I Love This Unit!
In “Ducks Overboard: Understanding Cause-and-Effect Relationships Through Marine Debris”, Ingred Weiland and Caroline Sheffield outline a thematic unit for third through fifth graders ... See More
In “Ducks Overboard: Understanding Cause-and-Effect Relationships Through Marine Debris”, Ingred Weiland and Caroline Sheffield outline a thematic unit for third through fifth graders based on the true story of thousands of bath toys which fell off a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean. The week-long unit integrates science and social studies, and facilitates exploration of concepts including the movement of goods, world geography, decomposition of objects, and flotation. The unit also explores the human impact on the environment and the environmental consequences of a global versus a local economy. Some of the activities include reading a book about rubber ducks, watching a video about the Great Garbage Patch, predicting and testing items to see whether or not they float, analyzing where discarded household items are made, and looking critically at a photograph of a local polluted river. The unit meets several science and social studies standards, and has the potential to meet writing and reading standards as well.
I really love the idea of this unit. I am always looking for ways to promote environmental awareness and stewardship in my classroom. This unit, in my opinion, has everything. It invokes a child’s natural curiosity, and it is collaborative, hands-on, and engaging. The activities are diverse, which is important for meeting the needs of a diverse group of students. The unit moves from a global focus to a local one, which makes the learning more relevant to the students, and also has the potential to empower students to make changes in their lives which will benefit the natural environment.
There is also a great deal of opportunity to extend this unit to also meet reading and writing standards. More time can be spent reading the Eric Carl book mentioned in the article, with students reading with partners, learning and practicing new vocabulary words from the book, and taking summary notes and writing down questions and thoughts as they read. Students could write a story about the travels of some object that they choose, or they could write a letter to the mayor about the importance of picking up garbage and protecting the local waterways.
This article provided me with a great starting point for a thematic unit. I look forward to customizing it and expanding it to suit the needs of my students.