Objective 1.1: Environmental Issue Instruction
In addition to the required classes of reading, math, language, science and social studies, HHA has six different resource classes. As you read through the descriptions of our Environmental Instruction, you will see one class listed as Nature Exploration. This is an environmental science resource class that is taught to every student in the school. It is a semester-long class and the students get two, seven day units. The curriculum has been developed by the teacher and follows Next Gen Science Standards. Our Drama class has also submitted student work on this application.
PreK
PreK students collecting recycling
Grade: Pre-K
Title of activity: Recycling in the classroom
Date: every day, 2018-19 and 2019-20 school year
Teacher name(s): Ms. Kaminaris, Ms. Klenk
Subject: All
Description: During the first week of school, students are taught the difference between trash and recyclable materials. They learn that recycling is important because it helps save trees. From the first project, as students are learning their classroom routines, they learn that paper scraps go in the recycling bin and that napkins and juice boxes go in the trash. By mid year, students are given the
recycling job each week.
Kindergarten
Grade: Kindergarten
Title of activity: Visit to the Robinson Nature Center
Date: October 25, 2019
Teacher name(s): Ms. Maciel and Ms. Vincent
Subject: All
Description: Kindergarten students went to the Robinson Nature Center where they learned about animal classification and what characteristics put them in that class. Students really enjoyed the hands-on interactive stations. When they returned to school, the students reflected on all the stations and the experiences they had at the center.
Kindergarten students visiting Robinson Nature Center
1st Grade
Grade: First Grade
Title of activity: Play Writing and Reading
Date: School year 2018-2019
Teacher name: Ms. Durkin
Subject: Drama
Description: “The Trash Park”
This play was written in Drama class with Ms. Durkin by Mrs. Bierley’s first grade class of 28 students. Students decided they wanted to teach the audience a lesson about littering. They came up with the characters and plot, and then they suggested each line as Ms. Durkin typed it for them to see on the screen. This play was then performed as a reading twice by 24 different student volunteers at April’s Family Academic Night which was also our Earth Day Celebration evening.
Students doing a reading of the first graders' play, "The Trash Park"
First grade students visiting the National Zoo
Grade: First Grade
Title of activity: Visit to the Washington Zoo
Date: May 17, 2019
Teacher name: Mrs. Smith
Subject: All
Description: The first grade classes went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 17th. The trip coordinated with our studies of adaptations and habitats that the students learned about in their Nature Exploration classes and their Patterson Park Audubon lessons. One picture shows students reading the information about the zoo’s elephants and another shows a student standing by a display of elephant waste.
2nd Grade
Grade: Second Grade
Title of activity: Unit on the Importance of Pollination
Date: February 2020
Teacher name: Mrs. Riorda
Subject: Nature Exploration
Description: During this unit, students learn about the symbiotic relationship between pollinators and plants. They investigate the parts of a plant to understand how the seeds are created. They also create models of pollination at the conclusion of the unit.
Big take-aways from this unit is that most of the food that we eat everyday is created because of the work done by pollinators.
Second graders simulating pollination and displaying their model of pollination
Grade: Second Grade
Title of activity: Patterson Park Audubon Class
Date: January 30, 2020
Teacher name: Ms. Erin
Subject: Audubon General educator
Description: On January 30th, Ms. Erin from Audubon came to our class. There were 30 students present. We had 5 parent helpers in the classroom as well. The boys and girls created a bird field guide using actual field guides. They were taught how to properly handle and use binoculars. After the lesson, they played a game. Ms. Erin posted pictures of birds up front. The kids got a picture of a bird clothespinned to their back. A partner had to describe the bird. The student then looked at the birds on the front board using their binoculars to correctly identify the bird pinned to their back. These activities were in preparation for when they go to the park in the spring and count and identify (using the class field guide they made) the birds they see in an area. These findings will be reported to scientists.
Second graders creating bird field guides
3rd Grade
Grade: Third Grade
Title of activity: Visit to the Carrie Murray Center
Date: October 8, 2019
Teacher name(s): Ms. Kaplan, Ms. Sparwasser, Ms. Knudsen
Subject: Reading, Math, Science/Social Studies
Description: Students visited The Carrie Murray Center as part of their partnership with the National Aquarium’s Aqua Partner’s Program. For many of these students, this was their first opportunity to take a hike in the woods and discover all the organisms that make this ecosystem their home.
They also had a chance to learn about the animals and plants that are native to Maryland, and how those organisms interact through food webs.
Third grade students visiting the Carrie Murray Center
Grade: Fourth Grade
Title of activity: Audubon Field trip about Invasive Species
Date: June 3, 2019
Teacher name(s): Ms. Costello, Ms Shultz, Mr. Pratta
Subject: Science, ELL, Math
Description: The 4th graders attended their Audubon field trip on June 3, 2019 for 90 minutes.. During this lesson students learned about invasive species and how they disrupt the ecosystem. Students participated in an outdoor activity where they had to grab specific color towels that represented different species. The Audubon instructors used this simulation to demonstrate to students how invasive species disrupt food chains and food webs. Then, students participated in an action piece where they removed an invasive weed that was growing in Patterson Park and negatively disrupting the environment.
4th Grade
Fourth graders identifying and removing invasive species in Patterson Park
Grade: 5th Grade
Title of activity: Monarch Butterflies: Life cycles, Habitats; Challenges
Date: October 2019
Teacher name: Ms. Rupenthal
Subject: Science/Social Studies
Description: The attached document includes how students used the environment to learn about the monarch butterfly. There were many layers of context in teaching this standard. I have included pictures and screenshots from each part. Lesson link here.
5th Grade
Fifth graders releasing butterflies that were raised from caterpillars
Fifth grade students dissecting owl pellets and recreating rodent skeletons
Grade: 5th Grade
Title of activity: Owl Pellet Dissections
Date: November 2019
Teacher name: Ms. Riorda
Subject: Nature Exploration
Description: As part of our unit on energy in the ecosystem, students dissect owl pellets to learn about the diet of the barn owl and how much the owl needs to eat to get the energy it needs to survive. Students are able to re-create almost complete skeletons of different rodents.
Grade: 6th Grade
Title of activity: Outdoor Education at NorthBay Adventure Camp
Date: October 2019
Teacher name(s): Ms. Poole, Mr. Farber, Ms Kleine
Subject: All Subjects
Description: Sixth grade students spent five days at NorthBay learning about healthy ecosystems and how humans and invasive species effect ecosystems. In addition, students learned about survival skills and composting, as well as character education.
6th Grade
Sixth graders doing field investigations at North Bay
7th Grade
Grade: 7th Grade
Title of activity: Tragedy of the commons simulation
Date: October 2019
Teacher name: Ms. Petruzzelli
Subject: Science
Description: During the unit on natural resources, students focus on how we can create a society that uses natural resources in a sustainable way. The Tragedy of the Commons Simulation encourages middle school students to think about their use of natural resources and how it will impact future generations. Lesson link here.
Tragedy of the Commons
Completed "Do Now" from the lesson
8th Grade
Grade: 8th Grade
Title of activity: Water Quality Testing and Analysis
Date: September 2019
Teacher name: Mrs. Riorda
Subject: Nature Exploration
Description: In early autumn, HHA eighth grade students learned how to conduct water quality tests. They tested the water quality in Patterson Park Boat Lake for pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity. They made visual observations about the aquatic vegetation and the solid waste found in the pond. Based on the student’s findings, they were amazed that anything could live in the pond.
Eighth grade students conducting water quality tests