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Enviro-Proofing Your Home

Secondary

Description

Students learn background knowledge about waste management and energy efficiency in introductory lessons. They draw a floor plan of their home and identify areas where waste is generated and energy is lost. Plans to recycle and conserve energy are developed on the floor plan poster. Students are encouraged to implement the plans.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

Students are instructed to draw a floor plan, to identify where waste is generated and to plan a recycling center and how it can be used. They are not explicitly taught how to draw a floor plan or develop a recycling center.

Strengths

This activity presents an opportunity for an action that is very relevant to the student. Teachers are provided an opportunity to communicate with parents and students about the topic.

Weaknesses

There appears to be a lack of background information that sets the stage for the need for a plan of action and implementation of that action.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

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  • Alberta
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    • Grade 9
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      • Environmental Science
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        • Environment and Outdoor Education: Environmental Investigations
    • Grade 11
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      • English/Language Arts
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        • English 20: Create oral, print, visual and multimedia texts, and enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
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      • Technological Education
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        • Energy and Mines - ENM3040: Energy & the Environment
  • British Columbia
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    • Grade 12
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      • Environmental Science
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        • Environmental Science 12: Living sustainably supports the well-being of self, community, and Earth.
  • Manitoba
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    • Grade 9
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      • Family Studies
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        • Family Studies Senior 1:Personal Decisions and Community Connections
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      • Science
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        • Current Topics in the Sciences 30S: Science, Technology, Society & the Environment
  • New Brunswick
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    • Grade 12
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      • Geography
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        • Canadian Geography 120:A Geographic Perspective on a Current Canadian Issue
        • Canadian Geography 120:Managing Natural Resources
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      • Science
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        • Science 30: Energy and the Environment
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        • Social Studies 30-1: :Perspectives on Ideology
        • Social Studies 30-2:Understandings of Ideology
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      • Geography
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        • Global Geography: Planet Earth
  • Nunavut
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    • Grade 12
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      • Science
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        • Science 30: Energy and the Environment
  • Ontario
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    • Grade 9
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      • Family Studies
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        • Exploring Family Studies: Exercising Responsibility
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        • Issues in Canadian Geography (Academic): Interactions in the Physical Environment
        • Issues in Canadian Geography (Applied): Interactions in the Physical Environment
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        • Exploring Family Studies: Exercising Responsibility
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        • Construction Technolgy (Open) Fundamentals
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        • Science (Workplace Preparation): Electricity At Home And At Work
  • Saskatchewan
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        • English Language Arts B10: Overall Expectations
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        • Social Studiees 20:World Issues - Environment
  • Yukon Territory
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    • Grade 12
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      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environmental Science 12: Living sustainably supports the well-being of self, community, and Earth.

Themes Addressed

  • Energy (1)

    • Energy Use

  • Land Use & Natural Resources (1)

    • Sustainable Urbanization

  • Waste Management (4)

    • Composting
    • Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
    • Solid Waste Disposal
    • Source Reduction

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Poor/Not considered
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Poor/Not considered

Activity information suggests teacher provide research information, web sites, handout, guest speaker and supplementary field trips but these are not provided in the lesson.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Satisfactory

The activity does not address the complexity of recycling in some locations or reducing energy consumption in the home. Factual information about energy conservation and recycling is provided. Students are encouraged to discuss their plans for enviro-proofing their home with their families.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

The action is in their own homes but would have spin off benefits for the community.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good

Student use the information provided by the teacher in background lessons to develop a recycling plan and energy conservation initiatives for their home .

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Poor/Not considered
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

Activity focuses on the student's home.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Satisfactory

This activity could instill in students an understanding that even though there are currently waste management problems and overuse of energy resources, there is a potential to address those problems by individual citizens and that individuals can make a difference.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

Students may choose to recycle in a variety of ways. Similarly, they may choose any method of energy conservation and implement it.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Satisfactory

Background to the problems with waste management and over use of energy resources has to be provided by the teacher. Through the activity a student will use the knowledge and design solutions which may or may not be implemented. The product is a poster and possibly student action.

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Poor/Not considered
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Satisfactory

The product to be evaluated is explicitly assigned as a poster and active implementation of the ideas in the poster. This activity would teach to both cognitive and affective domains but there could be options for a final product.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Poor/Not considered
Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Students are not encouraged to work with other students on this project however there is a possibility they would work with their family.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

Once students have learned about recycling and energy conservation they are encouraged to implement the plan they have developed. The assessment provided allows for student, teacher and parent assessment of the poster and possibly implementation of the ideas presented in the poster.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Poor/Not considered

Students simply hand in posters.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Poor/Not considered
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.