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Environmental Jeopardy- Middle School

Elementary, Middle

Description

This resource consists of four editions of an environmental jeopardy game which promotes environmental stewardship. By introducing ideas such as thoughtful consumerism, sustainability, community participation, and healthy living, the resource offers a positive learning experience that challenges students to think about their everyday lives and the environment.

Based on the game show "Jeopardy" each edition has two sets of questions, one for late primary and one suitable for the middle level or early high school. A down loadable game board is available as are the templates for all sets of questions. Four different game sets are provided based on the following themes,  "Sustainability" ( which places an emphasis on renewable energy,  conscientious consumer habits, and general environmental awareness), "Your Local Environment" (gets students thinking about major issues locally and how their own lifestyle choices have a global impact), " A Changing Climate"(examines the cause of climate change, and consequences as well as solutions for global warming) and "Organic Food/Lifestyle' ( questions focus on organic products, choosing a healthy diet, agricultural resource management,and components of a healthy lifestyle)

Answer cards also contain extra information in a "Did you Know?" section. Each game contains a post-game activity, suggested classroom discussion questions, and many web-links for more extensive research on topics.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Reading and interpreting
  • Inferring and explaining relationships
  • Responding to written text
  • Speaking and communicating thoughts and ideas
  • Working cooperatively in a team
  • Analyzing one's ecological footprint
  • Letter writing
  • Listening critically to others ideas/ thoughts and points of view

Strengths

  • Fun and interesting game
  • Relevant to the student
  • Links are relevant to the topic and appropriate to both the teacher and the student
  • Post game activities bring good closure
  • Good Earth Day activity
  • Questions are levelled for different age groups
  • Promotes community awareness
  • Team work allows for shared dialogue
  • Covers a good range of sustainability topics
  • "Did You Know?" segment of answer cards provides good, relevant and interesting information
  • Encourages students to examine their own roles and choices in sustainability issues
  • Some questions have local focus

Weaknesses

  • Written for an American audience
  • No real action plan
  • Some statistics used in the older editions are outdated
  • Considerable time needed to print, cut and laminate questions and prepare the game board
  • Does not explicitly teach action skills
  • More background information would be helpful

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 7
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Interactions and Ecosystems
    • Grade 8
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
  • Manitoba
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    • Grade 5
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      • Science
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        • Weather
    • Grade 7
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      • Science
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        • Interactions Within Ecosystems
    • Grade 8
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Water Systems on Earth
  • Newfoundland & Labrador
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      • Science
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        • Weather
  • Northwest Territories
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        • Earth and Space Systems: Weather
        • Energy and Control: Conservation of Energy
    • Grade 6
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      • Science
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        • Life Systems: Diversity of Living Things
    • Grade 7
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        • Interactions and Ecosystems
    • Grade 8
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
  • Nova Scotia
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    • Grade 8
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 8: Water Systems on Earth
  • Nunavut
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    • Grade 5
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Earth and Space Systems: Weather
        • Energy and Control: Conservation of Energy
    • Grade 6
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Life Systems: Diversity of Living Things
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Interactions and Ecosystems
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
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    • Grade 5
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Weather
    • Grade 8
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Water Systems on Earth
  • Saskatchewan
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    • Grade 7
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Life Science: Interactions within Ecosystems
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 8: Water Systems on Earth

Themes Addressed

  • Citizenship (2)

    • Community-Building and Participation
    • Sustainable Consumption

  • Economics (1)

    • Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Human Health & Environment (1)

    • Quality of Life

  • Land Use & Natural Resources (2)

    • Sustainable Urbanization
    • Transportation

  • Waste Management (1)

    • Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

  • Water (1)

    • Water Use

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Satisfactory

A positive bias promoting the importance of environmental stewardship is presented. Student are presented facts via the "Jeopardy Game " format and make their own conclusions.

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 Good

The resource emphasizes the idea that environmental, social and economic factors determine the quality of life in a community, and that lifestyle choices made at the local level have far-reaching effects around the globe.

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 resource provides some thought-provoking questions and activities that encourage discussion.

Respects Complexity:

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

Acting on Learning Satisfactory
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 Satisfactory
Values Education:

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

Empathy & Respect for Humans Satisfactory

Empathy is fostered for those in the developing world whose quality of life is negatively affected by the over consumption by the developed world.

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 Satisfactory

Although no out-of-doors experience is involved in this lesson, the resource does encourage students to think about their everyday lives and the environment.

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 Good

Students examine the impact of their lifestyle choices at the local level and globally.

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 Good
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 Satisfactory

Post game activities provide some opportunities for students to think of solutions for some environmental and lifestyle issues.

Open-Ended Instruction :

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

Integrated Learning Satisfactory

This is primarily a science/social studies based resource, but post game activities do provide some learning opportunities in language arts, art, and math.

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 Satisfactory
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

Games and post game activities do teach to both the cognitive and affective domains. There are no accommodations suggested for students with learning difficulties in the post game activities. Appropriate grouping would help deal with reading/interpreting problems during 'Environmental Jeopardy".

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 Satisfactory
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
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 Poor/Not considered

Poor-There are no assessment tools provided in this resource.

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 Satisfactory

Some opportunities are provided for incidental teaching in post game activities.

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 Satisfactory

Dsecriptions are given of real events in real situations but these are very brief and not thorough.

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 Satisfactory

There are some opportunities in post-game activities to go deeper into chosen issues.

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.