The+Environmental+Inquisitors+Lesson+Breakdown


 * Environmental Inquisitors ** Lesson Breakdown

Week 1 Time: 2 x 40 min lessons Location: Classroom, with interactive whiteboard, computer and internet access

Lesson 1 Overview Introduce the research project and outline expectations. Start with a question session to find out what students know about the topic "Conservation". Student/s may scribe on interactive whiteboard this initial brainstorm, and keep it for reflection at the end of project.

To then clarify their understandings and to increase engagement, watch this short (14 minute) video about the top 5 environmental issues currently being faced around the world.

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Explanation of steps of project 1. Topic 2. Research 3. Collation and investigation of possible solutions 4. Presentation of work

Present example [|prezi], narrating the elements, pausing at each element to ensure understanding of the separate steps. Being mindul of the fact that this is a skeleton example, made simply, not the standard expected after several weeks work. Explore Carnaby's Cockatoos in some depth, and question for understanding and higher level inferences, and if the separate processes in each section of the prezi are clearly identified. Give students their groups and explain the next lesson. Tell them to begin thinking on their possible topic for the project, give the topics we have outlined, and reiterate that other topics may be allowed at the discretion of the teacher.

Lesson 2 Overview: Brainstorming and planning of process and student roles. Teacher will be choosing the groups, being mindful of learning abilities and levels, personal dynamics and potential student roles. Groups can be assigned in several ways, two being that students are given roles outside their expertise and comfort (to extend their skills and repertoire), or students can be given roles that highlight and reaffirm their strengths. This is at the discretion of the teacher, and peer tutoring and mentoring is to be encouraged.
 * Seat students in their groups, preferably with one computer per group.
 * Have a whole class discussion on how to brainstorm
 * Explain the [|sample brainstorm] on the whiteboard, and specify three main nodes for their project brainstorm - Research, Collation and Solutions and Presentation. Leave up for them to use if they wish.
 * Provide the link @http://www.spicynodes.org/ and permission for one student in each group to register, and also paper and pens if they would like to use them
 * By end of lesson there should be consensus on topic, and also if they will be assigning roles or working collaboratively. They should have a brainstorm addressing all the components of the project and a general sense of how they would like to progress and present.
 * Additional brainstorm tool:[| http://www.livestrong.com/article/273215-how-to-learn-to-brainstorm-fun-activities-for-kids/]

Week 2 & 3 Time: 4 x 50 minute lessons Suggested Location: The School Library is an ideal place for students to obtain a wide variety of resources Overview: For the second and third week, class time is dedicated to collaborative research and should be unstructured to allow the students to establish their roles and responsibilities independently. Research Role Flashcards are included below to help, along with a brief outline of the positive effects assigning roles can have on student group work. If the students have not finished their brainstorms, they should do so at this stage.

The Research Starter will help the students when it's time to start their research. It asks the questions they need to be thinking about but requires the students to expand their inquiry skills.

Search Resources > ** Suggested Search Words: ** Conservation, deforestation, marine conservation, reef destruction, endangered species, endangered animals, water consumption, water conservation, waste disposal, reduce-reuse-recycle, energy conservation, energy consumption, saving energy
 * Google Search is the most popular online search engine available. It is simple to use and produces news articles, websites and images based on the search words you enter.
 * Diigo is a free social bookmarking, research and knowledge sharing tool. It includes a search feature to ease the discovery process and allows you to create and join group pages.
 * The West Australian Online has a search capability that allows you to search past articles based on your search words/topic. The articles present real life issues as witnessed in the newspaper and may be relevant to the local, national or international arena.
 * YouTube is a video sharing website that contains a diverse range of clips, advertisements and short films on almost anything you can think of! It is free to view and upload videos.
 * iTunes is a digital music database that allows you to dowload music, books and podcasts

Topic Specific Websites Rainforests & Deforestation This educational website contains in-depth information about rainforests around the world, the flora and fauna within them as well as the issues they are faced with. Full of interactive games, puzzles, videos, photos and sound effects, it's a great place to start gathering information. Marine & Reef Destruction Created and maintained by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, this website includes a 'Student Centre' that encompasses a visual library, images, posters and related links to other sites. It also highlights what's causing reef destruction and what you can do to help. Endangered Species Highlighting endangered species around the world and what can be done to help, this website is a wealth of information and image galleries about the Earth's animals. It includes an activities corner along with sample research projects completed by other students. Water Conservation While this website is tailored to African waterways, it showcases the issues faced by a variety of water bodies and practical ways to overcome them. It's a good place to start and also includes relevant links to other water conservation sites and documents. Waste Dispoal Specifically designed for students, this website is targeted at what children can do to make informed decisions about their waste disposal. It includes research links, activities, songs and interactive games, along with a teacher/parent component. Energy Conservation Touchstone Energy Kids is an interactive site where students are guided by 'Charlie - the Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb'.

Extension: Students can conduct and record interviews with family members to gauge alternate opinions on the environmental issue and what can be done to alleviate it Week 4 Time: 2 x 40 minute lessons

Lesson 1 Location: Classroom with interactive whiteboard, desk space and computer access Overview: Next, the students need to be made aware of the programs they can use to assist in the collation and presentation of their research. Therefore, this lesson acts as an introduction to new software and provides them with the opportunity to clarify any queries before they start creating their presentations.

Revisit Carnaby's Cockatoos and take the time to reinforce the information the students should have collected. Highlight that this presentation was created using [|Prezi], and provide time for questions regarding the content and layout. Advise that there are a number of programs available for presenting their work. We suggest viewing a few tutorials as a class to ensure students are aware of the options and their capabilities. This will also allow students to choose the most suitable for their group, or you can conduct a class vote to arrive at the most suitable option for everyone - allowing you to focus on one presentation program.
 * PowerPoint Tutorial for Beginners - You can also add a narration and upload online
 * Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that makes it fun to explore ideas and the connections between them
 * PresentationTube allows you to record, upload and share your presentation online
 * Use[| Jing] to record a screen cast of your wiki pages with narration and upload it to[| screencast.com]

For further presentation tools, click here

Lesson 2 Location: Classroom with interactive whiteboard, desk space and computer access Overview: Allowing the students to explore the software in their groups independently will increase their motivation and ensure they are comfortable and familiar with their choice. This extra time will also enable them to revisit their content, make changes and divide the sections evenly between group members i.e. who is responsible for writing the introduction, body, conclusion etc. Use this lesson as a catch up session and to once again to provide suitable scaffolding, have Carnaby's Cockatoos displayed on the interactive whiteboard for easy reference.

Week 5 Time: 2 x 50 minute lessons Location: Computer Lab Overview : Week Five consists of unstructured class time, in which the students compile their presentations and resolve any issues.

Lesson 1: Create presentation using the format decided on in week four. Multimedia should be uploaded to presentations at this time.

Lesson 2: Rehearse presentations and resolve any problems. Students should use this lesson to time their presentations and ensure that all multimedia resources are working correctly.

Resources: Lightworks is a free video editing tool, which students may like to use to edit their video footage prior to uploading it to their presentation.MS Powerpoint is available as part of a free 30 day MS Office 2012 trial. How to Record Narration for a PowerPoint Presentation For Dummies

Week 6 Time: 2 x 40 minute lessons (dependent on number of groups) Location: Classroom with interactive whiteboard and internet access Overview: Students should now be prepared to upload and present their research project.

Groups should be determined at random and can be completed by drawing group names from a hat. Advise the students that their research projects will be collected once all presentations are complete for marking. (But don't forget to take additional assessment notes during the presentations!)

Below you will find a simple example of an online presentation created using Prezi. Simply click the image to view.



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