Pattyjane’s Weblog

This ejournal is about two videos I found and how I would use them in teaching a lesson in my class. But before I begin, I want to share that I spent several hours, far more than I care to admit, finding videos that I really liked. I went to all the suggested sites like YouTube and then Teachertube. YouTube I realize I probably couldn’t use at work and when I went there I checked out a few Animanics videos on countries and government. They were funny and quick and to the point. As a way of retrieving them without exposing my students to some inappropriate material I saw on YouTube right there on the homepage, I could possibly download it and/or send the videos to my email accounts at home and at work. I read Brenda’s blog on “Using YouTube” in the classroom. Then in Teachertube, I read Chris O’Neal’s, “A Teacher’s Guide to YouTube,” in the “Spiral Notebook Blog.” I checked out the link to “Edutopia.” In searching for good videos to use in my classroom, I looked closely at “elementary favorites” in Teachertube and found, “I’m Just a Bill” a cartoon from “School House Rock” of how a bill becomes a law. I was confused by the “buffering”, that is, the video kept stopping. I hope that if I send it to my email address the buffering will be eliminated. I wasn’t sure how to download this (or some other) videos so I hope we can discuss that more in class. I also went to the “top rated” elementary videos and checked out a few of those. One thing lead to another and I found myself at www.hilaroad.com watching a videos on electricity but they were short and I didn’t find them all that informative. It was a little like being on a search and destroy mission, trying to find worthwhile videos for some of the subjects I have to teach. At one point I saw a poorly done student made video on the “executive branch” of government by “Mr. Marino’s student”. I think Mr. Marino should get fired for permitting such a bad video to represent himself and his students even-though it’s only one minute long. Next I went to Teachers’ Nextwork “Bring the Web to your Classroom” and found some videos of what teachers were teaching in their classrooms. I saw a good video which provided a teacher narrated snapshot of a unit on “Monsters and Myths” with a seventh grade class. It came with lesson plans connected by a link. So I discovered that while I wouldn’t necessarily show this video to my class, I could see it acted as an advertisement for some good units with filmclips of students working and lesson plans. I will surely go back to that site when I get a minute. I also went to the Discovery Education site and looked at “Slaveship” for a unit I have to do on the Civil War. However the movie was very blurry and I wondered that if I sent it to my email address if it would clear up.

At the suggestion of a friend, I went to the National Geographic site and clicked on videos. I watched several videos, which were all good, trying to decide which ones to use for this lesson plan assignment. I watched animal videos like, lions try to hunt a porcupine and some videos on alternative energy. One problem: As I tried to check out these videos an ad for Priceline.com kept coming up. It was a 30 sec. video that came up between and sometimes during every video I tried to watch. I couldn’t get rid of it and it was really obnoxious and wasted a lot of my time. This made the whole search much more time consuming and difficult. But finally I found two good videos that I could use to teach about the problems of Global Warming.

Background: My students need to study current events and I use a magazine for students called “Time for Kids.” In one of the issues the topic of “Global Warming” is discussed. It’s great because it shows the melting of the polar ice cap, and the effects it has on the Arctic communities. Another issue focuses on the “Race to the Arctic.” I use these magazines with our studies on Ecosystems and US Government. In this way, I am able to cover 3 units of study that overlap: Science/ecosystems, US-Government/executive branch, and current events. Videos, in connection with thematic units, are used to introduce a concept, instigate a discussion, serve as a writing prompt. My goals in using the National Geographic videos would be to instigate discussion, and have them serve as information for writing which would be later used for a power point presentation. The Time for Kids articles would be used more for introducing/reintroducing the concept of Global Warming and highlighting the fact that Global Warming is real.

Lesson Plan Title: Global Warming

Concept/Topic to Teach: What is global warming and how it is effecting climate change on Earth.

General Goals/Objectives: To address related curriculum areas (mentioned above); To have students build on their understanding of what global warming actually is and how it effects climate change; To have students develop an awareness of what is being done to stem the tide of Global Warming, eg. alternative energy.

Required materials: Time for Kids magazine on Global Warming, Race to the Arctic, and upcoming Presidential Campaign Issues. Science text on Ecosystems. Two videos (sent to Ellen via email) from National Geographic, “Turning Point: State of the Earth” 6:09, “State of the Earth: Climate Change” 5:59. “An Inconvenient Truth” movie and book, by Al Gore. Computer Lab time to produce a power point presentation.

Why these two videos? State of the Earth: Climate Change (5:59) Looks closely at the most compelling evidence of Global Warming, the melting Arctic polar ice cap. It’s a good follow up to the articles in TFK and the part in “An Inconvenient Truth” where Al Gore discusses what Global Warming is. The video covers the fact that the Arctic sea ice shrank 6% more than it usually does, further speeding up the Global Warming and threatening survival of polar bears. Turning Point: State of the Earth (6:09) states that going “green” is mainstream, now. There’s been a change in public opinion in that the public really wants to do something about this problem. The public outcry against the pollution that causes Global Warming (and therefore climate change) has made it become a political issue. The movie is hopeful, in that it discusses ways that businesses are addressing the problem of Global Warming. Biofuels-ethanol, problem of wasteful consumption, wind/solar energy, people’s demands for green products, renewable resources are discussed in this video. This video will help students think of ways their country can help solve the Global Warming problem.

Step by Step Procedures: Tap prior knowledge, Ask students to share what they know about global warming. Establish a K-W-L chart. Read the TFK magazine articles, and some of the Ecosystems/Alternative energy chapter in our science text. Discuss the readings and add to K-W-L chart. Watch videos (separately) with discussion questions, add new information to K-W-L chart. Also show limited parts of Al Gore’s, “An Inconvenient Truth” as well as read part of the book to the class and discuss. Add to K-W-L chart.

Plan for Independent Practice: 1. Have students make an information poster of Global Warming (like the water cycle poster); Have students pretend they are different countries’ representatives to a “Kyoto Accord” conference, eg. US, UK, China, Japan, Russia, India, etc. 2. In teams, students will conduct further research as needed online (we’ll try Yahooligans), come up with specific recommendations with a time table for their country to help solve the Global Warming Problem (with a focus on reducing carbon emissions and developing biofuels, renewable resources, and alternative energy resources.) 3. Students will develop their plan into a power point presentation to be presented to the rest of the class. 4. Students will take the National Geographic “Test your knowledge Global Warming Quiz” online at State of the Earth: Climate Change video site.

Closure – Reflection: New Question–Now that we know what we know about Global Warming, What should we do now as a country, as individuals? Discuss–Can individuals make a difference? Brainstorm, some possibilities might be, letters to president, congress, to encourage research and development into alternative energy resources, or making stricter laws reducing carbon emissions. Final Question: If we act now, can we save the Earth from Global Warming and therefore hazardous climate change?