Lesson Plan by Austin Freels Lesson: Introduction to Money Length: 50 min Grade: Seventh Academic Standard 7.1.1 Recognize and explain that when similar investigations give different results, the scientific challenge is to judge whether the differences are trivial or significant, which often takes further studies to decide. (Core Standard) 7.1.2 Explain that what people expect to observe often affects what they actually do observe and provide an example of a solution to this problem. (Core Standard) Performance Objectives The students will participate in the classroom discussion then take notes over the video and answer the questions asked with 100% accuracy. Assessment The students will be assessed on the amount of thought and quality the students put into their answers. The video note questions need to be answered correctly. As long as they fill out the opinion questions, they will receive full credit. Advanced Preparation by the Teacher The video needs to be set up prior to class. The students will have to be divided up into countries, and the country groups ready to announce. Procedure Introduction The student’s will be divided into their different countries (China, Japan, North Korea, Liberia, and Nigeria.) Each country will be given a different piece of money: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and a dollar bill. The students will need to hypothesize what the composition of their type of money is, and how they think it is made. We will then hold a group discussion pertaining to the hypotheses each country came up with. (Gardner’s interpersonal) (Gardner’s visual spatial) (Bloom’s analysis). Step by Step Plan

1. We will then start a classroom discussion pertaining to money: how it is made, what it is composed of, and why it is in the shape it is. (Gardner’s logical mathematical) (Bloom’s knowledge) (Bloom’s Comprehension)

2. Next we will vies a video on how money is made, and what types of elements make it up. This is the first video in a 4 part series; depending on how much time we have we could watch more than one of the videos, each are interesting and accurate. Each student will take notes on one subject they find the most interesting within the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ICXBNynyTU&feature=playlist&p=DBECDE^FD1662112&index=0 (Gardner’s intrapersonal)

3. Next we will get back into groups and discuss how close the countries were on their hypothesis about money and how it is made. The notes taken will be discussed in order

to see what the fellow classmates found the most interesting about money. (Bloom’s evaluation).

Adaptations / Enrichments for students

1. Students who do not excel well on their own can be placed into a group that will help them succeed. The students needing this will not have to know what is going on, but when the countries are chosen (by me) I will choose wisely.

2. If a student has trouble taking notes during movies. I can be sure to stay close to the student. If needed I can prompt him or her to write down things they seem interested in.

3. Students who are visually or auditory impaired will be able to move to the front of the room in order to enhance the quality of the video for that student.

4. Students with ADHD will be asked to get up and move around during the class period. They could pass out my papers, or even just switch seats prior to the video. This will keep them stimulated throughout the period.

Self Reflection Did the students comprehend the process of making money? Was the video so in depth that it made it difficult for them to grasp the entire picture? Did the breaking up into groups go well? What could I have done better? Was there anything specific that needed changed? Did the lesson take up the entire period?

Money

Each country has been given a different type of money. China Penny Japan Nickel North Korea Dime Liberia Quarter Nigeria Dollar bill

Within your country discuss how you think the money was made and the composition of your type of money. Once everyone is done we will transition into

a class discussion about the different types of money.

Video Handout

Question Answer What is the largest Mint in the World?

US Mint in Philedelphia

How many coins does it make per year?

11billion coins each year

What is used to make coins?

Dye’s

How are the images drawn?

In the computer

Who advocated the creation of a decimal coinage system in the US?

Thomas Jefferson

Any interesting facts throughout the video

Personal thoughts?

How is your type of money made?

Lesson Plan Austin Freels Lesson: Animal Communication and Currency Length: 50 min Grade: seventh Academic Standard 7.4.1 Explain that similarities among organisms are found in external and internal anatomical features, including specific characteristics at the cellular level, such as the number of chromosomes. Understand that these similarities are used to classify organisms since they may be used to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms. (Core Standard) Performance Objective The students will participate in classroom discussion, read the handout, and answer all of the questions within their group correctly and with 100% accuracy. Assessment The student’s will be assessed on whether or not they completed the handout within their group correctly. The student will earn 10 points for answering the questions correctly (2 points per question,) and 10 points for contributing in the classroom discussion. Advanced preparation by teacher Before class, I will have to have the handout printed out for each student, as well as the questions they will need to answer. I will have to make sure the introductory video is set up and ready to go; in order to ensure a smooth brisk transfer into the lesson’s content. Introduction When the students enter the room, there will be a question of the day ready for them. Today’s question will be, “ What is your favorite animal, and how do you thik it communicates with other animals?” (Gardner’s intrapersonal) (Bloom’s analysis) We will then watch a humorous YouTube clip of the movie Dr. Dolittle found at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRDjCcL5Wic. (Gardner’s visual spatial) Step by Step plan

1. After the video is over we will discuss the animals they chose at the beginning of class and how it might communicate with the animal world. (Gardner’s interpersonal)

2. We will then brainstorm on what they think it is about certain animals that allow them to communicate better than others. (Bloom’s evaluation) Human’s will be included within the discussion and this will conclude our group discussion.

3. The students will now split up into their countries assigned in the previous lesson. Each student will be given a handout entitled All Animals Communicate, and will need to read it within their groups. (Bloom’s Knowledge) This should take the groups less than 5 minutes to read.

4. The groups will then be given a question handout, which needs to be completed. All of the answers can be found within the reading, and the group should discuss them each before answering (Bloom’s comprehension)

5. With the remainder of the time in the period, groups will brainstorm different currencies that each species of animals could use. An example would be squirrels using acorn nuts,

or dogs using bones. (Gardner’s Naturalistic). Those will then be shared at the end of class before the bell rings.

Adaptations / Enrichments

1. Students who do not read well would be exempt from reading aloud within their group if they wished. This can be less embarrassing for them, and can help to expedite the reading process.

2. Lower level students might have a tough time picking the answers out of the text. One way to help them would be to help them find the answers within the text. Whether this is done by giving them a highlighted copy of the article, or putting the number for the paragraph that the answer can be found beside the question.

3. If there is a student within the room who has a difficult time hearing or seeing the video projector screen, they can be moved to an optimal viewing spot. Often times students with hearing disabilities will be given a hearing aid in order to enhance the sound of the video. If this technology is available it will be used.

4. High ability students will be asked to go into more detail and depth when answering the questions. They could also be asked to write a question for me pertaining to the reading in order to get them thinking on a higher level.

Self Reflection The timing of the lesson is always a concern. Once it is taught once or twice I should know what to expect. Is the content too hard? Is the content too easy? These are some critical things I will have to consider after giving the lesson.

All Animals Communicate

Communicating is somethingthat all animals, includinghumans, do. Whether it's a dog barking a warning, aarching its back, or cricketschirping, animals areconstantly sending messagesto each other. Scientistsstudying communicationamong animals are trying tounderstand the neurobiologyof sound production andperception. They are interested in understanding how both the human braithe non-human primate brain perceive speech. There are

certain areas of the brain that have been mapped and linked to communication abilities. The planum temporale (PT) is widely accepted asa key component of the Wernicke's language area of the brain, which evaluates the significance of content words, and is linked to behaviors

cat

n and

presumed to be distinctly human, including musical talent and handed(whether we are right or left handed), as well as communication dsuch as dyslexia (a disturbance of the ability to read). Language sites in thleft hemisphere, which may also include the PT, are used by people born deaf who use sign language as a form of The PT and its particular characteristics in controlling communication behaviors are widely accepted by scientific communities as being uniquely human. However, new groundbreaking research led by Dr. Patrick Gannon of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found that the anatomical

ness isorders

e

communication.

pattern and relative size of the PT in the chimpanzee brain parallels humans' PT precisely. Gestures, grunts, and hoots may not rival a Shakespeare poem, but the area of the brain generating this type of language in chimpanzees is similar to the PT found in the human brain. Other scientists interpret the new evidence to mean that while chimps and other great apes may have more complex communications systems than previously thought, these systems still don't constitute language. They

believe that while we may have a fundamentally similar ancestral brain area, the PT region did not evolve a functional role in communication-related tasks in chimpanzees as it did in humans, and that it serves some other purpose. In humans, this part of the brain region (PT) seems to be very important for processing other types of information associated with communication (NOT JUST LANGUAGE), such as gesture, visual, physical, tactile (touch), and vocal/auditory. It is thought to be the center of communication abilities in humans. In birds, research is also providing insightful information regarding communication. It is possible to pinpoint what aspects of sound are important for tamarins to say, "This a long call," or "This is a food chirp." This kind of behavioral work is critical because it provides neurobiologists with information that they need to begin asking questions about how the brain picks up on sound, such as, "What areas of the brain are most active?" "What is the circuitry that allows us to decode signals?" As behavioral scientists work with neuroscientists, we will gain a better understanding of how the brain evolved to decode what is so important for social interactions in humans and in non-human animals: a communication system that conveys information about emotions and thought. In contrast with birds and other animals that communicate behaviorally, human beings have complex brains that have evolved in ways that allow the human to invent and re-invent (or modify) ways of communicating. The methods humans use to communicate are constantly evolving. Since humans first developed language, we've been busy modifying it. Nowadays, we use hundreds of different languages to transmit messages to each other. One of the best examples of how humans have modified their communication abilities is with the advent of the Internet and Electronic mail (E-mail). These technologies were absent from our lives 15 years ago and have recently become as important as the old ways of communication, such as talking, telephone conversations, letters, etc.

© Copyright AAAS 2002. All rights reserved.

Question to answer after reading All Animals Communicate Name . 1) Are humans constantly communicating? How about other animals? Explain your answers and give an example. 2) Are there any special areas in human brains that make us distinct from other animals? Give one example from the reading. 3) Which animals have communication abilities that are close to humans? Explain how these animals have similar communication abilities. 4) Compare the language of a chimpanzee to that of a human. What are the differences and similarities? 5) What are some examples of ways that humans can communicate that are different than animal communication? If time remains, think of a currency that your favorite species could use could use. An example would be squirrels using acorn nuts, or dogs using bones.

Lesson Plan by Austin Freels . Lesson: Environmental Condidtions Length: 50 Min Grade: seventh Academic Standard Science 7.4.6 Explain how food provides the fuel and the building material for all organisms. (Core Standard) 7.4.9 Understand and explain that as any population of organisms grows, it is held in check by one or more environmental factors. These factors could result in depletion of food or nesting sites and/or increased loss to increased numbers of predators or parasites. Give examples of some consequences of this. English 7.4.2 Create an organizational structure that balances all aspects of the composition and uses effective transitions between sentences to unify important ideas. (Core Standard) Performance Objectives Students will demonstrate how pollution affects any given food chain by writing a well developed paragraph containing 4 or more sentences, which expresses their knowledge using structure and organization with 100% accuracy. Assessment The students will be assessed on whether or not they mention the affect producers have on secondary consumers. The students must meet the length requirement of 4 or more sentences. The paragraph must have structure and smooth transitions between ideas or concepts. The total for the assignment will be five points. A point will be deducted if the length requirement is not met, or if the material is not content specific. Advanced Preparation by teacher Before class, I will have to prepare to play the “game.” I will need to sort out 100 poker chips, 80 of them need to be white and 20 red. The video will need to be prompted and ready to play towards the beginning of class. Procedure Introduction We will start by handing in the homework that was completed pertaining to yesterday’s lesson. We will talk about the homework they finished and discuss the content. Then we will transition into today’s lesson by talking about how pollution can be one of the biggest environmental conditions hindering the survival of organisms. I will show a video that demonstrates types of pollution and shows examples of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP9I2VuDnJc&feature=related. (Gardner’s—visual spatial) Step by Step Plan

1) I will collect the homework from the previous lesson. 2) I will show the video demonstrating different types of pollution. (Bloom’s-- knowledge) 3) We will go over food chains and how each organism relies on one another

a. Zooplankton living in the water b. Fish eat the zooplankton

c. Eagles eat the fish 4) We will then talk about how if pollution effects the lower levels of the food chain it can

be passed along to the higher levels 5) We will have an open discussion on specific examples of pollution in the environment

and how humans contribute to each of these (Bloom’s Comprehension) a. Bulldozing forests to make way for housing and farming b. Over fertilization of farm lands and yards c. Use of pesticides on crops d. Motor oil disposal e. Littering f. Disposal of sewage g. Fumes emitted from cars that harm the ozone layer h. Soil erosion due to construction

6) A handout will be given to the students that demonstrates different categories of pollution and the effect they have on the organisms

a. Air pollution b. Water pollution c. Contaminated Land and pollution of groundwater d. Noise pollution e. Light pollution f. Radiation

7) We will then go outside to play a pollution “game” (Bloom’s—Applicaiotn) (Gardner’s-- Bodily Kinesthetic)

a. Students will be divided into zooplankton, fish, and eagles i. 15 plankton, 10 fish, 3 eagles

b. 100 chips will be placed on the ground 20 of which are “pollution” c. The only people allowed to pick up the chips are the zooplankton d. Fish acquire chips by eating zooplankton e. Eagles acquire chips by eating fish f. When I say go the game will begin

i. It is a form of tag ii. The zooplankton race to pick up the chips while the fish and eagles race to

get the lower person with the most chips iii. If the person gets tagged they sit out and the higher organism gets their

chips iv. The game continues until all of the chips have been picked up and “eaten”

g. At the end of the game we will see how many of the “polluted” chips each eagle “ate” (Gardner’s—logical mathematical)

8) We will play the game multiple times recording the results after each game 9) The students will switch roles after each game played. 10) We will then proceed back to the classroom to look at the results and discuss the severity

of the polluted chips 11) We will debate on the amount of polluted chips it takes to harm the eagle or the fish 12) Once the debate and game have come to a conclusion, we will discuss how to write

paragraphs in the scientific way. We will talk about transitions between ideas, whether they are sentences or paragraphs, and the correct way to do this.

13) The students will then be assigned their paragraph to write, which is due at the beginning of the next class period. Closure

The students will be assigned a paragraph to write about pollution in food chains and how they are affected. (Bloom’s Evalutaion) Adaptations/Enrichments for students Students with ADHD could become bored with the normal flow of the game. These students can be made the eagles so they can be active in the game for the majority of the time. They cannot be eagles every time so when they get out they can be in charge of counting the amount of chips each eagle had and record that in the table. Students with EBD (emotional and behavioral disorders) will be kept involved in the activity by being assigned jobs. One of these could be to be the judge as to when someone has been tagged during the game. This will keep them involved and focused throughout the exercise. Students who excel in writing styles and techniques, may be asked to go into more detail on their paragraph. Instead of focusing on food chains as a whole, they could touch on a specific food chain. Students who struggle in English and writing may be placed in groups to brainstorm ideas on food chains. They may be prompted to include something on secondary consumers anad producers. (Gardner’s—Interpersonal) Self Reflection Did the game work? What are some things that could be done differently throughout the set up of the game? How well was the game adapted for students with special needs? Was it to difficult, or was the concept to hard?

Table for counting of chips Game One

Game two

Game Three

Game Four

Amount of clean chips eagle 1 ate

Amount of contaminated chips eagle 1 ate eaten

Amount of clean chips eagle 2 ate

Amount of contaminated chips eagle 2 ate eaten

Amount of clean chips eagle 3 ate

Amount of contaminated chips eagle 3 ate eaten

  Drawling 

Handout on Different types of Pollution in London

http://www.wlfoet5.demon.co.uk/pollution/intro.htm

Pollution

Although it rarely hits the headlines, pollution is a big issue. Air pollution is a major killer. Other sorts of pollution, while not having such a drastic effect on humans, damage our environment and spoil our quality of life.

Types of pollution

There are various types of pollution :

• Air pollution • Water pollution • Contaminated land and pollution of groundwater • Noise pollution • Light pollution • Radiation

Air pollution

A government committee has estimated that 12,000 to 24,000 people in the UK die every year from the acute effects of air pollution. More die from chronic effects. Air pollution is therefore a major health issue.

In many parts of West London our air is not fit to breathe. The main source of air pollution is traffic emissions. Significant amounts also come from residential and commercial gas use, industry, construction sites and emissions from outside London. A particularly large and concentrated source of air pollution is Heathrow. Indeed, it is the biggest single source of pollution in Western Europe.

Chimney

For more information on air pollution, see our air pollution page.

Water pollution

The quality of the water in our rivers and canals is generally not too good. They are not fit for us to swim in and they are often not too good for wildlife either. There have been improvements in recent years, but they are still far from what we would wish to see.

The Environment Agency is the government body responsible for water quality. It does some admirable work, but it suffers from the failing of most public bodies - it is not really prepared to take on those parties who are polluting our water. A notable

instance has been heavy pollution of water bodies by Heathrow Airport. Nothing was being done about it by the Environment Agency until a concerted campaign was launched by local residents.

Water pollution

A particular class of pollutants which can get into water and which threaten our health and our wildlife are pesticides. 31,000 tonnes of pesticides are used in the UK every year. Overuse, careless use and incorrect disposal of pesticides mean that a range of dangerous chemicals get into our watercourses. Water companies have to constantly test for pesticides and removing them drinking water costs us - consumers of water - large sums of money. For more information on pesticides and how we can avoid them, see Pesticides Action Network web site.

There are no local FOE groups actively campaigning on the issue at present. Perhaps you would like to get involved !

Contaminated land and pollution of groundwater

There are significant areas of contaminated land in West London. This is the legacy of earlier industrial activity, at a time when looking after the environment and cleaning up after one had finished were not even considered.

There is now legislation that requires local authorities to identify contaminated land and, if necessary, make it safe. However, it has to be said that this is very low in the government's set of priorities. More information on contaminated land can be found on the web site of Ealing council.

(Ack to New Scientist)

A particular class of pollutants which can get into water and which threaten our health and our wildlife are pesticides. 31,000 tonnes of pesticides are used in the UK every year. Overuse, careless use and incorrect disposal of pesticides mean that a range of dangerous chemicals get into our watercourses. For more information on pesticides and how we can avoid them, see Pesticides Action Network web site.

There are no local FOE groups actively campaigning on the issue at present. Perhaps you would like to get involved !

Noise pollution

Noise is a common problem in modern-day life and it represents a serious threat to our quality of life. A recent survey showed that the biggest problems in London are, in order of priority:

• Traffic noise • Aircraft noise • Neighbour noise • Construction noise • Railway noise

Friends of the Earth does not campaign on noise as such. However, we are very active on the biggest contributors to noise, namely road traffic and aircraft. See the Ealing, the Hammersmith & Fulham and the Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Friends of the Earth groups, which are especially concerned about road traffic. For information on aircraft, see our aviation pages.

Noise

Light pollution

Light pollution has been described as "the cinderella of pollution issues". But if we care about quality of life, we ought to be concerned about light pollution.

Ealing Friends of the Earth campaigns on light pollution. For more about the issue see the Introduction to light pollution.

Light pollution

Radiation

Radiation arising from nuclear power or weapons is, thankfully, not a major issue in West London at present. But the government's failure to address the need to reduce energy consumption, together with a worrying resurgence of the pro-nuclear lobby, mean that that the issue could return. Friends of the Earth will, as usual, be well ahead of game.

Radiation in the form of radio waves is a live issue. With the proliferation of mobile phone masts, there is increasing concern about possible health effects on

people nearby. Friends of the Earth does not campaign on the issue as such, but, like other forms of pollution, we are concerned that public health and safety take second place to vested interests in the telecoms industry.

Radiation

                                                                                                                     

Lesson Plan by Austin Freels Lesson: Animal Behaviors Length: 50 min Grade: Seventh Academic Standard 7.4.1 Explain that similarities among organisms are found in external and internal anatomical features, including specific characteristics at the cellular level, such as the number of chromosomes. Understand that these similarities are used to classify organisms since they may be used to infer the degree of relatedness among organisms. (Core Standard) 7.4.6 Explain how food provides the fuel and the building material for all organisms. (Core Standard) Performance Objectives The student will draw a chicken lifecycle with 100% accurate stages, on the construction paper provided. Assessment The drawing will be graded in the following manner. It must be an accurate lifecycle of a chicken. It needs to be creative and neat. This will be judged by not being dull and boring with the colors. If there are any excess markings or clutter on the diagram, the drawing will not be considered neat. A rubric is attached to the back of this lesson plan, which will be used to grade the drawing. Advanced Preparation by the Teacher I will need to have the life cycles printed out prior to the start of class. They will be set in piles and ready to hand out to the students when it is time, this will keep the lesson moving along briskly. An example rubric will be made into a PDF file so it can be put up on the overhead or projector, while the students are working on their project. Introduction This lesson will teach the students about the different life cycles that animals go through. The bell ringer for the day will relate back to the money theme. “Describe the life cycle of a coin or a dollar bill, and all the places it can travel to!” Once the class has finished their bell ringers we will discuss them, see what interesting places we came up with. We will then transition into the content material by watching a video on the lifecycles of a butterfly, chicken, frog, and mosquito. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmsTccmRMh4. (Gardner’s visual spatial). Step by Step Plan

1) We will break down the different life cycles viewed in the video, and talk about each one. a. The first life cycle we will discuss is the butterfly lifecycle.

i. The students will receive a handout which displays the life cycle of the butterfly.

ii. We will then go over the life cycle diagram and key features 1. Eggs 2. Larva-- caterpillar

3. Pupa -- chrysalis 4. Adult -- Butterfly

b. The second life cycle diagram to be discussed will be the mosquito. i. The students will receive a handout which displays the life cycle of the

mosquito. 1. Eggs – must be laid in water 2. Larva – grow in the water 3. Pupa – still in the water 4. Adult – only land form

ii. We will talk about how the eggs must be laid in the water, and that is why the mosquitoes get worse when it rains, or when you are near a pond.

c. The third life cycle to be discussed will be the frog. i. The students will receive a handout of the frog life cycle.

1. Eggs 2. Tadpole 3. Intermediate stages 4. Frog

d. The final life cycle to be discussed will be the chicken. i. We will brainstorm what the life cycle of the chicken is

1. How many stages are there 2. How long the stages last

ii. Instead of receiving a handout of the life cycle the students will be assigned to make their own

2) The students’ assignment for the day will be to construct the chicken life cycle using construction paper, markers, glue, and other supplies provided. The remainder of the class time will be used to work on their life cycle posters.

Closure In closure we will discuss how the life cycles are similar to the life cycle of money, and how they are different. I will mention the end of the unit program and tell them to start brainstorming of an animal from their country that they would want to impersonate. Adaptations / Enrichments

1) Students who are at a lower learning level and are unable to grasp the concept of the life cycle, could be given a copy of the chicken life cycle to look at while they make there poster.

2) Students who are of a higher learning ability, will be asked to elaborate on their poster. They can add things that give the chicken nutrients to progress to the next stage in the life cycle.

3) If a student is hard of hearing or visually impaired they can be moved for the video. This will ensure that they have the same chance to acquire the content on the video that everybody else does.

4) If there is a student with ADHD in the class he or she can be asked to help pass out the life cycles. This will make it go faster and they will not be bored or as likely to cause interruptions within the class.

Self Reflection • Did the students have fun with the lesson? • Did they think the drawing was too childish or elementary? • Should I have given the chicken life cycle as an example and had them create one of the

other ones on the poster? • How was the timing of the lesson? Was it too short or too long?

Life Cycle of the Butterfly http://www.enchantedlearning.com/pgifs/Paintedladylifecycle_bw.GIF

Life Cycle of the Mosquitoes

http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth/images/downloads/lifecycle-mosquito.jpg

Life Cycle of the Frog www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/amphibians/label/froglifecycle/labelanswers.GIF

Rubric for Chicken Lifecycle

1 point 2 points 3 points total

Content Material

The poster does not use the correct life cycle, and the stages are not accurate.

The poster has the correct stages, but they are in the wrong order.

The poster has the correct stages and they are in the correct order.

Correctly Organized

The diagram is not organized, and the stages do not connect to show that it is a lifecycle.

The stages connect, but are not organized in a circle illustrating the lifecycle.

The stages are all organized correctly and are in the proper circular format for a life cycle.

Creative

The poster is not creative at all. It consists of just pictures and boring transition lines.

The pictures and transition lines are somewhat creative, but could be better.

The poster uses creativity within the different life stages and also within the transition lines between stages.

Neatness

The poster has numerous amounts of smudges, and contains massive crease marks.

The poster is in pretty good condition, maybe a bent corner or a few minor smudges.

The poster is very neat and well taken care of. There are no smudge marks.

Total score ______ / 12