Prject Planner District: Frest Hills Public Schls Building: Frest Hills Eastern Middle Schl Teacher(s): Leah Sevigny, Kathy Mitchell, Nicki Ellitt Main Cntact: Leah Sevigny Grade Level: 7th and 8th Email: lsevigny@fhps.us Subject(s): HS Earth Science First Trimester: Secnd Trimester: Third Trimester: First Semester: Secnd Semester: All Year: x Name f Prject: Envirnmental Campus Restratin and Plastic Recycling Prgram Prject Overview Give a brief verview f the prject yu are planning. We will build n the land use theme we started last year, cntinuing ur lessns n the watershed and building frm water t the plants that grw n ur campus. Eastern students will investigate re-establishing ur campus landscape tward native, nn-invasive plants, and subsequently remve sptted knapweed frm the campus. In an effrt t take ur new learning t the cmmunity, students will participate in a Garlic Mustard pull at Ada Twnship Park. We are als implementing a plastic recycling prgram. The middle schl students will wrk with the high schl AP Envirnmental Science students t create a sustainable, student-run initiative t make a psitive impact n the envirnment. Mst f the students, staff, and parents in ur schl cmmunity are unfamiliar with envirnmental issues surrunding the watershed. They are ignrant f sustainability issues surrunding water, plants, weeds, etc. Thrugh schl and sprts, the building and campus is used by hundreds f peple n a daily basis, but n ne is ding anything with the grunds. Mst peple drive by the detentin pnds, creek, and fields, but d nt make a cnnectin t ur watershed. Cnsequently, we hpe t reach the entire cmmunity thrugh these educatinal effrts. We are als implementing a plastic recycling prgram. The middle schl students will wrk with the high schl AP Envirnmental Science students t create a sustainable, student-run initiative t make a psitive impact n the envirnment. While recycling is nt a new idea, it was nt built int the master systems-plan at Eastern, and has never been fully implemented as an enduring expectatin. This prtin f the prject may nt be unique, but there is certainly a need t put a system in place. Bth recycling and eliminating invasive plant species imprve the quality f ur grundwater, s we are pleased t embrace tw prjects that specifically relate t Grundswell s missin, Creating lifelng stewards f the Great Lakes via the Grand River watershed. StneShres 2010
Eastern Middle Schl students will lk at bth hw ur schl campus affects grundwater and hw helping ur lcal parks clean the river and pull invasive plants benefits the cmmunity as a whle. They shuld understand the relatinship between their effrts, the watershed, the quality f Lake Michigan and its effect n their lives. Our students will exhibit stewardship f ur land by eradicating sptted knapweed frm the Eastern campus and pulling Garlic Mustard at Ada Twnship Park. They will als shw gd stewardship by wrking in the lunch rm in shifts at the recycle area t ensure ther students empty their beverage cntainers f liquid befre thrwing them away. The nly way this recycling effrt will be successful is fr students t share the respnsibility. There will be 200 invlved in the land use prjects (watershed, water testing, invasive species), and 430 middle and high schl students will be invlved in the recycling effrts. Effective Practice: MEANINGFUL SERVICE Service learning actively engages participants in meaningful and persnally relevant service activities. What cmmunity need will yu address and hw did yu determine the need? Eastern Middle Schl students will lk at bth hw ur schl campus affects grundwater and hw helping ur lcal parks clean the river and pull invasive plants benefits the cmmunity as a whle. They shuld understand the relatinship between their effrts, the watershed, the quality f Lake Michigan and its effect n their lives. What service will yu prvide t address the need? Our students will exhibit stewardship f ur land by eradicating sptted knapweed frm the Eastern campus and pulling Garlic Mustard at Ada Twnship Park. They will als shw gd stewardship by wrking in the lunch rm in shifts at the recycle area t ensure ther students empty their beverage cntainers f liquid befre thrwing them away. The nly way this recycling effrt will be successful is fr students t share the respnsibility. There will be 200 invlved in the land use prjects (watershed, water testing, invasive species), and 430 middle and high schl students will be invlved in the recycling effrts. Effective Practice: LINK TO CURRICULUM Service learning is intentinally used as an instructinal strategy t meet learning gals and/r cntent standards. Hw is this prject related t yur curriculum? Our prject cnnects t the earth science curriculum we teach in 8 th grade Fundatins f Science. Students first need a clear understanding f HSCEs E4.1A and E4.1B. E4.1A Cmpare and cntrast surface water systems (lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands) and grundwater in regard t their relative sizes as Earth s freshwater reservirs and the dynamics f water mvement (inputs and utputs, residence times, sustainability) and E4.1B Explain the features and prcesses f grundwater systems and hw the sustainability f Nrth American aquifers has changed in recent histry. What are the educatinal gals? Then they can use the infrmatin they learn frm this prject t deeply grasp cntent expectatin E4.1C and the FHPS curriculum lifelng understanding related t it. E4.1C Explain hw water quality in bth grundwater and surface system is impacted by land use decisins. StneShres 2010
Lifelng Understanding Prblems related t water resurces requires an understanding f the cmpnents f the hydrsphere and the impact created by human activity. Curriculum Crafter Cnnectins www.curriculumcrafter.cm Strand: Earth SCI: (Earth Systems) TLW: Describe the impact f humans n Earth s systems as renewable and nnrenewable resurces are utilized and explain hw energy exists in multiple frms which can be transfrmed and transferred frm ne reservir t anther. (Instructinal Sequence 11) GIST: Energy Natural Resurces and Human Impacts. Additinal State Standards and Benchmarks List standards and benchmarks met by this prject. Strand: Earth SCI: (The Fluid Earth) TLW: Explain hw water mves thrugh the atmsphere, hydrsphere, and gesphere and hw water resurces are imprtant t and impacted by humans. (Instructinal Sequence 7) Gist: Hydrgelgy Effective Practice: REFLECTION Service learning incrprates multiple challenging reflectin activities that are nging and that prmpt deep thinking and analysis abut neself and ne s relatinship t sciety. What frm(s) f reflectin will yu use with the students t help them identify what they have learned and accmplished? Classrm discussins, videtaped bservatins, public presentatins Effective Practice: DIVERSITY Service learning prmtes understanding f diversity and mutual respect amng all participants. What types f diverse perspectives and experiences will be explred as part f yur prject? (i.e.: cultural, generatinal, abilities/disabilities, learning styles, etc) Sadly, many f ur families use lawn-care/landscaping practices that d nt supprt sustainability f ur ecsystem. Thrugh this year s Land Management prject, and the cntinuatin f last year s Water Management prject we hpe students and families will be educated in ptins that are have a psitive impact n ur watershed. We are hping that thrugh educatin, students will deepen their understanding and becme lifelng envirnmental stewards. Effective Practice: YOUTH VOICE Service learning prvides yuth with a strng vice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service learning experiences with guidance frm adults. Hw will students gain wnership f the prject? Students at Eastern will create a plan fr hw t make the recycling prgram wrk effectively. They will create vides fr the students and staff, t train everyne what is expected (fr example, nly the prper trash shuld be thrwn in the recycling bins.) StneShres 2010
Students will als have a vice in the invasive species prtin f the grant. After learning abut varius invasive plants and different ways t deal with them, they will create a plan fr what t fcus n first and hw t g abut it. Finally, students will write articles fr ur newsletter infrming parents f what we are ding thrugh Grundswell and the impact the prject is having n the schl. Effective Practice: RECIPROCAL PARTNERSHIPS Service learning partnerships are cllabrative, mutually beneficial, and address cmmunity needs. Wh will yu partner with fr this prject? Mark Fitzpatrick, Directr, Ada Twnship Parks (mfitzpatrick@adatwnshipmi.cm 616-676-0520) Mark has been instrumental in giving ur prject directin. He gave us feedback in the brainstrming stage, which helped us determine ut prject. He will help us identify and map invasive plants n ur campus and will help advise us as t eradicatin ptins. Our students, families, and staff can vlunteer fr varius stewardship initiatives with the Ada Twnship Parks, such as invasive weed pulls and river cleanups. Specifically, vlunteers are participating in the 15 th annual River Clean-Up Day September 18, and all students are ging t Ada Twnship Park in the spring f 2011 t pull Garlic Mustard. Ptential Future Partners Kathy Reed, Directr, Hward Christensen Nature Center (hcnc@kentcnservatin.rg 616/675-3158) Kathy ffered t put us in tuch with a persn wh des prescribe burns at Hward Christensen Nature Center. We wuld like t learn mre abut the prcess and determine if that is an apprpriate methd fr us t eliminate sptted knapweed. Schupan Recycling, Waste Management, r anther recycling partner We dn t knw at this pint if we need a partner fr the recycling effrt. This is smething we will lk int further. Hw will students benefit frm this partnership? Students will be what can be recycled and hw t prperly recycle them at schl, in rder t expand their recycling effrts in their hmes. Hw will the partner benefit frm this cllabratin? The students will help the partners by increasing recycling effrts, implementing prper recycling techniques, reducing waste, and educating the cmmunity n hw t d all f these as well. Effective Practice: PROGRESS MONITORING Service learning engages participants in an nging prcess t assess the quality f implementatin and prgress tward meeting specified gals, and uses results fr imprvement and sustainability. Hw will yu assess the student learning gals? Students need shw mastery f Michigan High Schl Cntent Expectatins (HSCEs) in hydrlgy. We ll expect t see 100% f the students earn 75% r higher n the questins related t these HSCEs n the semester exam. StneShres 2010
Anther way we ll measure success is thrugh an end-f-prject writing, in which we ll assess students attitudes abut the watershed and ur respnsibilities cncerning it. Our hpe is that 80% r mre f the students can reprt acceptable ways they will cntinue t be envirnmental stewards in the future. Frm ur previus prject, Water Management, we ll measure results f water testing t dcument changes in water quantity and quality ver time. Hw will yu assess yur service gals? We ll als cntinue t mnitr numbers f vlunteers frm Eastern with Ada Twnship Parks fr invasive weed pulls and Grand River water cleanup, with the expectatin that ver time these numbers will increase. As fr invasive plants, we ll create and keep maps with lcatin and amunt f invasive plants present. Over the curse f the next three t five years, we ll mnitr change. In regards t recycling, we will measure results by nting verall trash cllectin levels, expecting t see a decrease by 1/3 the amunt f thrw away trash we have currently. Effective Practice: DURATION AND INTENSITY Service learning has sufficient duratin and intensity t address cmmunity needs and meet specified utcmes. Hw will yu prepare students fr this experience? Learn abut invasive species in ur area frm Mark Fitzpatrick, directr f Ada Twnship Park Identify and map invasive species n the Eastern campus View Mysteries f the Great Lakes Learn frm the Eastern facilities develpment team regarding water management/quality n the Eastern campus What are sme sample pssible activities students might d as part f this prject? Institute a plastic recycling prgram at Eastern Take part in classrm activities thrugh the Cranbrk Institute f Science Water n the G prgram, I Live in a Watershed Cnduct water testing n site in detentin pnds and Little Egypt Creek, which leads t the Grand River Pull sptted knapweed thrughut the Eastern campus Participate in place-based learning at Ada Twnship Park t assist in remving invasive species Share ur experience with ther Grundswell schls in a student shwcase Fr mre infrmatin abut Grundswell g t www.grundswellmi.rg Fr mre infrmatin abut the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative g t www.glstewarship.rg StneShres 2010