Outline

Lesson A In this lesson students will first recall what was discussed in our Earth Day lessons. We will review why it is important to recycle and reuse materials and how we can help be GREEN. The discussion will then lead to our need for a playground. Students will be asked if we should have a GREEN playground since we're a GREEN school.

We will brainstorm the possible materials that can be reused to build the playground. Students will then be shown a graphic organizer that they will use to conduct their research. They will also be provided with a list of websites to use to successfully complete their research. At the end of the lesson, students will share the different playground equipment that was found and a master list will be created.

Lesson B Students will now examine the equipment from the master list and evaluate its ability to sustain the different weather conditions that we have throughout the year. This information will also be recorded on the graphic organizer. In their collaborative discussions students should be discussing which equipment will best meet the needs of the community based on weather and being GREEN.

Students will then begin preparing their arguments for their recommended playground. They will reflect on the research collected to develop an arguement as to why their solution is the better choice. If time permits, they will also begin gathering the pictures that they would like to use in their presentations.

Lesson C Most of this lesson is preparing the final presentation of the suggested playground equipment. Students will use PowerPoint to prepare their presentation. They will include pictures of the different equipment that they recommend along with some key points to persuade the audience in favor of their playground.

This lesson will span at least 2 days to allow for all groups to present their solution and for the voting to take place.