General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Resource Connections Evaluation

  General Information

  Project Overview

A proposed project of the Science and Health teachers at Goulds Elementary; the aim of this project is to develop positive student attitudes towards the environment, specifically the areas of recycling and garbage reduction. Another aim is to aid in th e institution of a local recycling campaign within the school and the surrounding neighbourhood. The Internet will be the primary resource, allowing students to communicate with other schools and to research issues dealing with the aims of the project.

Activities
Students will use email to contact other schools within and outside the province. Once in contact, they will collect data from these schools dealing with amounts, types, and destination of garbage in their community. Other information to be researched w ill include recycling programs in their own school and others. This data will be used in comparisons of garbage between schools with recycling programs and those without. Reporting of results shall be undertaken by creation of a homepage.

  Curriculum Connections

There are a multitude of connections in the grade six Science and health programs. The intended learning outcomes listed below come directly from the curriculum guides of those courses. Language arts will play a large role in the communication aspect of this project and the reporting. As well, mathematics skills will play an integral role in the formulation of any conclusions.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• describe the impact of people on their environment
• give reasons for protecting water environments
• plan ways of protecting a local water environment
• describe ways that people can care for the land
• describe the ways that people can improve the condition of water
• understand that science is a way of learning about the world around us and is based on observations using the senses and tools to help the senses
• discuss that scientific investigations may take different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis and doing experiments
• expose students to practical applications of science processes

  Resource Connections

As stated in the introduction, the Internet and student use of such, is the primary research and communication tool. Student access to this resource is among the most important factors that will make this project a success. It is the project's intent ion to report and share its findings with all participants and as many other students who can be reached. Once again, the Internet forms the basis of this intention and is of primary importance to its completion.

  Evaluation

One aspect of evaluation for this project will be the creation of a homepage and the reporting of results by the students.

Another aspect of evaluation dealing with student attitudes shall be undertaken using a pre-test/post-test questionnaire.