What do St. Patrick’s Day and recycling have in common? I bet you guessed right, they both incorporate a message of green. So this year, how about going green with eco-friendly lessons on recycling?
If you are familiar with Skype in the Classroom (TeachersFirst review), you already know about the many interactive offerings available to classroom teachers. The Skype community provides a platform for collaborative projects, virtual field trips, guest speakers, themed collections, and much more. Also, the community includes resources on a variety of topics, including recycling. Using Skype provides opportunities for students to learn about the world outside their classroom and to interact with both experts and their peers in other locations. Learning to integrate Skype in your classroom through PD opportunities such as this blog post, gives teachers the opportunity to earn points towards badges in the Microsoft Education Center (MEC). See more information in the closing paragraphs of this blog post.
Skype in the Classroom is also an excellent way to incorporate learning goals and objectives through real-world interactions with other students and classrooms.
- ISTE Student Standards: Use Skype projects to meet the goals of Knowledge Constructor, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator.
- Next Generation Science Standards: Meet standards including Earth and Human Activity, Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment, and Human Sustainability.
- Triple E Framework: Skype in the Classroom projects provide an excellent foundation to support the successful integration of technology tools, including achieving the highest level of integration to extend student learning beyond the classroom and into their everyday lives.
- 6 C’s Model: Interactive projects and collaborations match at least three of the C’s mentioned in this model – communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Let’s take a look at some specific Skype in the Classroom topics to help you go green this year:
- Collaborative Projects:
- Karo Sambhav-Cohesive Ewaste Movement – this project is for students ages 11-18. Interact with the 20 participants in this activity to learn more about and examine ways to reduce e-waste. This program encourages students to become the catalyst for change in the world.
- Bye Bye Plastic – this project is for students of all ages. Participate by following four steps – gather data, create a poster or PowerPoint presentation, sketch an action plan, and share ideas with a partner class.
- Play-stic Project – Students aged 8-13 participate in this project to collaborate with students around the world to share ideas and encourage community members to reduce their use of plastic, specifically plastic bottles.
- Guest Speakers:
- Reduce Water Pollution & Hygiene Sanitation – this 30-minute session for students of all ages emphasizes the importance of pollution on the earth’s clean water supply. Tie this information directly into your recycling lessons by sharing the importance of keeping trash and pollutants out of our water systems.
- Be Climate Avengers – the Climate Avengers session is geared toward students aged 9 – 18. Discuss the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming during the session. Additional information includes efforts toward sustainable resource management, including recycling efforts.
- Skype in the Classroom Flipgrid Disco Playlist – take a look at this playlist created by Skype in the Classroom to use with Flipgrid. One example to use with recycling is the “Protecting Marine Life – but how” topic. Integrate your recycling ideas into the theme to create a public service announcement on saving marine life through good recycling habits.
You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day; you don’t have to wait for Earth Day to learn about recycling. How about sharing the green differently this year?
* EARN POINTS TOWARDS A DIGITAL BADGE BY APPLYING THIS INFORMATION *
Plan to put the power of Skype to work in your classroom today. Begin planning a recycling lesson that incorporates Skype. Complete the Recycling Lesson Idea Summary Form online to be eligible for points towards a digital badge.
After we verify that your Lesson Idea Summary Form is complete and includes all required components, TeachersFirst will send you an achievement code via email. Redeem the code in the FREE Microsoft Educator Center. Start by visiting the Skype in the Classroom page and identifying a resource to incorporate into your recycling lesson. Fill out and submit the Recycling Lesson Idea Summary Form.
The code will be emailed within 15 days of submission once your plan is verified. (This offer expires May 31, 2020. All submissions must be received by midnight 5/31/2020 Eastern Daylight Savings Time, U.S.)