Hilltop+Elementary+School,+WV

** Green Schools Leadership Institute Supported K-5 Curriculum for 2st Century Learning Environments Introduction **
** Mark Swiger ** ** Marshall County Schools ** ** John Marshall High School ** ** USGBC WV Green School Advocate ** ** USGBC WV Board of Directors ** ** USGBC Students Regional Chairman ** 1300 Wheeling Avenue   Glen Dale, WV 26038   (304)280-4882    swiger.mark@gmail.com

jhenry@eirc.org
Each school has environmental situations and challenges that are unique and differ from one school to another. Academic challenges and learning environments are just as unique. The Green Schools Leadership Institute is intended to serve as a collaborative method for teachers and other staff members to develop a path for greening their school. Lessons and activities have been provided as guides that can be expanded upon that will address both environmental and academic situations specific to the school and the community.
 * Introduction: **

These lessons utilize the school building and the surrounding environment as the context for learning and academic improvement. These lessons provide opportunities to utilize staff and students to discover options through instruction outreach and through an Inquiry, Project, and Problem Based Learning process. This process provides ownership to all stakeholders associated with a school district.

There are ten lessons that will be the focal point for this unit. They are:


 * Fundamentals of Sustainability **
 * Introduction to Green Buildings **
 * Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) **
 * Sustainable sites **
 * Water Efficiency **
 * Energy, and Atmosphere **
 * Materials and Resources **
 * Indoor Environmental Quality **
 * Design Process (Google Sketchup) **
 * Innovation and Design (Green Challenge) **

Six of the categories mirror and introduce to students the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system which is a national rating system for both new and existing buildings established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The categories will be the starting points and a common guideline that identify areas in and around a school so teachers can integrate sustainability into their curricular areas. The lessons promote innovative thinking, collaboration, resource sharing and represents site specific ways that sustainability literacy can be used in any classroom setting. Lesson can be integrated with environmental education and other existing programs and efforts to ensure all schools will have a green tool kit to meet specific environmental needs of the school. ====The Green Schools lessons also incorporate and encourages teachers and students to connect with professionals from the green industries such as, architecture, engineering, flooring, waste management, lighting, landscaping, HVAC, renewable energy and many more that can help guide teachers with the technical aspects of green buildings, green collar careers and sustainable technologies.====

====This unit and others that will follow, is intended to serve as a strategic tool for educators who wish to implement green education within their classroom and throughout their school district. It can be vertically aligned from pre K through 12th grade with units, activities and additional online resources to support the curriculum.====

====Marshall County Schools and schools from New Jersey are embarking on a journey towards a similar mission of the US Green Building Council’s motto, “Green Schools within a Generation”. The county’s curriculum content will be vertically aligned across these grades in order to establish a pipeline of education and provide resources and information regarding green collar careers for the 21st century student. This curriculum was developed as a part of that partnership. Hilltop School is presently implementing more training, following last year’s curriculum development (this document) workshops, enhancing LEED alignment to Content Standards as a goal, and constructing Green School Learning Kits this year. It is important when looking at this document to keep in mind that this curriculum guide provides a vehicle for teachers to design more activities around lesson topics and is guiding Hilltop and the entire school district as a “green school district”.====



====These lessons will focus on the enormous positive impact green buildings can have on the environment. Students will investigate the benefits and consequences of human decisions while developing problem solving and critical thinking skills that will help them understand the balance between people, planet, profit, and politics.====

====In the Marshall County Strategic Plan, emphasis will be placed on engineering and materials that will contribute to sustainability as well as the green collar careers that will be available in the future. Students will be inspired to reach beyond the boundaries of their classroom through the use of technology and investigate their community, the state, national and global issues related to climate change and other pressing issues of our time. It is hoped, as a result of this unit and lessons in conjunction with other environmental education efforts and programs, all schools will inspire students to grow to no only see sustainability as an option, but as a way of life.====

====Within the framework of the master plan for green schools, Hilltop Elementary School will embark on year two of its LEED plan. They will use the Green Schools Leadership Institute slogan “Schools are the Epicenter for Sustainability. The resources included in this program are integral to curriculum design in the 21st Century. Marshall County has made this commitment.====

**Inquiry, Project, Project Based Learning as “Constructivism” Leads to a “Connectivist” World**

 * ** Constructivism is an educational philosophy that encourages at its very core, inquiry. Every type of constructivist strategy utilizes inquiry learning approaches. In the 21st Century context, constructivism has evolved into “Connectivism”; these same strategies that utilize interactive, Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, weblogs (blogs), online courses, etc. Imagine teachers and students who design curricula being able to interact with other teachers and students around the world. Connectivism and its outwardly spiraling impact can make LEED certified schools global laboratories for learning sustainability. ** ||

At the core of constructivist teaching and learning is “inquiry”, the curiosity component of engagement that can be developed through strong instructional design strategies, such as Inquiry Based Learning for early grades, Project Based Learning in the middle grades, and Problem Based Learning in the upper grades into adulthood. __Constructivism is__:


 * An instructional philosophy that utilizes scaffolding of ideas in the learning process. Inquiry is embedded in all types of learning tied to Constructivism. Inquiry, Project, Problem Based learning are types of processes tied to Constructivism. Implementation of teaching and learning concepts such as Case Based Reasoning is tightly tied to Constructivism.
 * __ Inquiry Based Learning __, as seen mainly in primary grades utilizes a hands-on approach that drives inquiry in learners. Often called, “hands-on/minds-on”, inquiry helps learners develop research skills without messy problems to solve.
 * __ Project Based Learning __ is driven by inquiry learning and is tightly tied to standards based instruction. Sometimes, it is interchanged with Problem Based Learning, which can drive Project Based Learning.
 * __ Problem Based Learning __ is driven by inquiry learning as well. At the root of Problem Based Learning is a messy, real-world problem that engages students in developing diverse products that present solutions. Project Based Learning can use messy, real-world problems as well. A rule of thumb; the relevant the problem scenario or entry event, the more apt the learner will be engaged than otherwise.

In vertically aligned curriculum, particularly in elementary schools, the process of learning is far more important than the products being produced. In sustainability education and using the building as a learning tool, process learning is not an anomaly. Instead it is an important consideration The facilitators of this curriculum model are PBL trainers, as well as advocates for greening schools. Using “green” themes within a Green School is imperative. By utilizing this process, students retain knowledge by living in problem-solving mode. Hilltop teachers, as well as other teachers in the district that will be “greening” existing buildings are trained in PBL process by the trainers. Units being “dropped” into the LEED Green Schools Kits will include vertically aligned units that take all of this into account. This training, supported by Marshall County Schools, and provided by the facilitators on an on-going basis will continue at Hilltop, other LEED projects, and other schools where LEED for Existing Buildings will be a goal.

** Problem/Project-Based Learning Process **

** Read and discuss the scenario. **

The situation described in the scenario should be understood by all members of the class. After reading the scenario on the screen (if projected) and on the paper (if used as a handout), students will then break into small groups to begin to brainstorm using the KWHL Chart. Once brainstorming begins, students should individually and in groups revisit the scenario when they feel as though they may be “off track”. The instructor should facilitate this revisiting of the scenario occasionally through observation and feedback in the journals.

** Brainstorm known facts. **

Students will list what they bring to the situation given materials presented in the scenario and any prior knowledge they may have concerning the task on the KWHL concept map either in Inspiration® software or on a handout. All students bring something special to the group. During this process, students should be encouraged to list as many things as they know about the situation reserving criticism to the group at-large and accepting wild, seemingly irrelevant items. There will be a time when those items may make sense to the group.
 * Develop a problem statement. **

After careful review of the scenario and the “knowns”, students should write a brief statement about what it is they are attempting to do. All groups will interpret this differently. Clues to helping to create this statement are in the last statement in the scenario and the mixture of “knowns”. As new information is found, this statement will change. Students should be encouraged to edit, revise, renew the problem statement as many times as is needed to come up with a solution.

** Brainstorm what is needed to be known in order to solve the problem. **

List what is needed to be known in questions form in order to solve the problem. At this point each member should identify a role to play and gather information. Students should be encouraged to revisit the problem statement and the scenario.

** Gather information and propose possible solutions. **

Information gathering continues. Students should generate properly constructed questions for research and begin seeking out expertise, meaningful internet searches that result in obtaining valid web resources in investigating their problem. Interviewing teachers, parents, and other members of the community is encouraged. Students may find other sources of information that they can bring into their investigation.

** Revisiting Solutions. **

The group may entertain revisiting their problem, view optional alternatives to the ones examined, or move toward reporting to the group.

** Offer solutions through Presentations. **

Report to the whole class and selected faculty an action plan that seems viable given all the options entertained by the group. Students should be encouraged to present in ways that show uniqueness, but are encouraged to refer to the teacher rubric. These presentations can be posted to the course Wiki as an option. Journaling to the course Wiki is encouraged as well. Wikis offer the opportunity for multiple classes to collaborate in the project.

Ideally, this PBL should lead to more PBLs that take learning even further. The teacher may see the opportunity (or more content) that can be built based on student presentations. If you use a Wiki, a multiple class collaborative presentation can be brainstormed and built as a result of the multiple presentations given at the end of this unit.

**PBL Resources**: http://pbl4teachers.wikispaces.com/

** Student Journals (Electronic, Hard Copy, Wikis as options) **

Individuals will complete an individual journal with artifacts of research and a self assessment of their work on the cover of a folder to be distributed to all team members. This is the major individual assessment of the project.



** Marshall County teachers have been trained in using KWHL Charts. Classrooms have utilized KWL charts years. This model designed by the facilitators using a highly accepted strategy of using KWHL charts throughout the process of learning as a way of brainstorming and recording group discussions. The “H” in KWHL chart represents “How”; the basis of inquiry and a step that drives research toward answers to the original scenario and its aligned problem statement. This tool is used in inquiry, project and problem based learning. **
 * **Using a KWHL Chart for Brainstorming**



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