Curriculum Unit Overview
In Critical Conversations about Conservation, students learn about diverse ecosystems in the United States and Africa, including how humans and nonhuman animals meet their wants and needs using Earth’s natural resources. The causes and effects of contemporary environmental issues, such as resource depletion and pollution, in both locations are also examined. Students’ conceptual understanding of cause and effect, sustainability, interdependence, and conservation will be fostered through written reflections, engaging in Socratic dialogue about the issues presented, comparing and contrasting examples, creating flip books and digital posters, among other authentic activities. Students will recognize environmental problems as global issues all humans face, and become empowered to make a difference. The unit’s culminating project engages students in designing art from repurposed trash to support water conservation in a region of their choosing.
Author Biographies
Virginia Campos is a North Carolina Principal Fellow at East Carolina University. As a fourth-grade teacher at Carolina Forest International Elementary, a North Carolina Model Global-Ready School in Jacksonville, she participated in the SACHL project. She has taught in Onslow County for 20 years and in Chatham County for 4. She has taught elementary, middle grades and special education. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Virginia earned her National Board Certification 2006, 2016 and is currently pursuing her MA in school administration.
Tammy Clark is a fourth grade teacher at Carolina Forest International Elementary, a North Carolina Model Global-Ready School in Jacksonville and was a teacher participant in the SACHL project. She has been in Onslow County as an elementary K-5 general Education instructor for 15 years. Tammy is a native of West Virginia and attended Bluefield State University earning a BS in Elementary Education and a 5-9 general science specialization.
Charlotte Johnson is a 5th grade math and science teacher at Carolina Forest International Elementary a North Carolina Model Global-Ready School in Jacksonville and was a teacher participant in the SACHL project. She has been in Onslow County as an elementary K-5 teacher for 15 years and a North Carolina resident for 27 years. Charlotte attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she received a BA in Elementary Education. She currently serves as the school’s Math Counts Coach, Science Fair Site Coordinator, AVID Site Coordinator, and mentor for the Beginning Teacher Program.
Coleen Owens is a fifth grade ELA and Social Studies teacher at Carolina Forest International Elementary a North Carolina Model Global-Ready School in Jacksonville and was a teacher participant in the SACHL project. She has been in Onslow County as an elementary school teacher for three years. Previously, she taught at Sardis Elementary School in Union County, North Carolina. Coleen is a native of Staten Island, NY and attended the City University of New York- Hunter College, where she received a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and English Language Arts.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: Ecosystems-Don’t be Part of the Pollution, Be the Solution! engages students in learning how living organisms depend upon the environment to survive. Students will examine ways environments in South Africa and beyond have been negatively and positively impacted by humans and ways they can be part of the solution.
Lesson 2: In Energy to Sustain Life in Ecosystems, students will learn about the interconnectedness of human activity and other organisms with emphasis on conservation efforts to protect Africa’s “Big 5” game (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros).
Lesson 3: Critical Conversations in Conservation about Water Scarcity explores the global issue of water scarcity. Students will learn how and why humans lack access to clean drinking water. They will consider how they can positively impact the available drinking water on our planet.
Lesson 4: The True Cost of Single Use Plastics uncovers the causes and effects that plastic litter has on Earth’s ecosystems. Students will learn how different countries repurpose plastics, such as how South Africans use plastic bags to make mats, clothes, or art. Students will consider how they can reduce and reuse materials in their own lives.
Lesson 5: In this culminating lesson entitled Critical Conversation in Conservation: Reduce by Reusing, students will learn how to make conscious choices that affect the environment in more positive ways and encourage others to do the same.
