ALEX Unit Plan

     

Solutions to Lessen Human Impact on the Environment

This Unit Plan provided by:
* Sandy Armstrong (Muscle Shoals City, Muscle Shoals City Board Of Education)
   Melanie Hester (Muscle Shoals City, Muscle Shoals City Board Of Education)
   Kayla Passarella (Muscle Shoals City, Howell Graves Preschool)
   Allison Weaver (Muscle Shoals City, Howell Graves Preschool)
(* indicates Primary Author)
The event this resource created for: Not Applicable
Unit Plan Overview

The unit will investigate the human impact on the environment. During the investigation, the students will identify the possible solutions to lessen the human impact on the local environment, plan possible solutions to lessen the human impact on the local environment, and identify potential human impacts on the local environment. This will be implemented through an introduction lesson with a guest speaker, an informational writing piece, a classroom recycle project, and a summative group video where students present solutions to lessen human impact on the local environment.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

Courses of Study Standards
English Language Arts
ELA2015 (2015)
Grade: K
1 ) With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. [RL.K.1]

a. Make predictions to determine main idea and anticipate an ending. (Alabama)

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.K.1- With prompting and support, identify details about a story.
English Language Arts
ELA2015 (2015)
Grade: K
9 ) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. [RL.K.10]
English Language Arts
ELA2015 (2015)
Grade: K
31 ) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.K.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.K.1a]

b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. [SL.K.1b]
English Language Arts
ELA2015 (2015)
Grade: K
38 ) Begin to demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.K.2]

a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. [L.K.2a]

b. Recognize and name end punctuation. [L.K.2b]

c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). [L.K.2c]

d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. [L.K.2d]
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: K
6 ) Identify and plan possible solutions (e.g., reducing, reusing, recycling) to lessen the human impact on the local environment.*

NAEP Framework
NAEP Statement::
E4.10: The supply of many Earth resources such as fuels, metals, fresh water, and farmland is limited. Humans have devised methods for extending the use of Earth resources through recycling, reuse, and renewal.

NAEP Statement::
E4.11: Humans depend on their natural and constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that can either be beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.

Unpacked Content
Scientific And Engineering Practices:
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect
Disciplinary Core Idea: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Identify possible solutions to lesson the human impact on the local environment.
  • Plan possible solutions to lesson the human impact on the local environment.
  • Identify potential human impacts on the local environment.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Identify
  • Plan
  • Solution
  • Human impact
  • Local
  • Environment
  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Recycle
  • Causes
  • Create
  • Ask
  • Imagine
  • Improve
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Human impact can have both positive and negative impact on the environment.
  • We can create possible solutions to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Identify possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.
  • Plan possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Human impact has a positive and negative effect on the local environment.
  • There are solutions that can lessen the negative impacts on a local environment.
AMSTI Resources:
AMSTI Module:
Plants and Animals
*Exploring Plants and Animals, STC
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.K.6- Classify human activities as harmful or helpful to the environment.
Mathematics
MA2019 (2019)
Grade: K
16. Identify and describe measurable attributes (length, weight, height) of a single object using vocabulary such as long/short, heavy/light, or tall/short.
Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Given a variety of 2D and 3D objects, use informal language (short, tall, heavy, light, fat, skinny, etc.) to describe measurable attributes of objects such as length or weight.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Attribute
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • how to describe similarities and differences in objects.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Describe measurable attributes of objects using informal language.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • objects can be described by using measurable attributes.
Diverse Learning Needs:
Essential Skills:
Learning Objectives:
M.K.16.1: Define length and weight.
M.K.16.2: Explore objects in relationship to length and weight.

Prior Knowledge Skills:
  • Notice same/different and some/all.
  • Begin to name and match colors, sizes, and shapes.
  • Enjoy playing with all kinds of objects.
  • Point to matching or similar objects.
  • Understand that words can label sameness and differences.
  • Understand that some have more, and some have less.
  • Sort a variety of objects in a group that have one thing in common.
  • Recognize and sort familiar objects with the same size.
  • Have an interest in the order of things.
  • Understand the concept of smallest and shortest.
  • Understand the concept of same shape and size.
  • Understand the concept of smallest and shortest.
  • Understand the concept of light and heavy.
  • Understand the concept long and short.
  • Classify common objects according to height (tall/short).
  • Classify common objects according to length (long/short).
  • Classify common objects according to weight (heavy/light).
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
M.AAS.K.16 Classify objects according to attributes (e.g., big/small, heavy/light, tall/short).
Driving Skills
21st Century Skills/Success Skills
Collaboration/Team Work, Creativity, Communication, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Leadership, Time Management
Essential Question/Challenging Problem

How do your actions impact the environment? 

Unit Culminating Product(s)
Culminating Products - Individual
  • Informational journal writing about methods to reduce, reuse, and recycle
  • Student's individual graph of sorting and weighing recyclable items 
  • Student's writing about three events that they participated in during the classroom recycling project
  • Exit tickets
  • Kahoot Quiz
Culminating Products - Group
  • Group writing project with a video oral presentation 
  • Classroom recycling project
  • Informational writing piece of a plan to lessen the human impact on the environment
  • Students bringing recyclable products to school to collect in recycling bin
  • Chart of ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle

 

Unit Assessments
Assessments Formative
Quizzes/Tests, Journal/Learning Log, Rough Drafts, Practice Presentations, Concept Maps, Project(s), Other
Assessments Formative (Other)
Exit Slips, Turn and Talk, Checklist/Rubric of Group Participation, Checklist Student Participation
Assessments Summative
Written Product(s), with rubric, Oral Presentation, with rubric, Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test, Peer Evaluation, Self-Evaluation
Unit Reflections
Reflections Student
Journal/Learning Log, Whole-Class Discussion
Reflections Student (Other)
Reflections Student Notes
Reflections Teacher 1
What were students able to do?
Reflections Teacher 2
What evidence do you have?
Reflections Teacher 3
Which students need additional instruction?
Reflections Teacher 4
How will the next lesson be adjusted to meet their needs?
Career Readiness Indicators
No Credentials Selected
Attached Resources
Lesson Plan
1 : Lesson 1: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
2 : Lesson 2: Informational Writing: How to Lessen Human Impact on the Environment
3 : Lesson 3: Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
4 : Lesson 4: Recycling Product Lesson
Learning Activity
Linked Attachments
No files currently attached to this Unit Plan.
Planning Calendar
UnitPlanCalendar.docx