General Info
Returning to school after the summer holidays is a delicate moment for everyone. I usually propose reception projects to start school in a peaceful way and encourage the insertion of new pupils, through group work. Environmental education represents a transversal theme that allows the development of diversified paths. You do not learn to defend the environment using a textbook, but you acquire responsible behavior through engaging and reflective activities.
Audience and Educational Framework
Educational Details
The experience was developed in the current school year in two middle school secondary classes. We started by observing the environment and identifying the behaviors that damage it. The following reflection led to the construction of minidiorama in one class and in the other class of board games on the environment.
Pupils, divided in different work group, have for example rebuilt natural enviroment into shoeboxes or other small containers. Thus, it was showed how, through cardboard visors and Google cardboard, you can view in virtual reality the different environments. In these ways, pupils have seen different natural enviroments such as the seabed and the savannah.
Understand the structure of an environment.
Identify actions harmful to the environment and their consequences.
Develop behaviors responsible for environmental protection.
Being able to build a game or minidiorama
Web sites to discover different environments.
Poor material to make the products.
Presentation:
https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/1322316/Progetto-di-accoglienza-a.s.-2019-2020-Classe-II-B-I.C.S.-Capozzi-Galilei-Valenzano-Bari/
https://youtu.be/DXQJJbFYHTo
Implementation
(where and how the practice was implemented)
The initial part of the course was the same in the two classes, the final part relating to the products was instead different.
Through brainstorming we started to understand what an environment is and we made some examples (1h ).
Subsequently, the pupils observed the environments using Google cardboard and went to the multimedia laboratory where they researched different environments on the web. Each pupil has chosen which environment to look for.(1h)
In class the pupils shared what they had researched and found. (1h)
Four working groups were formed based on the type of environment to work on. (1h)
Within the groups, in class 2 C, the pupils designed the board games called "Our super eco-heroes to protect the environment", which contained penalties for harmful behavior and bonus points for responsible behavior. (2h)
Within groups, in class 2 B, pupils designed minidioramas.(1h)
The pupils decided which materials to use to make them. (1 h)
Later, they built minidioramas and board games.(3 h)
After that, they played with the games they produced. (1 h)
Board games and minidioramas were shown during the open day. (4 h)
With the Italian teacher, Paola Miglietta, the pupils of 2B, wrote the texts of the presentation with Tiki Toki (2 h)
The activities were very engaging and allowed all pupils to participate, including the disabled. There were no difficulties during the activities. It was certainly a new way to start school after the summer holidays, based on principles related to active citizenship.
It was an important path to increase their self-esteem, because they had to show it and explain the various phases of the project.
Educational material/resources (file/URL) accompanying the practice
English