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Seasons

Spring Defeats Winter

Elementary, Middle

Description

Students will take part in a variety of activities designed to teach about the seasons, the scientific reasoning behind the seasons, and how the seasons affect nature and the environment.                                                          

Students will:

  • take part in a dramatic representation of a flower's life cycle through the seasons.
  • adopt a tree or plant, and observe the changes that it experiences throughout the seasons.
  • demonstrate through simulation how seasons are caused by the different angles at which sunlight strikes the Earth during the year.

This chapter is part of a larger compilation, " Keepers of the Earth", and is intended to be taught in conjunction with other chapters in the book. 

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • This resource explicitly teaches the science behind the change in the seasons.

Strengths

  • The activities within this resource utilize drama to help enrich students understanding of the concept of seasons.
  • Activities are well organized with specific goals and outcomes.
  • Chapter provides good quality and quantity of information regarding seasons.
  • Activities are planned to meet a variety of learning needs for various ages of students.
  • Many of the activities provided take place out of doors.
  • Activities are locally focused.
  • Use of Aboriginal legends are utilized to further enrich the activities.

Weaknesses

  • Activities do not address larger environmental issues associated with weather, climate, and the seasons.
  • Students are not encouraged to take authentic action.
  • Multi-disciplinary systems thinking approach is not utilized within the activities.
  • Case studies are not provided for students or teachers.
  • Assessment practises are not provided for students or teachers.
  • Students are not explicitly taught skills necessary to take action.
  • Activities do not develop around a problem solving approach.

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        • Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
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        • Science 2: Water is essential to all living things and it cycles through the environment
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Themes Addressed

Ecosystems (1)

  • Appreciating the Natural World

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Satisfactory
  • Information presented within this chapter is ultimately science based although the legend provided, does provide an alternative reasoning for the change in seasons.
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 Satisfactory
  • Although the activities within this chapter do provide a wealth of scientific information, there is a lack of information regarding the issues associated with the weather such as climate change, global warming, etc.
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
  • Students are not exposed to the complexity of problems associated with the weather and seasons.
Respects Complexity:

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

Acting on Learning Poor/Not considered
  • There are no opportunities for action projects within this chapter.
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 Poor/Not considered
  • Students are not explicitly given an opportunity to clarify their own values.
Values Education:

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

Empathy & Respect for Humans Satisfactory
  • Activities within this chapter deal mainly with scientific research surrounding the seasons, and it's effects on non-humans.
  • Students are exposed to an Aboriginal legend providing reasoning for the seasons.
  • Students are encouraged to work in groups.
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
  • Students participate in drama experiences where they pretend to be plants.
  • Some of the experiences within this chapter take place out of doors.
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 Satisfactory
  • Students observe the effects of the seasons on plants in their own neighborhoods.
  • Students discuss the impact of the seasons in their own environments.
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
  • Students read and listen to an ancient Aboriginal legend regarding the seasons.
  • Students do not discuss a positive vision for the future, but do take part in a dramatic representation of the seasonal cycle of plants, which gives a positive vision for the future for younger students.
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
  • Lessons are largely teacher directed and students are steered towards discovering the "right" answer.
Open-Ended Instruction :

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

Integrated Learning Good
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
  • Older students are given the opportunity to construct a model which will help in their understanding of the explanation for seasons.
  • Students observe seasonal changes on a specific plants, giving time to reflect on these observations.
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 Good
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
  • Students are able to observe the affects of seasonal change on plants in their own environments.
  • Simulation exercises are also used to demonstrate seasonal changes.
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 work in groups, but no cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught.
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 Satisfactory
  • Although students participate in activities that could be used as means of assessment, ie. journaling and reflection; means in which to use these methods as forms of assessment are not explicitly provided.
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 incidental teaches arises from group and cooperative learning opportunities, but students are not given the opportunity to act as mentors or teachers.
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
  • Relevant case studies are not provided for students or teachers.
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
  • Students are given the opportunity to choose how they would like to represent their observations of the plant they have chosen, but the majority of the lessons are teacher directed.
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.

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