Part II: Our Sustainable Community

Introduction

In this part of the project, activities are designed to implement during the regular science class. Activities, suggestions, and lesson plans are given that can be completed inside of a classroom. Other activities take science outside to the school grounds. Either way, there are many wonderful things to learn about the environment. Making connections with the local environment is essential before students will realize just how fragile the environment is and how they can make a positive impact on the future. "Sustainability" is a difficult idea to understand. I start out by asking my students to imagine our school and community 50 years from now. This starts children thinking about the future and how the actions of today will affect the future. In this project, a sampling of activities which have been tested in a classroom and found to be successful in connecting students to the environment in their community. A section on inquiry based learning is also included. Hopefully, each person who looks at this project will find the lesson plans rich in inquiry. Using inquiry effectively will enhance teaching and enable children to maximize their learning of important concepts. Remember, there are many sources of environmental activities for all groups of students. I have included a list of resources to find some wonderful activities that middle school students and teachers will love!