Jon A. Beck Term- IV: Rationale 1: How is my topic is central to one or more disciplines?

While it is crystal clear that ecology and environmentalism are obvious strands in the study of science, they can easily be applied simultaneously to a variety of content areas while providing a relevant and cohesive academic unit for students. For the purpose of my integrated unit, I have elected to focus all of my literacy and science instruction around the theme of environmentalism and ecology, and I also look forward to infusing elements of my theme into social studies as well as math. Regarding the mandates that my curriculum meets-- it is straightforward in terms of the cross-cutting concepts and skills it employs within a science curriculum as defined by the National Academies of the Sciences. Environmentalism and ecology naturally fall under the umbrella of science, and my topic is not only relatable to the study of science, but it is central to it. In terms of the first dimension of the NAS framework, I intend to cover all aspects of science and engineering practices: Asking questions (for science), developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using math and computational thinking, constructing explanations, and engaging in argument from evidence, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. The second dimension of the framework outlines cross-cutting concepts, and my unit will focus primarily on: 1- patterns, 2- cause and effect, and lastly 7- stability and change. The third dimension of the NAS framework outlines four specific disciplines, and my unit will specifically focus on the life sciences, , Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics.

The second content area into which I have elected to integrate my curriculum is literacy and language arts. I chose this particular subject area for a handful of reasons, a prominent one being the need to integrate informational and non-fiction text into the literacy curriculum. As noted in the School Reform Commissions (SRC) Planning and Scheduling Timeline, there have been a handful of shifts in the mandated curriculum as designated by the integration of the Common Core Standards. This document states that, Building knowledge through content rich non-fiction plays an essential role in literacy and in the Standards. These standards are the product of extensive and proven research, and they have been adopted by nearly every state in the U.S. Experts in the field have determined that rich non-fiction is a key facet to improving our educational system nation-wide, and non-fiction and information text play a central role in the design of my integrated unit.

2: Why is my topic interesting? The Andrew Jackson School recently shifted away from a scripted curriculum that stressed literacy and math, and there are remnants of this heavily weighted curriculum still in place in my classroom. With upwards of 90% of our instruction dedicated to math and literacy, social studies and science are largely on the backburner. I have found that this imbalance in my students schedules has not only resulted in a disdain towards literacy and math, but it has simultaneously heightened the students passion in the belittled subjectsparticularly for science.

As dictated by the expectations for Term III at Penn, all student teachers were to plan and enact small group lessons in all content areasmath, literacy, social studies, and science. Knowing that the students science lessons usually consist soley of direct reading, I did everything in my power to craft a hands-on, engaging lesson for my students. My lesson was an experiment in which the students investigated the density of various liquids, and it was an absolute hit. Students to this dayand on a pretty regular basisask me when we are doing science experiments, to which I typically reply, Just wait for my takeover. It was a no-brainer for me to intentionally design my lesson around something that the students are interested in, and science seemed like a perfect fit.. After spending a few weeks trying to find materials for science, I recalled having heard from a teacher that there was a closet on the third floor jam packed with science materials. Sure enough, I found a plethora of dusty, but untouched, science FOSS Kits. Throughout our science methods class, we were introduced to these kits, and I immediately knew that conducting investigations, experiments, and engaging in applicable hands-on endeavors through these kits would quench the students desire for science. Lastly, I created a lesson in the second term in which the students wrote about a dream that they have for their neighborhood or school (in correlation with Martin Luther Kings birthday), and a majority of the students wrote about the cleanliness of the school, their neighborhood, and about how they are interested in our environment. Again, this reaffirms my assertion that students are interested in environmentalism and environmental science.

Environmentalism has always been one of my passions. I truly believe that the earths inhabitants need to recognize how we are endangering our planet, and educating students on these matters isin my mindcompulsory. This rationale for my students coincides with my own beliefs, in that I fervently believe that the students are negatively impacted by their lack of instructional time in science. I have taught a handful of science lessons since Term III, and all of these lessons elicited impressive engagement and excitement. As a teacher, I want my students to be excited about the content that we are learning, so, naturally, if my students are happy and engaged, so am I. Science was always one of my preferred subjects in elementary school through high school, and Im genuinely interested in learning more about environmentalism and ecology for myself.

3. How is this topic accessible to students? In terms of developmental appropriateness, I would argue that the topic of environmentalism and ecology is undoubtedly suitable for my students. First of all, one of many factors in selecting a topic during my takeover unit was the need to teach what our school and district mandate. Conveniently, this has translated into an integrated unit that isnt necessarily packaged for my students, but its a topic that is expected to be covered. The SRC (and SDP) sanctioned pacing guide requires teachers to cover environments in science throughout the third marking period. While Ive been informed that this particular topic is rarely touched upon, as its known that it is not tested, I do know that it is an expectation of the School District, and therefore I trust that

it is not only appropriate developmentally for my students but its prescribed for them to learn about this topic, per the District. In terms of resources available for students, I surprisingly have a lot to work with not only in my school, but also in my neighborhood. As mentioned in a previous section, I found the fruitful stash of science materials in a storage closet that has become my biggest asset in planning this unit. These FOSS kits are comprised of expensive materials that would cost a teacher hundreds --if not thousands-- of dollars and these resources have supplemented my planning in a way that I am deeply grateful for. While the FOSS kits have pre-arranged and very specific lessons planned for teachers, I am fortunate enough to have the freedom (and time) to use these kits at will, which will allow me to pick and chose what materials and investigations I employ throughout my lesson. For the latter part of my unit, I plan to investigate gardening and urban agriculture, and fortunately, there are a couple of local community gardens which I hope to explore with my students. I have a connection to a local gardener (who actually runs sustainable agricultural programs in Jamaica) who will be an asset for this component of my curriculum. Fortunately, my second week of my takeover is during mid-April, and that time of year is great for planting and gardening. Alternatively, if everything with the local gardens doesnt pan out, Jackson this year has created two of its own mini-gardens one in front of the school, and one on the patioand the principal is encouraging classes to use these resources. This could be a great way to transplant from our terrariums into these gardens (and Im sure our principal would be enthusiastic about this!).

4: How does environmentalism and ecology provide opportunities for multiple connections? My students experiences and individual funds of knowledge vary greatly. There are a handful of students in my class who have recently moved to the country within the past half decade, and they certainly bring unique funds of knowledge to the table. I am fortunate to have students representing a wealth of backgrounds, with students families from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Egypt, Eastern Asia and the United States. This will make our investigations of various ecosystems all the more interesting. I look forward to having students also discuss various ecosystems and habitats that they have personally encountered or learned about through school or any sort of educational media. As noted in a previous section, students showed interest in environmentalism through their I have a dream assignment, and this will be an excellent way for students to expand upon their reasoning for choosing that particular topic. In terms of making connections going forward, I hope to expose students to a variety of resources which they can utilize to investigate environmentalism and ecology.. Throughout their ecosystem investigation, this will be something that is required of the students. Additionally, gardening is something that can be done on a micro levelstudents can grow plants in their homes. Also, for the aquatic environments portion of the lesson, we will have some fish (and potentially brine shrimp) that I will offer for the students to take home (with their parents consent, of course). I also hope to connect the students with the Passyunk Square Civic Association, and that can be a bridge for students who want to further investigate ways to enrich their immediate environmentin their own neighborhood.

Resource list: (2012). A framework for K-12 science education : practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press. School Reform Commission. Planning and Scheduling Timeline: Scope and Sequence 2012-2013.