraged us to contact the local paper.

Day 5 August 31 Journal: Draw a picture of yourself in your repurposed pants. Assessment: Write about how it makes you feel to reuse them, rather than to

spend MORE money to buy new! Write several more sentences telling about other things you already have at home that you can reuse in a new way, or repurpose.

After last recess, have all students change into their pants & take a class picture! Students can also hold their projects from Mrs. Loving in the picture.

Refelction: Reread The Gift of Nothing…What gift did you give yourself this week?

Reflection: Today the Pilot Tribune interviewed Melissa and I. Very exciting to share students learning. I plan to continue this each year during the communities unit. Many students commented throughout the week that they shared our blog updates with parents, expressed interest in visiting Goodwill and were making changes in their home (ie: no more plastic Walmart bags, plastic bottles, juice boxes). When students took their ideas home and started evaluating their family’s lifestyle, I knew that learning had taken place!

Further Reflection:

By the end of the unit , did my students know what I wanted them to know? Yes, quick writes reflected meaningful learning throughout the week. They continue to pull the books that we received from the class off the shelves and discuss them with partners. Projects keep coming to school on the kids & they are proud to show them off. Did they do what I wanted them to do? Yes! All kids participated by bringing at least one clothing item in the end and were able to enjoy the project day. One child spent the weekend doing “frame” projects that Melissa had shared…repurposing frames with fabric and spray paint to make a birthday gift for a teenage sister. Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of my class? Yes! I pulled the following from the Iowa Core site on the DE webpage: Definition of Social Studies National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS): The founders of our country emphasized that the vitality and security of a democracy depends upon the education and willingness of its citizens to participate actively in society. This level of participation requires civic competence. In other words, it is imperative that our future generations gain an understanding of the core concepts of social studies. Life in the United States within our democratic system is constantly changing which creates varying social circumstances. As a result, citizens need to adapt to such changes in order to sustain vital democratic traditions. Meeting this need is the mission of the social studies. In social studies, students develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions, including but not limited to: • Possessing basic knowledge and ways of thinking drawn from many academic disciplines • Expressing ideas in written form • Reading reflectively and critically • Analyzing their own and others’ opinions on social issues • Becoming motivated to participate in civic and community life as active and informed citizens

Class blog post, webs & quick writes: http://www.langnersletters.blogspot.com/2012/09/brainstorming-and-more.html Class blog post, Pilot Tribune link, project day: http://www.langnersletters.blogspot.com/2012/09/waste-reduction.html

_________________

http://www.langnersletters.blogspot.com/2012/09/brainstorming-and-more.html

http://www.langnersletters.blogspot.com/2012/09/waste-reduction.html

3-5th SAMPLES

3rd Grade

Part I & Part II Assignments Please save this Assignments form on your computer in a place that you will remember. Then complete the form and email to

the instructor at [email protected] according to the instructions in your syllabus. The assignments must include the

items listed below.

PART I Assignment: Mini-Unit Deadline: July 3 if enrolled in Peterson course; July 6 if enrolled in Iowa City course.

Subject: Science - as an add on to a unit about plants

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Name: Jennifer Bowen

School: North-Linn CSD (Coggon Center)

Projected dates the

mini-unit will be taught: September 2012

1) Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit. (Limit

this to one to three outcomes. See page 3 of Teacher Notebook for ideas.)

Where does paper come from?

How can recycling keep from using so many trees? If we reduce, we will use less,

and eventually use less trees (some new pulp goes in with the old)

How can we inform others and then apply the ideas of reducing paper use to reducing

with other materials as well?

2) Mini-unit plan (daily activities)

Newly introduced resources.

o Someday A Tree by Eve Bunting

o The class will be using the 72 hours of trash log

Thursday, Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: In our unit about plants, we

barely touch on trees so I plan to extend the concepts to the life cycle of a tree. I will share the

book Someday A Tree by Eve Bunting that was received at the class. (I will also ask the

custodian not to empty our garbage for the next week so that we can look at what we have gotten

rid of) http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/howTreesGrow/

http://www.realtrees4kids.org/threefive.htm

Formative assessments will include: I will give students a “pre-assessment” asking students to

list all of the things they can think of in the classroom or at home that come from a tree.

Friday, Day 2 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Go over the lists that were made

individually to compile a class list on the SmartBoard. Turn the focus to paper and show a

YouTube clip called “From Tree to Paper”

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGH7kQ30SKo&feature=related) that shows the process of going from

tree to pulp to paper in a way the students can understand and then watch “Copy Paper – How

mailto:[email protected]

http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/howTreesGrow/

http://www.realtrees4kids.org/threefive.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGH7kQ30SKo&feature=related

It’s Made” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO4pEpejE1s&feature=related). I especially want the

students to listen to the first part of the clip when it talks about computers being intended to do

away with paper usage but they have actually increased paper usage.

http://thepaperlifecycle.org/

http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/lifecy1.html

Formative assessments will include: Have students complete a worksheet completing a

diagram of the paper making cycle.

Monday, Day 3 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Talk to the students about what

should be done with paper products once you are done with them. Hopefully since we have a

recycling bin in our room, most will come up with recycling. Watch YouTube clip “Paper

Recycling With UPM” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiZEtvLsjE&feature=related

(this was filmed in the UK – I would like to keep looking and try to find something similar

filmed in the US – but if not, this one is very understandable for students). *Homework

assignment to bring an old t-shirt that won’t need to be returned home to school to use in activity

on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Formative assessments will include: Have students complete an activity (first on SmartBoard

as a class for example and then on a worksheet for assessment) having students place items

(either cut/paste or draw a line) where they should go after use. They will have choices such as

trash, sell, and recycle. Have students take home a 72 hour log to complete over the weekend.

Even though our focus has been on paper, I am going to encourage them to write down all items

they dispose of.

Tuesday, Day 4 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: What happens to the paper that

gets recycled? Many may answer that it gets made into new paper (as shown in the video clip on

Friday). Discuss other types of paper and products that are made from recycled paper. Show

YouTube clip “How Toilet Paper is Made.”

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po&feature=related )This clip showcases a toilet paper

company that makes theirs from mostly recycled paper.

Formative assessments will include: Challenge students to find items in the classroom and at

home that are made from recycled paper (I have ordered pencils I found that are made from

recycled paper and some that are made from recycled money).

Wednesday, Day 5 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Today we will go back to our

weekend logs (waited a day in case not all were returned on Monday). Take a look at what was

gotten rid of on their logs. What else besides the paper did they get rid of? Take a look at our

class garbage that we have been collecting and see what has been disposed of and examining to

see what could have been recycled, reused, or disposed of in another manner. Expand the

discussion to reducing what we use and trying to reuse or recycle as much of what we do use as

possible. http://yr6rrr.wikispaces.com/Reusing-things+used+in+the+classrooms,school+itself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO4pEpejE1s&feature=related

http://thepaperlifecycle.org/

http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/lifecy1.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiZEtvLsjE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po&feature=related

http://yr6rrr.wikispaces.com/Reusing-things+used+in+the+classrooms,school+itself

I am also going to take my sewing machine to school (as well as some extra shirts from home)

and help students to cut the shirt (assigned to bring on Friday) to make a reusable bag from their

old shirt. I will help them to sew the bags and then keep this bag in the bottom of their school

bag so when they have extra items they need to take home this year (boots, snowpants, etc) they

will already have a bag instead of wanting to use a paper or plastic one.

End of unit activity will include: making posters (hopefully using our new portable lab, or hand

drawn) to help others classes in the school know what they can/should be recycling. We will

also be challenging some other classes to see if they can reduce their trash output as much as we

did.

***I also am working on another unit to be completed later in the school year (but it wouldn’t be

able to be done before the Nov 9 deadline to be completed with my water unit. I plan to use the

“Who Polluted the Potomac?” lesson ideas as well as others with this unit.

3) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this draft

unit? Tony Bowen, 2nd grade teacher at North-Linn Community School District gave input into this

plan. We discussed items in our lessons that would not overlap from 2nd grade to 3rd grade.

PART II Assignment: Reflection Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City

course.

1) What changes did you make on your mini-unit, either before or during the teaching

of the unit? Before we started, I decided to add a little more about reducing in general

and not just focusing on paper. I read The Quiltmaker’s Gift, The Wartville Wizard, and

Material World more than I thought I would.

2) Reflect on your daily lesson plans below.

Day 1 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?

Other than the fact that I got started a day later than I had wanted to, the first day went rather

well. The students liked the book…many of the girls thought it was very sad. With the garbage

collection, I did make one change…I did let the kids have a garbage can for dirty tissues – we

had lots of colds at the time and I didn’t want the germs hanging around. Everything else went

in the clear garbage can unless it was recycled.


The lists were long as the kids got very specific with their types of paper. They thought it was

interesting that computers were to help eliminate paper. Some thought that computers have

actually increased paper because of all that people now print.

Students did very well on their paper making cycle diagram.


Most did very well at knowing where paper should go. They had lots of fun dragging the paper

products into the recycling bin on the SmartBoard.


When talking about what happens when paper is recycled, we branched out a lot to talk about

bags as well. It ended up being a great tie in for the bags we were going to make. I showed a

You Tube clip “How Plastic Bags Get Recycled”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6hzhKmw4EY&list=PL0C43F127C394239A&index=2&fe

ature=plpp_video

We also referred to the fact printed on the fabric bags from Half-Price Books about the

petroleum in 14 bags being enough to drive a car for a mile.

Before this lesson, I had bought pens for the students made from recycled bottles. This led to a

very interesting conversation with my students. We were examining all of our “garbage” before

deciding what to do with it during our classroom garbage survey. The plastic packaging that the

pens came in did not have a recycling code on it. My students were flabbergasted that the

company would go to these lengths to recycle plastic bottles into pens, but wouldn’t then

package them with the same care. We turned this into a persuasive writing assignment that led to

searching the website for a customer comment area. As a class we drafted an email to inquire

about this (politely). We didn’t really get the answer we were looking for, but we are still trying.


This ended up being a log for two evenings instead of the weekend. With starting the unit a day

late, I forgot to move the log a day earlier in my plan so that it would go home over the weekend.

With the collection in our room, and two evenings, we had plenty to look at and discuss. We got

into discussions about reducing what we use instead of just recycling. We talked a lot about

trying to see that stuff doesn’t make you happy. I read The Quiltmaker’s Gift and The Wartville

Wizard. We also looked some at Material World to see how much we tend to take advantage of

what we have compared to other parts of the world.

We made the t-shirt bags in class. Other than a few issues with my sewing machine, it was a

great project. The students now carry them in their backpacks to use as overflow if they have

extra things to carry. I hope for them to be helpful as we get into winter and they often want to

carry winter clothes (boots & snow pants) home instead of wearing them. Many of the students

used them as their bag for at least a week because they thought they were so cool.

Our school (not just my class) ended up participating in the Linn County Build With Bags

competition. The goal was for up to 50 schools to try to collect at least 100 pounds of plastic

bags to be recycled. In the information we received, we learned that there are about 4 bags to an

ounce. Our class spent time figuring out how many bags were being kept from the landfill each

week. We then used the figures of 14 bags to a gallon of gas (we just compared the 14 bags to

about one pound – 16 bags – being about equal) to find out how many miles of gas compared to

how many bags we recycled. Our school (combined Coggon and Walker for North-Linn

Elementary) collected 490 pounds of bags in a month, which comes out to approximately 31,360

bags.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6hzhKmw4EY&list=PL0C43F127C394239A&index=2&feature=plpp_video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6hzhKmw4EY&list=PL0C43F127C394239A&index=2&feature=plpp_video

3) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what

you wanted them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain.

I feel that my students got the point of what we were doing and SO much more. They are

constantly checking each other about what they throw away and recycle. My students with

cold lunch are bringing more reusable containers when possible, and are checking the

packaging to see what can be recycled if its not reusable. Some of my students talked to our

cooks and asked why we use disposable bowls and spoons whenever we have soup and they

have made some changes in that area. I even had some parents tell me at conferences tell me

that their children are monitoring the garbage can as well as how much gets printed (emails,

etc) at home to see how their family could reduce their carbon footprint.

4) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes No Please explain.

I felt that this unit was a great way to directly branch out from learning about plants and

trees. It was a natural next step. I feel it is also a direct part of Citizenship from Character

Counts curriculum.

________________

4th Grade

Part I & Part II Assignments Please save this Assignments form on your computer in a place that you will remember. Then complete the form and

email to the instructor at [email protected] according to the instructions in your syllabus. The assignments

must include the items listed below.


Subject: Science, Social Studies

Grade Level: 4

School: St. Joseph School, Marion

Projected dates the

mini-unit will be taught:

August 22-29

Course Challenge: Help your students understand why waste reduction is preferable to

recycling. As you plan your unit, consider structuring it so students review definitions/concepts

they already understand: What is waste? What is litter? What is recycling, and what is reuse?

That context will help them better understand waste reduction and its focus on prevention. Who

Polluted the Potomac? is one lesson that may be able to help you make the distinction and get

those light bulbs going off!

1)Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit. (Limit

this to one to three outcomes. See page 3 of Teacher Notebook for ideas.)


1. Students will learn the term “waste reduction” and understand its importance related to the

world’s increasing population and natural resources.

2. Students will understand that everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural

resources.

2) Data Collection Pre and post question: What is waste reduction? Students will respond on

an index card.

3)Mini-unit plan (daily activities)

Complete your mini-unit plan, below, for as many days as you anticipate your unit will

last, with a minimum of 5 days.

Clearly state what new-to-you resources introduced through the Waste Reduction

Workshop will be used in your mini-unit. Resources include DVDs, textbooks, books,

lessons, websites, etc. You must use at least two of the newly introduced resources.

Describe the formative assessments you will include in your plan to assess whether

students are learning what you want them to know or do.

Iowa Core Curriculum

Science 3-5: Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, process, and analyze data

Understand and apply knowledge of environmental stewardship

21st Century: Communicate and work productively with others emphasizing collaboration to

produce quality work

Social Studies 3-5 Understand the role of scarcity

Understand how physical processes and human actions modify the

environment and how environment affects humans

Indicates a new-to-me resource introduced at the Waste Reduction Workshop.

Day 1 (Aug. 22) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: (Data Collection: What is waste

reduction? Students respond on index card. Collect the cards for the post.

Students will preview the cover of *The Wartville Wizard by Dan Madden and make predictions

about the story. The teacher will tell the students to be thinking about the lesson in this story.

The teacher will read the story orally. Students will be given an index card on which to write

their name and the lesson of this story followed by large group discussion of the lesson. Collect

cards for reuse.

Formative assessments (how teacher will monitor whether the students are learning what

teacher wants them to know or do) will include: Students will write the lesson of this story on

an index card and discuss in large group. Index cards will be collected to be reused (showing

students should use both sides of paper when possible).

Day 2 (Aug. 23) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: The teacher will ask the students

to retell the story, The Wartville Wizard by Dan Madden, using pictures as prompts. Ask the

students what things are realistic about this story (people of all ages litter). Then ask what seems

unrealistic (The old man is sitting in the woods, hears music, and Mother Nature gives him the

power over trash so that litter sticks to the person that threw it). Students will work with a

partner to think of two realistic ways littering can be handled, esp. at school (written on the back

of yesterday’s index card). Allow 5 minutes of work time. Students share their ideas and

teacher records. Collect and recycle index cards. The teacher challenges the students to collect

litter found on the floors of classrooms, hallways, and lunchroom (no restrooms) for 24 hours

(*adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”).

Formative assessments will include: Students will deposit items found on the floors into a

plastic bag hung in the classroom. (This will be used as a team-building activity rather than an

individual activity. Students will be given plastic bags and assigned other classrooms to collect

items on the floor at the end of the day.)

Day 3 (Aug. 24) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Plastic table cover, gloves, log

sheet adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”, pencils. Students will sort items found on floors into

reusable, recyclable, compost, and waste. Introduce the Enduring Understandings: “Waste

reduction is different than recycling or reuse because it prevents waste rather than cleaning it

up.” Teacher explains waste reduction and relates waste to the 24 Hours project results.

Formative assessments will include: Complete the log sheet. On the back students will write

one thing learned in this class and have the opportunity to ask questions. Collect.

Day 4 (Aug. 27) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Teacher will address comments

and questions generated about waste reduction during the previous class.

Ask students, “What happens to trash after you set it out to be collected?” Discuss the Linn

County Landfill as a replacement for Mt. Trashmore, and talk about the different kinds of wastes

handled there.

Show *DVD “World Population” about 7 min. (Stop after the year 2030 to focus on population

growth rather than importance of decreasing population for this level).

Enduring Understandings: For every one pound a citizen throws away, on average, 71 pounds is

discarded in the manufacturing and transportation used to get the product to us. What do you

predict will happen at our landfills? Stress that reusing and recycling is not enough. What must

every person do?

Enduring Understanding: Everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural resources.

Ask students, “Where did this pencil come from?” Teacher records responses on poster paper.

Show video, *“How It’s Made-Pencil “(5 minutes). Add additional ideas to poster.

If time allows, show “How It’s Made-Eraser” (5 ½ min.). The teacher will introduce the book,

*Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Ryan and Durning and add it to the class

library.

Formative assessments will include: Students each share one new idea they learned today.

Day 5 (Aug. 28) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Review: Everything on the planet

comes from the earth’s natural resources. . Discuss posters *”The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD”

and *”Life Cycle of a Hamburger.” View and discuss videos *PBSkids.org Mr. Rogers

Neighborhood “How People Make Things” series balls, crayons, sneakers (5 min each) Stress

the natural resources used for each in addition to the process and people. Teacher will model

the mini-poster format for The Life of: Balls, Crayons, and Sneakers.

Formative assessments will include: On an 8 ½ by 11inch paper students will illustrate the life

of an object they use at school or at home with emphasis on resources used.

Day 6 (Aug. 29) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Students will be divided into three

groups for sharing their “Life Cycle” posters. Students will be encouraged to ask questions such

as “How are the natural resources transported?” or “What resources were used to make the shoe

strings?” Each group will choose two posters to be shared with the class. All posters will be

hung in the hall. Wrap up: Why is waste reduction an important lesson for people of all ages?

What can 4th graders do to reduce waste? “How is the idea of waste reduction related to The

Wartville Wizard?

Formative assessments will include: The class will compile a list of five ways 4th graders can

reduce waste. Post in the classroom. Students will respond, “What is waste reduction?” on the

back of the index card from the first class. (data collection)

Optional Additional Learning: *Field trip to the Linn County Landfill or a classroom

presentation (History of Garbage or Landfill design and monitoring) Contact Kristin Simon

365-9941, ext. 126 or email [email protected] The teacher will introduce the books

*Material World, a Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel, *The Quiltmaker’s Gift by

Brumbeau de Marcken, *Agatha’s Feather Bed by Deedy/Seeley, and *Dirt by Steve Tomacek

and add them to the classroom library.


unit? (Deleted for privacy purposes), 5th grade teacher, St. Joseph School, Marion


Name________________________________ Date _______________

Log for 24 Hours of Trash at St. Joseph School

Item Number Reusable Recyclable Compost Waste

*Adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”


course.

5) What changes did you make on your mini-unit, either before or during the teaching

of the unit?

I needed to add an extra day to the unit.

I shifted reading & discussing The Wartville Wizard to Language Arts time.

I added Agatha’s Feather Bed and The Quiltmaker’s Gift as read-alouds during

Language Arts time.

I had students work in pairs for the “Life Cycle” posters rather than individually because

I felt I needed to mix student ability levels.

I showed more of the Mr. Rogers videos “How Things Are Made” because they were

short, and the students really liked them.

My class participated in the Linn County “Bag It” project (Solid Waste in conjunction

with Iowa Grocers) where students were challenged to collect plastic grocery bags for

recycling. In addition, families taking reusable bags to the grocery store could earn

points for the school. My students made posters for the halls and a line graph to show the

number of pounds of plastic bags collected during the five week project.

I would use The Wartville Wizard at the beginning of the school year to teach the lesson

of picking up things you or others drop to help keep our school looking nice. But the

other activities I would use later in the year added to current curriculum. The “Life

Cycle” posters were quite a challenge for the beginning of fourth grade, and time for

research would have been helpful.

On a field trip to the Health Free Clinic we had an excellent view of Mt. Trashmore so I

gave an outdoor mini-lesson.

I would still like to have the student tour the Linn County Landfill in the spring.

While I was teaching this unit an article was written for “The Gazette” about recycling

the plastic fibers in carpet in Linn and Johnson counties.



When asked “What is waste reduction?” fourteen fourth graders wrote recycling, and

seven fourth graders left the index card blank.

Fourth graders LOVED The Wartville Wizard ! All students understood the lesson of the

story. This was the perfect story to capture the interest of this class because of the

humorous illustrations. Reading and discussion had to be shifted to Language Arts due to

schedule issues.


The students were able to easily retell the story of The Wartville Wizard and to discuss

what was realistic and unrealistic.

The main suggestions for decreasing littering at school were to make posters for the halls

and pick up things found on the floor.

Students collected items found on the floor of our classroom and the hallways for 29

hours (rather than 24 hours). It was not feasible to collect items from other classrooms

and the lunchroom so close to the beginning of the school year.


Since we did not collect items from the lunchroom I did not use a plastic table cover.

There were not as many items collected as I anticipated (28) so I held up an item, and

students determined if it should best be reused, recycled, composted, or put into the trash.

Students listed and tallied items on individual log sheets.

I would not plan this activity early in the school year.


We had a great discussion about the history of Mt. Trashmore and the newer landfill here

in Marion.

The DVD “World Population” amazed the students, and we discussed the amounts of

natural resources being used to manufacture items and the amounts of trash generated by

an increasing population. We discussed what this may mean to the Linn County Landfill

located in Marion.

We had such a good discussion that the Mr. Rogers “How People Make Things” videos

were shown during the next class period.


So due to less time in this year’s schedule, I’m now one day off on my unit plans.

The Mr. Rogers videos were shown and discussed (pencil, eraser, balls, crayons, and

sneakers). Students LOVED these videos.


Using posters provided “Life Cycle of a Hamburger” and “Life Cycle of a CD” as

models, pairs of students created mini posters showing the life cycle of a common item.

Posters were made for a book, bicycle, school desk, teacher’s desk, marker, car, plastic

trashcan, plastic ruler, plastic water bottle, and a book bag.

There were many changes here such as working with a partner and sharing all posters

with the class. The fourth graders had difficulty with this project because of lack of

knowledge about resources. For example, no one knew that plastics were made from

petroleum.

The schedule did not allow enough time for adequate research or high quality posters. In

the future I would plan this as a longer project rather than one class period.

But the students had fun and were amazed at the number of resources used.


This was the extra day added due to shorter class periods.

All posters were discussed as well as renewable and non renewable resources and waste

reduction.

Students easily could see the difference between waste reduction and picking up litter

(The Wartville Wizard). Students were able to understand the difference between waste

reduction and recycling.

The class generated a list of things they could do to reduce waste: use refillable water

bottles or a drinking fountain, give toys and clothes to Good Will, share toys and clothes

with family members, use both sides of notebook paper, reuse crayons and markers from

year to year, and collect “hotel” soap and shampoo to give to a homeless shelter.

(We have collected hundreds of these to take to the Health Free Clinic in Cedar Rapids.)

7) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what

you wanted them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain.

1. Students will learn the term “waste reduction” and understand its importance related to the

world’s increasing population and natural resources.

2. Students will understand that everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural

resources.

Without a doubt my fourth grade students were able to understand the importance of waste

reduction and that everything comes from the earth’s natural resources. These were both totally

new concepts to them. I was also able to introduce renewable and nonrenewable resources.

There was terrific interest, discussion, and questions. All students were engaged in the activities.

The students especially enjoyed the picture books and the Mr. Rogers videos. They were perfect

resources for the fourth grade level.


Yes, this unit did fit the goals and objectives as defined in the Iowa Core Curriculum (see first

page) for science and social studies. In the future I would like to incorporate materials and ideas

from this class into current curriculum rather than having a separate unit.

_______________

3-6 Grades Part I & Part II Assignments Check one:

__Peterson course _X_Iowa City course

Subject: Technology and Math

Grade Level: 3rd through 6th

Name: Kathy Morrison

School: St. Patrick (Anamosa)

Projected dates the

mini-unit will be taught: middle of Sept. (10th-21st perhaps)

1)Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit. *Students will develop awareness that it is as important to reduce waste as it is to recycle.

*Students will brainstorm and create alternatives for DVDs and CDs. (these will be sold at our

annual fundraiser.)

*Students will become aware as to how much trash, especially milk, is being wasted at lunch.


These activities will be done

in all of my classes.

are the resources introduced through the Waste Reduction Workshop.

Lesson 1: (Math class)

* Students will be given a pre-test over Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling. Collect.

* I will read “Agatha’s Feather Bed.”

* I will have each student write down 2 or more things they learned from the book and I will

collect these as they leave the room.

Lesson 2: (Technology class)

* I will show the video on “The Life of a Cell Phone”

* Students will use computers to research DVD’s and CD’s. How they are made, materials,

packaging, etc.

* Students will take notes from their findings. I will collect these as they leave.


* Discuss findings on DVD’s & CD’s. (Hand back their notes before discussion)

* Introduce poster “The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD.” (from Materials acquisition to useful life).

* Assign the “At Home Scavenger Hunt” (copies made from the back of the poster).

Lesson 4: (Technology class) * Students will do a web search using a worksheet I made and the web site;

http://www.solidwasteagency.org/#/education/

http://www.solidwasteagency.org/#/education/

* Collect worksheets at the end of the class, see if more time is needed or if anyone is struggling

and may need to work with a partner.


* We will discuss web search, correct and collect wkshts.

* We will discuss and collect the “At Home Scavenger Hunt.”

* We will brainstorm ideas for use of DVD’s and CD’s. Start collecting them.

Lesson 6: (Technology class) * I will explain our lunch room project. This includes measuring the wasted milk, weighing the

trash, and collecting the empty milk cartons. We will build a milk carton wall outside of the

school for the week and keep a daily chart of weight and amount of wasted milk and number of

cartons.

* Students will research Milk Cartons, materials used, processed, etc.

* Students will take notes during research.

Lesson 6: (Technology class) * We will discuss students research on milk cartons, I will collect notes.

* Students will explore the games available on the Solid Waste Agency web site.

Lesson 7: (Math class) * After the week long results, the 5/6 graders will figure how many gallons of milk was wasted,

how much money that involved, the total weight of trash, and the number of milk cartons.

Students will make posters of this information and we will share our results with the whole

school and display posters in the lunch room.

* Post-test. I will collect and compare to the pre-test.

Lesson 8:

* I will read the “Wartville Wizard” book to the whole school during our morning prayer and

announcement time. I will explain how the whole school can help to keep our school and

grounds clean. I will show the big stuffed animal and explain how we can stick (clean) trash on

it. This will be kept in our main hallway for everyone to see.

* I will keep a record using pictures as to how much trash is collected.

3) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this

draft unit? Diana Jones, 2nd grade teacher, St. Patrick School.

PART II Assignment: Reflection

Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City

course.

1) What changes did you make on your mini-unit, either before or during the teaching of

the unit?

I did move some lessons around to fit schedules.

I planned a field trip to the Solid Waste Agency with Jason Evans.

I have not yet read the Wartville Wizard, but still plan to as several teachers are more involved in

reusing materials. For example, Anamosa has a “Christmas Tree Walk," where groups, schools,

etc., display decorated trees. We are going to decorate our schools tree with recycle able

ornaments. We plan to use milk jugs, water bottles, and CD’s.

Another teacher came across an idea to make a tree out of recycled gum and candy wrappers,

clean trash, etc. We plan use the Wartville Wizard Book to introduce this project. We will make

an outline of a tree on a plywood board, students will glue wrappers, etc., onto the tree.

Lesson 1 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?

Worked: 3rd through 5th pretest (I have samples),

I read Agatha’s Feather Bed, and explained our lunch project to begin the following week.

Did not work: I ran out of time to have students write down things learned from the book. We

did discuss items as I read. Next time I will plan more time so we are not so rushed.

Lesson 2 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: 5th grade, in Religion class, we were on a chapter about taking care of God’s creation.

Perfect “tie-in” to my unit. I also introduced the poster of “Life of a CD.”

We brainstormed ways to reuse CD’s, ways to make wind chimes, ornaments, etc.

I sent home the scavenger hunt worksheet as homework. ( I have samples).

I’d do nothing different.

Lesson 3 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: In 3rd through 5th gradeTechnology class, I showed the video “Life Cycle of a Cell

Phone.” We also discussed the life cycle of the “Hamburger Poster.” Students researched the

web about milk cartons. I had them work in pairs, younger with older, and took notes about how

milk cartons are made, how long does it take for them to decompose in a landfill, etc. (I have

samples of their notes.)

In Religion class with the 5th grade, we discussed their inventory worksheets. (I have samples.)

In my lesson plans, I said they would research CD's and DVD's. I decided since we were

collecting milk cartons, it would be better to research those. Also, I had the poster we discussed

on CD's and DVD's.


Worked: In 3rd through 5th grade Technology class, I had students work in pairs and do a web

search I made up over the Solid Waste Agency web site. (I have samples)

After our week long collection, the 5th graders figured the cost of wasted milk at lunch. They

made a display and set it up in the lunch room to show the number of cartons of milk they

collected, weight of the trash, the money spent on milk that was poured down the drain (in

gallons and per cartons). I have pictures I displayed in the hall at school and also sent the

information to the local paper, which was published. Even our head cook was amazed at the

results.



Worked: 3-5th grade Technology class, students played games on the Solid Waste Agency web

site.



Grades 3-5 took a field trip to the Land fill and Solid Waste Agency. Students were very

impressed. It was a wonderful tour and Jason was great with the students. The next day we sent

Jason a thank-you card and students wrote some of the things that impressed them. Some were

the land fill itself, some were garbage juice as Jason called it, some were the reuse store, some

were the pen he gave them made from tires, etc.

The next day we took the posttest. (I have samples.)

Different: I’d have the second graders come on the field trip.

1) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what you

wanted them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain.

By the end of this unit, the students were amazed at the amount of trash everyone throws away

daily. They were surprised at the amount of trash, milk and cartons we collected after just 1

week at lunch.

They really enjoyed the trip to the Landfill.


My goal was to make students aware of the amount of trash being thrown away instead of

recycling or reusing. Now my students make sure to recycle, even the paper used in our class

room goes into a recycle box. 5th grade students help daily in the lunch room with trays etc.

They are always letting me know if there was a lot of milk thrown away and they compare it to

the day before. There actually has been less milk thrown away.

Students have come up with ideas to use the CD’s or DVD’s, such as: make wind chimes, and

Christmas ornaments. We have been collecting them and will start the project for our Spring

Gala in February.

_______________

MIDDLE SCHOOL SAMPLES

6th Grade

Final Assignment Reflection and Questionnaire

Name: Lisa Krapfl Grade you teach: 6th Grade

School: Mazzuchelli MS Subject where you taught the mini-unit:

Religion

E-mail address: [email protected]

Phone: 563-582-1918

1. Restate what you wanted your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit.

(Found in Item #1 of your Draft of Mini-Unit, completed this summer.) My

objective of this mini-unit is to help students develop an awareness of happiness as it

relates to “stuff.” Instructor note: This is a clear, concise, concrete and achievable

learning objective.

2) Final mini-unit plan (daily activities.) This is an updated version of the Draft of

Mini-Unit, and needs to identify what you actually did. Instructor note: In the mini-

unit outlined below, the teacher demonstrated thoughtfulness and creativity by tying the

unit to winter holidays. (The teacher instructs at a private, Catholic school, so could talk

about the Christmas holiday in particular.) She also chose activities that could be

completed during the time allowed, and the daily activities seemed logical and well-

organized. In addition, the teacher fulfilled the assignment requirements, including using

at least two resources introduced to her at the workshop, and identifying formative

assessments. (She used many resources introduced at the workshop which, though not

required, showed initiative and creativity.) I also appreciated that she gave sufficient

detail, but didn’t overwhelm me with details and extraneous information.

Her mini-unit lasted longer than 5 days. Course requirements are to teach a mini-unit that

is 5 days in length or longer.

Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources used: I began the unit with a revised version of

“Island Survivor.” I gave the students the scenario of being dropped off at a remote, deserted

island, and asked them what five things they would take with them. This activity one class

period instead of two as planned (Days 1 and 2 on original plan)..

Formative assessments: I collected their lists and compiled them. We discussed the choices

and students discussed why they chose those items. It was clear that the students did not


agree with all of the choices by their questioning of their peers. Instructor note: Great to see

the teacher engaging students right away with a lesson that helps them think about “needs”

and “wants.”

Day 2 Daily Activities and Resources used: I had the students take the “Top 5” Survey.

Then, we compiled the results according to “whole class” and by “Girls” and “Boys.” We

graphed the results. Instructor note: Good idea to incorporate math skills into this lesson.

Formative Assessments: The graphs were displayed and students were asked to write down

three conclusions they could draw from the graphs. We discussed those conclusions. We

also discussed what these choices tell us about ourselves.

Day 3 Daily Activities and Resources used: Showed the “Story of Stuff” with a revised

questionnaire for watching.

Formative Assessments: We discussed the notes/answers they took while watching. I

collected the sheets as well. Students were VERY emotionally charged after this video.

Their sheets were full of “things that I have a hard time believing” and “things that bothered

me.”

Days 4 and 5 Daily Activities and Resources used: We continued the discussion. I then

asked them how the graphs/surveys we took might relate to this video. I then presented the

book Material World.” I showed them how it was organized and what they could find in this

book. I also assigned each of them to find a country and fill out the worksheet. Since we

have one book, this will be an ongoing assignment which will be due by Christmas break.

As a class, I showed them “Mali” by using a webcam so we could all see the book pictures

and reading. We went through one of the questionnaires together as a model for their

assignment. Instructor note: Creative way to handle the assignment, since the teacher had

only one copy of the book, Material World.

Formative assessments: I will collect their Material World sheets in December. For the

class sample, I had them fill out a sample sheet for reference. By the end of this day,

students picked out their country and marked in on the world map.

Day 6 Daily Activities and Resources used: I read page 9 of The Gospel of Larry about a

consumer’s choices when shopping. Students were asked what influences their choices for

what they wear? Say? Do? Buy? Students were then assigned to find one ad or example

that encourages us to be consumers. Students shared what they found, the message in their

example, and how the ad creates the message that this item will bring you “Happiness.”

Formative assessments: Students were asked to create an ad that would encourage people

to not connect having stuff/doing certain things/being a certain way to be happy. We

brainstormed slogans, catchy phrases, pictures to include on such an ad. We also discussed

the fact that the target audience could be the Christmas shoppers and frenzy associated with

this season. Students shared their ad. They were displayed in the hall at school.

Day 7 Daily Activities and Resources used: SOLUTIONS! I shared the “Reclaim Your

Holidays” website. We brainstormed ways we could do this at school? How can we

encourage this at home? We then chose one thing to do as a class. Students had to each

make a commitment for themselves. These ideas were written on a gift tag and taped to a

gift box with nothing in it. Instructor note: Great to include “solutions” as part of the mini-

unit!

Formative assessments: Each student filled out a gift tag. We will discuss our progress

periodically throughout the year.

Day 9 Daily Activities and Resources Used: I read the story The Gift of Nothing to the

students.

Formative assessments: I asked the students to journal about this question after listening to

the story: “How can nothing be something?” Give examples.

Summative Assessment:

1) At the beginning of the unit, I introduced CHILL TIME which is a time of doing,

listening, saying, NOTHING. I tell the kids that we can’t listen to a higher power unless we

are quiet with our voices but also our spirit. I have been monitoring how long it takes the

students to settle in for Chill Time from the beginning of this unit until now. First, they were

uncomfortable with the whole idea. It took about 5 minutes to get settled at the beginning.

Students were also checking out what everyone else was doing. NOW, they ask for Chill

Time and things are settled in one minute or less. The students love it.

2) Students were asked to write responses to these questions in their journals: 1) What is

something new I learned from this unit about stuff, happiness, and me? 2) How has it

changed your idea of some of your stuff? 3) Will you encourage your parents to think about

buying stuff? Why or why not? 4) List three ways one might be able to have fun, have

feelings of happiness without purchasing stuff? 5) What do you like about chill time? How

does chill time relate to what we have been talking about in this unit? 6) Anything else you

would like to tell me?

Reflect on your mini-unit and provide a self-assessment. At a minimum, answer the

following questions:

By the end of the unit, did your students know what you wanted them to know, or do

what you wanted them to do? Explain. The students really enjoyed this unit AND really

took this very seriously. Sometimes I felt badly because students were upset that this

problem of too much stuff isn’t really theirs but that they would be stuck with solving it.

Students enjoy chill time, they know how good it feels to just “BE” who they are and not

who/what someone else wants them to be. They enjoyed all of the activities and on some

level understood that having lots of stuff just may not be the key to happiness.

How did your mini-unit go? The mini-unit went great. The students loved this topic. I

really changed it a great deal since the beginning. I basically followed the students’ lead

on some of the lessons and shifted the order quite a bit. I tried to make the transitions

from lesson to lesson more connected. I reduced the amount of things I tried to cover in

one day as well. I also feel I had quite an opportunity in my Catholic school setting to be

able to tie this to God and being good stewards of His creation.

What went well and why? The Story of Stuff video went really well. I just didn’t think

the kids would understand it or like it but they truly did get it. They also LOVED the

Material World book. They loved the toilet section especially. I guess that is not

surprising. I think that the Gift of Nothing was something the students enjoyed too.

These three things following the Top 5 Survey was a really effective way to make the

connection of happiness as relates to stuff. I was excited that my students’ Top 5 choices

were very mature.

What would you do differently if you taught the unit again, and why? I would

provide more time. Since we have SOOOO much to get in during Religion (guidance,

JA, Sunday Readings, textbook material, and no class on mass days), it was very difficult

to get this unit taught.

Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes, I think it fit Religion

class very well. The students were very open to the ideas. I am not convinced that

students were truly convinced that stuff can’t make them happy but I do know the unit

helped them think about it. I will teach this again. I am excited that just around the

corner is Christmas and the students are already thinking about how to make it less about

“Stuff.”

_________________

6th Grade

Part I & Part II Assignments Please save this Assignments form on your computer in a place that you will remember. Then complete the form and

email to the instructor at [email protected] according to the instructions in your syllabus. The assignments

must include the items listed below.


Subject:Science

Grade Level: 6th

Name: Sharon Paulsen

School:Harding Middle School

Projected dates the


8/29-9/5/2012


Course Challenge: Help your students understand why waste reduction is preferable to recycling.

As you plan your unit, consider structuring it so students review definitions/concepts they already

understand: What is waste? What is litter? What is recycling, and what is reuse? That context will help

them better understand waste reduction and its focus on prevention. Who Polluted the Potomac? is one

lesson that may be able to help you make the distinction and get those light bulbs going off!

1)Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini-unit. (Limit this to

one to three outcomes. See page 3 of Teacher Notebook for ideas.)

Students will learn that the decisions they make will impact their happiness, their amount of

consumption, and how much waste they produce.


Complete your mini-unit plan, below, for as many days as you anticipate your unit will last, with

a minimum of 5 days.

Clearly state what new-to-you resources introduced through the Waste Reduction Workshop will

be used in your mini-unit. Resources include DVDs, textbooks, books, lessons, websites, etc. You

must use at least two of the newly introduced resources.

Describe the formative assessments you will include in your plan to assess whether students are

learning what you want them to know or do.

Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: (Insert text here and follow the same format for the

following days.)

Resources: Hey, Little Ant

Activity: I will start by asking the students the following questions:

How do you make decisions? Do you weigh the consequences before making a decision?

Then I will read the story Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose (I will scan the book

and make the book into a flipchart to use on my Promethean board.)

Formative assessments (how teacher will monitor whether the students are learning what teacher

wants them to know or do) will include: (Insert text here and follow the same format for the

following days.)

After reading the story, the students will do a quick write on what they would do to the ant.

Day 2 Daily Activities and Resources to be used:

Resources: The Quiltmaker’s Gift, Happiness video from PBS, Happiness (Pick 5) quiz, scratch paper

Activity: Start the activity by asking:

What types of things make you happy? Do those things make a better “quality of life”?

Then the students will use the scratch paper to pick their top five from the quiz. The quiz will

be on a flipchart on the Promethean board. After the quiz, we will discuss the results together as a class.

Then I will read The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. This book will be scanned and made

into a flipchart for the Promethean board. Discuss the king’s happiness at the beginning of the story

compared to the end.

Show the Happiness video from PBS.

Formative assessments will include:

With a table partner, discuss what happiness is. Also share with your partner if your pick 5 have

changed.


Resources: Just Look at our Shoes worksheets

Activity: Students will divide into groups of four. They will determine how many pairs of shoes the

group has and complete the worksheet determining the weight, volume, and cost of shoes.

As a class we will discuss what we’ve learned and what surprised us.


The completed worksheet will be our assessment.


Resources: computer, Material World books, Material World Scavenger Hunt, Info from lesson page

Activity: Share background information from Tom’s Shoes website (www.toms.com/our-movement )

Students will watch the video at Tom’s website. Discuss what we observed.

Introduce the Material World book and the scavenger hunt assignment.

Discuss as a class what the students discovered in the book.


Material World Scavenger Hunt


Resources: “The Cost of Cool” video, scratch paper

Activity: I will start by asking the students:

Do you like to be “cool”? What does it mean to be “cool”? What does it cost to be

“cool”?

Watch the video “The Cost of Cool”. As the video goes, I will stop at all of the stats and have

the students write them down on the scratch paper.


On the scratch paper, I will have the students respond to the following questions:

What did you learn?

What surprised you?

Do you have any similarities to the students in the video? Differences?

Will you change your habits based on what you saw? Why or why not?

3) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this draft unit?

Linda Anderson, 8th grade teacher, Harding Middle School

PART II Assignment: Reflection Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City course.

1) What changes did you make on your mini-unit, either before or during the teaching of the

unit? In the future I would want to make sure that the kids knew what average/mean are.

Also, I want to spend more time with the Material World books.


http://www.toms.com/our-movement


I decided to stop several times in the middle of the story to ask students questions (ex.- How are the

boy and ant alike?) Some of the students had heard the story before with a focus on respect and bullying.

So having a different focus (decision making) was nice.


This lesson worked well. The students really liked the book. It was interesting to see what the

students put in their “top five”. Next time, I would be sure to discuss what “quality of life” meant.


In this lesson, Just Look at our Shoes, we decided to work on this lesson as a large group. I had

originally planned to have the kids work in small groups, but I found that the kids needed review on

what average/mean are. I’ll need to remember to focus on that next time.


The lesson on Material World was a hit. The kids really loved the book and everything in it. I had

them complete the scavenger hunt worksheet. Next time, I would like to just give the students time to

peruse the book. I did have the books for a couple of more weeks so the kids could look at them at other

times. Next time, I’ll get the books for a couple of weeks longer again so the students have time to

enjoy them.


In this lesson, we watched the video “The Cost of Cool.” This video really hit home with the

students. It was easy for them to relate to. The discussion we had after the video was great. I asked

them what they learned, what surprised them in the video, and if they would change their habits based

on what they learned. I wouldn’t change much to this lesson.



I believe the students did do what I wanted them to—to make well-thought out decisions regarding

what makes you happy and material “stuff”.

4) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes No Please explain. In sixth

grade science in Cedar Rapids, we complete a materials unit so these lessons work well into the

unit. The only problem is that we don’t teach the unit until spring so I couldn’t teach them in

conjunction with the unit. I will, however, refer back to the lessons in the spring when we do the

rest of the materials unit.

Optional: Include a copy of one to three samples of completed student assignments, one-three teacher-

generated handouts, and/or other materials that could be shared with future participants in the Waste

Reduction course.

________________

HIGH SCHOOL SAMPLES

Grades 9-12

Part I & Part II Assignments Please save this Assignments form on your computer in a place that you will remember. Then complete the form and email to

the instructor at [email protected] according to the instructions in your syllabus. The assignments must include the

items listed below.

PART I Assignment: Mini-Unit Subject: Intro to Engineering Design

Grade Level: 9-12

Name: Brian Martz

School: Iowa City West HS

Projected dates the


8-22 to 8-31

Waste Reduction Mini-Unit Objectives

Students will demonstrate awareness of consumer impacts on society, the economy and

the environment and methods used to reduce waste.

Students will demonstrate the ability to trace the lifecycle and processes used to create

common products and identify the resources used to produce them.

Students will demonstrate awareness of engineering ethics and design considerations

used to reduce consumer waste through thoughtful planning and consideration of the

product life and its afterlife.

Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: 8/20

Class Discussion of what makes us happy.

Review Prologue of: Stuff; The Secret Lives of Every Day Things. Assign; Coffee &

Newspaper chapters.

Issue Mini-Unit Key Terms Study Guide

Presentation of Global, Human & Ethical Impacts. Dialogue with students on how

products can provide positive and negative impacts.


Students will record notes, small group discussion points etc… in their engineers’

notebook & on large sheet for gallery walk/class discussions.

Questionnaire for Stuff chapters will be issued and collected before next class.


Group discussion on Stuff: Coffee & Newspaper Chapters. Assign T-Shirt & Shoes

Review the 7 Technological Resources, Renewable & Non-Renewable Resources,

Primary & Secondary manufacturing processes.

Review Product Lifecycle Activity & Expectations: Study former student presentation

example & Life of a Hamburger Poster


Oral feedback & submitted questionnaire for assigned Stuff chapters


Class discussion, recording notes/lists in Engineer’s notebook

Q&A on Product Lifecycle Activity/Rubric

Day 3 & 4 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: 8/22 & 23

Brief Group Discussion on Stuff: T-Shirt & Shoes chapters. Assign: Bike/Car &

Computer chapters.

Students (in groups of two) will create & present Product Lifecycle Projects


Oral feedback & submitted questionnaire for Stuff chapters

Students will present their Power Point presentations to the class.


Brief Group Discussion on Stuff: Bike/Car & Computer chapters. Assign: Hamburgers,

French Fries & Cola chapters

Review: Bag It Video

Preview of Johnson Co. Landfill Tour


Small group discussion & student reactions to waste created by consumers as outlined in

the Bag It Video

Oral feedback & submitted questionnaire for assigned Stuff chapters


Tour of Johnson Co. Landfill


Q&A with Tour Guide


Class Debrief of Landfill Tour

Group Conclusion Discussion of Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things

Introduction to Waste Reduction

Review & Assign 72 (24, 48) Hours of Trash Lesson

Review: No Impact Man Video


Oral feedback of tour findings

Oral feedback of assigned book Stuff

Small Group Brainstorming of Waste Reduction Processes

Group reactions to No Impact Man Video


Record 72 hours of Trash Data on Chart. Review findings.

Class Visit by West HS Environmental Club

Preview Tour of Iowa City East Side Recycle Center


Students will fill out 72 Hours Data Sheet

Q&A with Environmental Club


Tour of Iowa City East Side Recycle Center


Q & A with Tour Guide

Day 10-12 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: 8/31, 9/4&5

Introduction to Engineering Ethics Presentation

Environmental & Safety related Government Agencies

Engineering Disasters & Miracles by Design Activity. Students in groups of 2 will

research and create presentations for one engineering disaster that impacted the

environment and one example of conservative design efforts to reduce waste.


Student record of info in engineers’ notebook

Student Presentations of Engineering Disasters & Miracles by Design


unit?

Neil Davis: History Department, IC West HS


course.

What changes did you make on your mini-unit, either before or during the teaching of the

unit?

Due to curriculum changes in our Intro to Engineering Design class, I did not feel that teaching a

waste reduction unit was appropriate at the beginning of the course as I had initially thought it

would be. Therefore, I taught the unit in my Manufacturing 1 class and found it to be a great

addition to the content of the course and relevant to bring students full circle with the concept of

consumption vs. waste and all of the resources/processes used to allow us to live a perceived

quality of life that we do here in the United States of America.


We watched the World Population Video and performed a couple of the activities listed in the

manual to the video.

A. Earth: The Apple of our eye. I thought this really helped the students gain an appreciation for

the actual amount of capacity to grow food.

B. Everything is Connected: Did not go over well. The students just did not want to participate

in an open forum.

C. Take a Stand: Got kids out of their seats and they did participate with enthusiasm and

expressed their values based on what side of the room they moved to.

Reviewed the Prologue of the book STUFF: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things.

Assigned: Coffee


Discussed the chapter and review questions on Coffee. Assigned: Newspaper & T-Shirt

Performed a lesson on Product Lifecycles. Reinforced earlier course concepts of gaining and

processing resources to produce the goods we consume. Introduced the concepts of Reduce,

Reuse, Recycle & Re-engineer.

Students researched the lifecycle of a product and created a poster to demonstrate the processes,

resources consumed and waste produced.


Discussed student reactions to the Newspaper & T-Shirt chapters of Stuff.

Showed the video: Bag It!! This was pretty eye-opening for the students in regards to the throw-

away society that we live in, what the rest of the world is doing to change their habits, what

America is not willing to do, the effects of plastic on the environment, personal health concerns

etc… Several suggestions were made for changing our behavior, habits, mindset about using

plastic products.

This would have been a great time to take the students to the Johnson Co. Landfill & SE

Recycling Center/Habitat Restore so they could see how those operations work but we just didn’t

have time. I will try to work this into our curriculum in the future.

We did not do the 72 hours of Trash Activity. I think that if I can get the kids to participate with

a good attitude, we could get some personal reflection on their own habits of waste.


I had the students research and construct a 2nd life into a product that would otherwise be thrown

away in their home. The students collected materials at home and processed them into a 2nd life

product.

I need more resources/activities to direct them. We used YouTube, and Google to research

ideas. The students collected materials at home and processed them into a 2nd life.


I had the E.A.T.S. club (Environmental Advocates Taking on Sustainability) visit our class to

explain what projects they were doing on campus and what students could do at home to

consider participating in concepts of waste reduction, re-use, recycle and energy reduction.

Projects they mentioned:

A. Recycle Bowl Competition

B. Added Plastic and Paper recycle bins to all classrooms on campus.

C. Composting kitchen waste. 900 lbs in 3 weeks.

D. Vegetable/ Produce Garden Sell to school kitchen.

E. Energy Audit/Caulking windows/insulate doors, boiler check…

F. Sustainability: Student education concerning energy reduction habits.

G. Exploring renewable energy sources for our school


Watched Video: No Impact Man

What are we willing and not willing to give up to reduce our waste?

Can we still live a quality life without wasting so much and lessening our impact on the

environment?


The class reviewed our manufacturing project & processes and identified several areas of

possible waste reduction. In addition, we are looking into identifying what extra materials in our

storage area can be brought to the Habitat Reuse store.

We re-visited the concept of what makes us happy. Teenagers are at a critical time in their lives

at this grade level where they can make up their own minds about the choices they make. In

gaining more independence from their parents, some choices are influenced by their peers but in

general, the information they have been exposed to will give them an opportunity to implement

desirable behaviors that reflect their own consciences and values. Sometimes, it’s just cool to be

part of a new way of doing things and it gets passed on to the next generation.

Final Quiz/Reflection over the unit.



Yes, I am confident that my students are more aware of the amount of waste our society

produces and several methods by which they could participate in making an individual choice to

have less impact on our environment without living a lesser quality life.


Yes. I had always only taught our manufacturing classes where our resources come from and

how we turn them into the products we buy but never considered the 4 R’s. I feel like I

personally have learned a great deal that I can add to our curriculum to help students consider

their impacts, concerns and career opportunities that await their generation.

Optional: Include a copy of one to three samples of completed student assignments, one-three

teacher-generated handouts, and/or other materials that could be shared with future participants

in the Waste Reduction course.

I’ll be bringing these to the final class.

example final assignments - university of northern iowa · final assignment reflection and...

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