Funding sponsored by:
www.qad.com
Click here to download the project resources.
Project Description: This project integrates technology, Science, tree planting, technology, Power Point design, language arts and service learning. Students learn to make a power point to instruct other adults and students how to plant trees. The tree planting information combined with Power Point design is used throughout the unit. Students are responsible for gathering tree planting materials, planting the acorns, watering the seedlings all while keeping track of the plant growth and planting instructions via the Power Point. Creating the Power Point helps students organize the information and communicate results to other scientists.
How it works: The website is the culminating event of all five of the lessons. This puts all student knowledge in a platform that can be reproduced by other classrooms. In this manner students can be a vehicle for social change, which is the whole reason service learning is effective. The students will use the district website tool maker. They will up load all the work into the website this includes: letters to the Santa Maria Times, Brainpop links, tree planting videos, PowerPoint presentations, and images found on Google..
Assessment:
Rubric
20 points Assignment looks like the 20 point example
18 points Assignment looks like the example, but not as many pieces of info
16 points Assignment explains the information, but in an unorganized way
14 points Assignment is unorganized, confusing, incomplete
00 points No assignment turned in
Standards:
California Science Standards (8th Grade)
Students know the structure of the atom and know it is composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Students know the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on molecular motion.
California English / Language Arts Standard
Write persuasive compositions that support arguments with detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning, differentiating between evidence and opinion.
Comprehension and Analysis of Appropriate Text
Use information from a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents to explain a situation or decision and/or to solve a problem.
Estimated Number of Class Periods for Students To Complete Unit: 10 or more
Software or Materials Used: www.smbsd.org File Manager, Power Point, Microsoft Word, www.santamariatimes.com, http://boxer.senate.gov, Brain Pop, camera, video recorder
Keywords: Science, Trees, Website design
The Students: The students are fourteen years old enrolled in an 8th grade Physical Science class. The ability levels range from students in honors to student that have individual education plans. The projects were completed in pairs with the explanation given to the whole class at one time.
Overall Value: Through the assembly of multi curricular areas this unit helps students become active hands on learners. They also realize their education is valuable now and through service learning can effect positive change in the community. Student engagement flourishes where they plant the seeds in the soil to grow a tree. They record their knowledge using the technology of pictures, video, and Power Point. They get excited when they learn the internet can motivate other students to learn science and plant trees. The sense of making a difference in their community and using their science knowledge to understand tree growth creates a powerful learning experience coupled with technology. The overall affect is motivated students.
Subject Area: Science, English
Grade Levels: Grades 6-12
Tips for the Teacher: The tree planting unit is an entire semester project that culminates with the students planting trees in the City of Santa Maria Las Flores Nature Center. So far with all they have learned the children have planted 60 trees and raised $1400. To see a video of our tree planting and find useful fundraising and tree planting info see our website.
