Professional Development
Chesapeake Classrooms Summer Professional Development
Four Longfellow teachers, Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Kurtz, Mrs. Mueller, and Mrs. Wood spent 5 days this summer Investigating the changing landscape of Howard County and learned how it can apply to our students and their learning. Because our local ecosystems, from streams to farms to homes, can be valuable teaching tools they explored schoolyard habitats, land use practices, and STEM integration using the environment. This professional development opportunity gave them many new tools and lessons to use in our classroom and share with our staff.
Four Longfellow teachers, Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Kurtz, Mrs. Mueller, and Mrs. Wood spent 5 days this summer Investigating the changing landscape of Howard County and learned how it can apply to our students and their learning. Because our local ecosystems, from streams to farms to homes, can be valuable teaching tools they explored schoolyard habitats, land use practices, and STEM integration using the environment. This professional development opportunity gave them many new tools and lessons to use in our classroom and share with our staff.
2014 Green Week Kick Off Staff Meeting
At our February 26th Staff Meeting, our Green Team shared an overview of our re-certification efforts, grade level specific information for class activities, and provided an overview of our 2014 Green Week activities to our entire staff.
At our February 26th Staff Meeting, our Green Team shared an overview of our re-certification efforts, grade level specific information for class activities, and provided an overview of our 2014 Green Week activities to our entire staff.
Cafeteria Recycling Professional Development
On April 22nd Alicia Moore, Howard County Recycling Coordinator, will meet and work with administration, our green team recycling coordinator, paraeducators that support lunch shifts, lunch/recess monitors, and custodial staff to clarify recyclable lunch materials during each lunch shift, discuss best practices for reducing & recycling waste lunch here at Longfellow, and help us better align our recycling efforts. This will then lead in to our first ever Zero Waste Wednesday on 4/23 where our school community will be looking to eliminating waste throughout the day and changing lunch packing habits. Information on how to reduce and reuse when packing lunches will be sent home to all families after meeting with Ms. Moore. Our staff in will begin implementing the practices shared by Ms. Moore during on Zero Waste Wednesday.
On April 22nd Alicia Moore, Howard County Recycling Coordinator, will meet and work with administration, our green team recycling coordinator, paraeducators that support lunch shifts, lunch/recess monitors, and custodial staff to clarify recyclable lunch materials during each lunch shift, discuss best practices for reducing & recycling waste lunch here at Longfellow, and help us better align our recycling efforts. This will then lead in to our first ever Zero Waste Wednesday on 4/23 where our school community will be looking to eliminating waste throughout the day and changing lunch packing habits. Information on how to reduce and reuse when packing lunches will be sent home to all families after meeting with Ms. Moore. Our staff in will begin implementing the practices shared by Ms. Moore during on Zero Waste Wednesday.
Staff Green Week Instructional Resources
In preparation for Green Week our Green Team member Mrs. Buckland compiled a list of resources to be incorporated in to teaching and learning throughout Green Week and going forward. Mrs. Buckland shared the resources and made herself available to teams for additional support.
Ideas for Earth Week by Subject
Language Arts
Math
In preparation for Green Week our Green Team member Mrs. Buckland compiled a list of resources to be incorporated in to teaching and learning throughout Green Week and going forward. Mrs. Buckland shared the resources and made herself available to teams for additional support.
Ideas for Earth Week by Subject
Language Arts
- Write poems about the Earth, flowers, Earth Day topics and attach them to a flower that could be donated by a local nursery. Go on a walking field trip and put on neighbors door steps. (Laurel had done this with her class one year.)
- Read and learn about recycling and write an informational/opinion brochure telling neighbors why and how to recycle, reminding them of their curbside recycle day
- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/earth-day-every-day
- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/04/every-day-earth-day
- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2013/04/eight-books-earth-day-and-beyond
- http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/celebrate-earth-20468.html
- “I promise to help the Earth by” craft/writing activity: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/269160515202495889/
- Earth Day Acrostic Poem: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/158329743122490560/
- In the book closet there is "Don't Throw It Away."- Level N
- Writing Activity for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with craft (K- 3rd)- http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Earth-Day-Craftivity-229783
- Books about the Earth/Recycling in our Media Center
- Every Day is Earth Day: Craft Book BY: Kathy Ross
- On Earth BY: Brian G. Karas
- Earth Mother BY: Ellen B. Jackson
- What’s so special about planet Earth? BY: Robert E. Wells
- Earth book for kids: activities to help heal the environment BY: Linda Schwartz
- Cartons, cans, and orange peels; where does our garbage go? BY: Joanna Foster
- Recycling Metal BY: Joy Palmer
- Recycling Plastic BY: Joy Palmer
- Recycle! A Handbook for kids BY: Gail Gibbons
- Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle BY: Steven Kroll
- Michael Recycle meets Litterbug Doug BY: Ellie Bethel
- Recycle every day! BY: Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
- Cleaning up: how trash becomes treasure BY: Eve Stwertka
- Curious George plants a tree BY: Monica Perez
- The Lorax BY: Dr. Seuss
- Other books about the Earth/Recycling
- The Great Paper Caper by: Oliver Jeffers
- Charlie and Lola, We are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by: Lauren Child
- Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by: Linda Glaser and Shelley Rotner
- The Earth Book by Todd Parr
- Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green by: Eileen Spinelli and Anne Kennedy
- Winston of Churchill: One Bear’s Battle Against Global Warming by: Jean Okimoto and Jeremiah Trammell
- Earth Day Hooray! by: Stuart Murphy
- The Green Mother Goose by: David Davis
- Don’t Throw that Away! by: Lara Bergen
- The Three R’s by: Nuria Roca
- Hey! That’s not trash! by: Renee Jablow
Math
- Lesson using Earth Day Horray by Stuart Murphy Lesson (Grades PreK-3)- http://www.mathstart.net/userimages/pdfs/Earth_Day_Hooray_3_Levels.pdf
- What We Do Adds Up (Lesson for Grades 4 & 5) http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/concepts/earthday/activity1.shtm
- Recylcing (Lesson Grade 5) http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/concepts/earthday/activity2.shtm
- Have students build on their math skills by calculating the school’s waste disposal costs each week or month, and estimate how certain actions can save the school money. The Center for Ecoliteracy reported: “A recent waste audit in Berkeley (California) Unified School District determined that the district was spending on the average of $26 per student for waste disposal, or a total yearly cost of $225,661 for the district. A large part of this figure is waste generated from school lunch.”
- Calculate and compare costs of using disposable vs. reusable lunch products. Older students can hypothesize, research and draw conclusions to present to their class. Packing a waste-free lunch saves money. The Center for Ecoliteracy reported: “An average elementary school student eating homemade lunches is estimated to generate between 45 and 90 pounds of Ziploc bags, foil pouches, and other packaging waste each year, roughly equivalent to the body weight of a third- to sixth-grader.”
- Envrionmental Footprint (Intermediate activity): http://www.pinterest.com/pin/22588435604580263/ Have students use the numbers from this visual to complete place value activities, addition/subtraction/etc.
- Earth Day Math Center (basic facts and doubles/tripples games) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Math-Games-Freebie-654794
- “What’s the problem?- Earth Day” Book where students are given a short phrase with the answer and they have to create the story problem https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_Xl6AW_iMadR2RWUWlQQldfcWM/edit?pli=1