Objective 1: Curriculum Instruction
CRITERIA 1: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE INSTRUCTION
All Grades
- “Billy B” Cultural Arts programs on Biodiversity in Jan 2014, Ways of the Bay in Dec. 2012 make learning about our environment and engaging and interactive experience.
- “Bash the Trash" Cultural Arts program - building, performing, and using recycled materials to combine, music, science, and environmental awareness in 2012.
- Students designed and created a Chesapeake Bay art mural with artist in residence using recycled materials, 2012.
- Alicia Moore, of the Howard County Bureau of Environmental Services made presentations to each grade during their lunch shifts on ways students can recycle their lunch waste, October, 2013.
- GreeNEWit presented a program to the whole school promoting energy conservation March 28, 2014.
Grade K
- Annual field trip to Sharps farm to learn about living and non-living things.
- Learned about the water cycle, melting, and evaporation by watching the snow & ice melt. Colored ice cubes helped students see the difference temperatures make in the melting rate.
- Studied spiders and created a poster to identify the body parts of a spider.
- Studied a variety of insects such as butterflies and bees as well as frogs to learn about their life cycles.
- Raised butterflies from larva and learn about their life cycle as the butterflies emerge from their chrysalis.
- Worm Day in the spring helps students understand the importance of earthworms to the soil.
- Grew plants from seeds to learn about germination and the parts of seeds. The flower seedlings become Mother's Day presents each year.
- Celebrate Earth Day each April to learn the importance of helping the Earth by conserving water and recycling trash. Students write about their efforts to recycle.
- Kindergarten's closing ceremony focuses on songs featuring the environment, recycling, and the importance of nutritious food and physical activity for a healthy life.
Grade 1
- Field trip to the farm to learn about the life cycles of plants and animals each October
- Made grass hair kids so students can learn about the importance of water and sun to help living organisms grow and displayed their products at the Enrichment Fair.
- Learned about a plant's life cycle from a Master Gardener.
- Collected and examined rocks to classify by size, shape, and color.
- Studied the sun, moon, and stars to learn about the Solar System and then observed the stars at night.
- Earth Day activities focus on reducing, recycling, and reusing materials at school and at home to protect the environment.
Grade 2
- Each year, second graders study the life cycle of butterflies, raised and release the butterflies after they emerged from the chrysalis.
- Conducted insect research and completed a project with recycled materials in 2013.
- Created hand held pollinators while studying the butterfly life cycle 2014.
- Researched threatened and endangered animals in a seminar group 2014.
- Studied soil and erosion on the school grounds, discussed the causes and identified ways to correct the erosion.
- Each April, a variety of Earth Day activities focus second graders on ways to protect the Earth. They write about why it is important to take care of the environment.
Grade 3
- Third graders look forward to the annual Forest Day after they learn about plants and seeds and their needs. This format allows them to display their research in an interactive environment which the whole school enjoys.
- Field trip to the Robinson Nature Center in 2013 informed third graders of how people interact with the environment and use Earth's natural resources.
- Built anemometers and tested their wind instruments outside to learn about the power of wind and its role in weather and seed disbursement.
- Measured daily outside temperatures and graphed the results in their weather unit.
- Created a water cycle poster to illustrate the parts in the water cycle.
- Researched parts of plants and planted seeds and graphed the results to learn about the different variables necessary for plant health
- Created posters on the needs of plants to display their understanding.
Grade 4
- Students researched biomes to learn about different climates in the world and created a webpage for each region.
- Studied different types of soil covers and tested which was best in preventing erosion.
- Raised and released Blue Gills to learn about the bluegill life cycle and their role in the Chesapeake Bay food web.
- Researched different challenges faced by development around the Chesapeake Bay to identify solutions to minimize impact on the environment.
- Created cement oyster reef balls to help create a refuge for oysters after learning how oysters help improve water quality in the Bay.
- Days of Taste, a program with the American Institute of Wine and Food, designed using local produce to develop understandings of different foods and nutrition and toured a farm to learn about growing and eating your own food.
- Used recycled materials to build toys in a STEM project.
Grade 5
- Environmental field trip evaluated school grounds for problems and identified ways to improve the drainage and property and reduce the school’s carbon footprint.
- Students learned about Earth’s rotation by outlining their shadows as the shadows changed from morning to afternoon.
- Displayed their water cycle research through posters and Kidspiration projects.
- Studied the impact of fertilizers on plant life and learned about the benefits of riparian buffers.
- Researched ocean life, physical features, and created projects to display their learning.
- Created a water filter to filter out contaminants in polluted water and graphed their data in Technology class.
- Researched Chesapeake Bay lifeforms and created trioramas to display their research.
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CRITERIA 2: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
K. Valdivia
C. Buzzerd K. Valdivia J. Hilbert, D. Royo, C. Brzezinski J. Hilbert K. Valdivia S. Walker S. Walker Whole Staff C. Brzezinski K. Valdivia |
Grade 4
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5, Media, GT Grade 5 Grade 5 Technology Technology School Wide GT GT |
Oyster Reef Ball Training, 8/9/2013
Robinson Nature Center Teacher Workshop, September 29, 2013 Blue Gills in the Classroom Training, October 5, 2013 Green School Workshop, October, 2012 Science Next Generation, October, 2013 Riparian Buffer Training, February 2012, 2011, 2010 Engineering is Elementary, May-June 2013 Next Generation Science course, May 2014 GreeNEWit presentation on energy conservation, introduced supporting lessons, March 2014 MAEOE Conference, 2013, 2012, 2011 MAEOE Conference, 2014 |
Criteria 3: Celebration
Green School Bulletin Board
"Billy B" Cultural Arts Program "Bash the Trash" Cultural Arts Program Morning Announcements on Green Topics March for Earth Hour Press Coverage Press Coverage Earth Day Bulletin Boards Waste Free Wednesdays GreeNEWit TRES Enrichment & Science Fair |
School wide
School wide School wide School wide School and Community Wide School and Community School and Community Whole School Whole School Whole School Whole School and Community Whole School |
Students help collect and create a bulletin board highlighting on-going green activities within the school 2013-14.
The whole school attended a PTA sponsored cultural arts assembly on recycling topics and biodiversity in December, 2012 and January 2014. The whole school attended a PTA sponsored cultural arts program on building, performing, and using recycled materials to combine, music, science with environmental awareness in 2012. Students researched, wrote, and announced weekly fun recycling facts 2012-13, 2013-14 The entire school community was encouraged to participate in the March for Earth Hour and conserve electricity and curb light pollution by turning off outside lights for 1 hour, March 29, 2014 A local community newsletter wrote an article highlighting the TRES Waste Free Challenge, 2012 An article in baybackpack highlighted our Trout in the Classroom in 2011. The whole school participates in a variety of activities to celebrate Earth Day each year. Bulletin Boards throughout the school display student projects on a variety of environmental and recycling topics. Our yearly Waste Free Wednesdays project encourage students to bring lunches in recyclable containers. Students tracked the data in reducing the amount of trash. GreeNEWit presented a program on the importance of energy conservation to the student body to encourage energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Parents and staff were offered a free home energy audit. March 21, 2014 Our May Enrichment and Science Fair has numerous research projects displayed on a variety of environmental and recycling projects. |