Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
generationOn
Purpose:
Students use what they learned about composting to plan and develop a service plan that meets a need related to food waste and environmental stewardship. They reflect on the impact of their service and share that with peers and/or families.
Duration:
Three 45-Minute Class Periods, Plus Time for the Service Project
Objectives:
The learner will:
- come to a consensus with classmates on a service project related to food waste.
- create a plan of action and complete the service project.
- reflect on the impact of their project.
- share the results of their service with peers and/or family.
Service Experience:
Learners plan and carry out a service project involving composting, with the goal of reducing food waste in their school, home, or community.
Materials:
- materials depend on service project selected and planned by the class
- teacher copy of Attachment One: Planning a Service Project to use as a model for a display board
Instructional Procedure(s):
Day One
Anticipatory Set:
Read aloud an additional literature book or show additional videos suggested in Lesson Two.
- Hold a class discussion, using the list of brainstormed projects from Lesson Two, to come to consensus on a plan for a service project related to composting food waste.
- Display the Planning a Service Project chart (Attachment One). Working as a class, fill in all the sections to plan the service project. If the plan involves creating compost, the plan could also include strategies for using the finished compost in service. (For example, planting seeds in compost to plant flower seeds to grow flowers to donate to a senior care facility).
Day Two
- Create a class newsletter explaining the project and asking for volunteers and needed supplies. Distribute the newsletter to other classes as well as to school families.
- Reflect on the progress of the project and adjust expectations, timelines, and roles, as needed.
Teacher Note: If the class-selected project is to create a school compost pile for lunch room food waste, it should include these steps:
- Survey school yard and identify a location for the compost.
- Get administrator's approval for compost location.
- Place the food and yard waste collected in the compost area.
- Engage volunteers (students, families, and staff) to collect food waste and add to the compost pile on a regular schedule.
- Arrange for the long-term care of the compost pile (turning the pile, adding "ingredients" as needed, etc.).
- Determine a use for the finished compost product at the end of the school year.
Day Three (after the service project is completed)
- Reflection Activity: From a very large square or rectangle of bulletin board paper, cut out a variety of jigsaw puzzle shapes. Be sure that each student in the classroom gets at least one of these puzzle pieces. Have each student choose to write and/or draw a response to one of these prompts on their puzzle piece:
What I did for this service project
How I felt about participating in this service project
How the service project made a difference in my home, school or community
- Working as a group, reconstruct the puzzle with each learner explaining their puzzle-piece writing and/or drawing as its added. Once the puzzle has been completed, display the complete puzzle under the heading, “Solving the Food Waste Issue."
- As a class, write a newsletter to be distributed to the school population and/or families that includes summaries of the ideas generated for the puzzle pieces in response to the three prompts.
Assessment:
Assessment can be made on evidence of student learning through the puzzle-piece discussion about what they have learned about composting and taking better care of our environment, especially noting use of appropriate new vocabulary. A teacher created vocabulary and composting fact quiz may also be used.
Bibliographical References:
www.education.com/activity/article/Making_Compost/ Site that can add examples of using a compost garbage can as well as what can be used in composting
www.education.com/activity/article/Making_Compost/ Link to directions for simple compost pail and how to make your own compost pile
Lesson Developed By:
Harriet OliverJackson Public Schools
Northeast Elementary
Jackson, MI 49202
Wesley Faulkner
Romulus Community Schools
Merriman Elementary School
Romulus, MI 48174
Jodi Gerrits
Zeeland Christian School
Zeeland Christian School
Zeeland, MI 49464
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Planning a Service Project
|
Investigation
(Why do we need to be concerned about food waste in our homes, school or community? How do we know this is a need?
|
|
|
Preparation
(What are the tasks, who will do them and when?)
|
|
|
Action
(Who can help us? What supplies or money do we need? How can we get them?)
|
|
|
Reflection
(How do we feel about the service now, while we are doing it, and after completing it?)
|
|
|
Demonstration
(How can we tell others what we have done? Who do we want to tell?)
|
|
Unit Contents:
Overview:Cool Kids Compost Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- A Messy Survey
- 2.
- Rotten Research
- 3.
- Got Dirt?
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely use this information for nonprofit (noncommercial), educational purposes only. Copyright must be acknowledged on all copies.
