SHARING THE PLANET
Crisis?
Central Idea: Environmental Changes Are Connected To Human Consumption
UOI
Sharing the Planet
In this unit we have studied the environmental impact that human have on our planet. Many of the activities that we humans are involved in puts stress on the planet. Human consumption strains the sustainability of our planet. We need to take action to reduce the stress. On the following pages you will find work we have done to learn about the crisis on our planet as well as how we can look to protect it in the future. 1
SECTION 1
The Earth’s Resources The Earth’s energy resources are divided into two main categories, renewable and non-renewable. Once we have used up nonrenewable resource we cannot get them again. Renewable resources can be produced again. These are sustainable forms of energy. Energy sources can also be classified as clean or not so clean. Clean energies tend to create fewer pollutants in the environment. Even though renewable resources are sustainable they are not all necessarily god for the environment.
We worked to sort these different energy sources into renewable and non renewable. All of the non renewable energy sources are made by fossil fuels. We can’t get more coal, oil or natural gas because it takes millions of years to create energy sources.
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SECTION 2
Tuning In Zooming In
We completed a number of activities in our Tuning In period. We explored some key note presentations, some books and songs. We also watched a explored Dr. Seuss’ book ‘The Lorax’. Take a look at the following section to explore the work we’ve produced.
Our beautiful planet- EARTH
Why does the Once-ler’s family leave?The Once-ler’s family leaves because the truffle trees were gone.
The Lorax- Questions What happens to the Swomee-swans, the Brown Barba-loots, and the Humming-fish?All animals had to leave because there habitat was to dirty and they needed food.
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What did this story make you think about? The story made me think about the trees that we are cutting down in reall life and the animals that have to move because of that.
What lesson(s) do you think the Once-ler learned?I think the Once-ler learned that he should never cut down a tree because he cut down all the truffla trees and then all the animals had to leave.
Plastic Bags- Keynote Interactive 1.1 The Dangers of Plastic Bags
What does the Once-ler give the boy? The Once-ler gave the boy the last truffle seed.
Music CenterWith my own two hands
Music 1.2.1 Ben Harper’s - With My Own Two Hands
What are the messages of this song. The message is that you have to try to make the world a much better place to live on to try to keep it clean.
Above is the Keynote we watched. Problems
How are the songs connected to the central idea of our unit? List as many connections as you can think of. "
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Well we are trying to clean up the earth.
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To make it a better place.
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Animals mistaken for food
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Plastic becomes part of their bodies after they eat it
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We get it in our bodies because we eat animals
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Animals die of being entangled or eat the plastic
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Wasting oil
Solutions
Heal the world- Michele Jackson
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Start using cloth bags
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Banned plastic bags
SECTION 3
Field Trips
Pipes at a water treatment facility.
Our class went on a Field Trip to the GoaBeiDan Water treatment plant. Here’s what I learned while on the trip:
I was very surprised that if you put bacterial in the water they eat up all the germs and after they eat all of germs they stop bumping oxygen and all the bacterial and germs are gone. After the trip I had some questions, they were this
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" #" Can we drink sea water and use the same way we clean dirty water and clean sea water? get rid of salt " #" Â Is the progress of water we drink as same as the process we clean tap water? If not what are the different
I learn that there are only 10 out of 1000 percent of the water we can drink on earth, and in Beijing we can get 3 out of 10 percent out of the worlds water. I will take action by not wasting water, I will take a fast shower and try to not to play with water, instead of taking a bath I will take a shower.
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SECTION 4
Guest Speakers Jessica Reader
Jessica Reader, a parent at WAB who works for the U.S. embassy, and her husband came to speak with the fourth grade about the use of plastic bags.
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October 26 2012
Dear Plastic Bag User, " We use tons of plastic bags, and do you ever wonder where all the plastic bags go? The answer is they all go into the ocean. " Do you wonder how they get to the ocean? We put the plastic bag into the trash can then from the trash can it gets to the garbage truck then from the garbage truck it goes to the land fill then the wind brings it to the stream then to a river then to a lake then it finally gets to the ocean. " This is a bad thing because the marine life mistakes it for food and eats it then it gets into the body and it becomes part of the meat then the fish that had the plastic bag in it turns up at the supermarket and we buy it and bring it home then you eat it. It is basically like eating a plastic bag.It is very bad for you and it is bad for the fish.
Movie 1.1 WAB students Take Action
Please help, Aidan
A video version of the keynote presented by WAB parents and environmentalist Jessica Reader.
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