Taking Care of Our Earth: Photographic Essay

In 5th Grade, students study a district science unit entitled "Taking Care of Our Earth". The unit meets Colorado Department of Education Science Content Standards 1 (scientific investigation), 2 (common properties of matter), 4 (interactions of the Earth's systems), and 5 (making meaning of the natural world).

In this lesson, students will show in photographs and explain in words the importance of the conservation and preservation of natural resources.

Materials needed: digital cameras, lcd projector, computer, word processing application (Microsoft Word or Powerpoint).

Standards: Colorado Model Content Standards for Science 4 and 5; Reading and Writing 3, 4 and 5. National Education Technology Standards for Students 1 (Creativity and Innovation), 2 (Communication and Collaboration), 3 (Research and Information Fluency, 5 (Digital Citizenship) and 6 (Technology Operations and Concepts)

1. This activity will take place in first three weeks of the unit. By this point, students will have studied the role of natural resources in our lives and the importance of preserving and reusing them.
2. Students will be assigned digital cameras for up to three days. They will use the cameras to take photos that answer the two questions above: 1) What is our community doing to limit waste and 2) What could our community do better?
3. After taking the photos, they will load the photos onto a classroom computer. They will use editing software to edit their photos.
4. Using a word processing software such as Microsoft Word, they will write a detailed description of how their pictures answers the two questions in Step 1. They may create a Powerpoint document if time permits.
5. Each student will be given time to project their photos using the lcd projector in front of the class and explain verbally how it answers the two questions in Step 1.
6. After each presentation, students will have time to discuss and answer questions about their picture.
7. For a final wrap-up of the lesson, student pictures will be printer along with their written work. They will be placed in the school for students of all grade levels to view. Parents would also be invited to view the gallery of student work.