Kindergarten Environmental Stewards: Role-Playing Ecosystem Changes
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Kindergarten Environmental Stewards: Role-Playing Ecosystem Changes

KindergartenScienceEnglish3 days
In this project, kindergarten students become environmental stewards by role-playing how plants, animals, and humans interact with and adapt to their environments. Through hands-on activities, they observe and record local weather patterns, engage in role-playing to showcase environmental changes made by organisms, and create storytelling narratives that highlight positive environmental stewardship. The project aligns with NGSS standards K-ESS2-1 and K-ESS2-2, fostering skills in observation, critical thinking, and argument construction, while emphasizing the importance of understanding ecosystem dynamics and the role of living things in our environment.
Environmental StewardshipRole-PlayingWeather PatternsEcosystem DynamicsNGSS StandardsKindergarten Education
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we, as environmental stewards, explore and demonstrate how plants and animals, including humans, impact their environment and adapt to the patterns of local weather conditions?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • How do plants and animals, including humans, change their environment to meet their needs?
  • What patterns can we observe in local weather conditions over time, and how do these patterns affect living things?
  • Why is it important to understand the roles of different living things in our environment?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will be able to identify common weather patterns through observation and describe how these patterns might affect living organisms.
  • Students will role-play scenarios that demonstrate how different living things, including humans, adapt to and change their environment to meet their needs.
  • Students will construct evidence-based arguments to explain the roles of plants and animals in their environments.
  • Students will understand the importance of environmental stewardship and their role in conserving the environment.

NGSS

K-ESS2-1
Primary
Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time. [Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different months.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.]Reason: Students will be using their senses to observe and record local weather patterns which supports the understanding of how environmental factors impact living organisms.
K-ESS2-2
Primary
Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. [Clarification Statement: Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include a squirrel digs in the ground to hide its food and tree roots can break concrete.]Reason: The project involves role-playing scenarios that demonstrate the impact of living things on their environment which directly aligns with constructing evidence-based arguments.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Nature Detectives

Transform the classroom into a detective agency where students solve mysteries related to plant and animal impacts on their surroundings. Through guided exploration, they will gather 'evidence,' forming arguments about how animals and plants modify their environment, emphasizing real-world problem-solving.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Weather Pattern Explorers

In this activity, students will embark on a journey to observe and record local weather conditions. Through interactive play, they will learn how to identify and describe different weather patterns over time.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Introduce the concept of weather and why it's important to observe it. Discuss different types of weather using visual aids.
2. Take students outside for a short walk and ask them to observe the weather. Encourage them to describe their observations using their senses (e.g., 'The sun is warm on my skin,' 'I see clouds in the sky').
3. Return to the classroom and ask students to share their observations. Write them down on a weather chart.
4. Over several days, repeat the observation walks and record the weather on the chart to identify patterns (e.g., 'It was sunny three days this week').

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA classroom weather chart displaying observational data about local weather conditions over time.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with K-ESS2-1 by allowing students to use and share observations of local weather to describe patterns over time.
Activity 2

Environmental Change Role Play

Students will engage in role-play activities that simulate how plants and animals adapt to and change their environment to meet their needs. This hands-on simulation encourages critical thinking and creativity while demonstrating environmental impact.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Discuss with students examples of how animals and plants can change their environment (e.g., squirrels digging, roots breaking concrete).
2. Assign each student or group a specific plant or animal to role-play.
3. Guide students in creating role-play scenarios where their assigned plant/animal demonstrates an impactful behavior on the environment.
4. Have students perform their role-plays for the class, explaining how their plant or animal changes the environment.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityStudents perform role-plays that demonstrate how various plants and animals impact their environment.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with K-ESS2-2 as students construct arguments supported by scenarios showing environmental changes made by plants and animals.
Activity 3

Stewardship Storytelling

Using storytelling, students will create narratives that depict the roles of different organisms within their environment. This activity reinforces the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation through imaginative engagement.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Discuss what it means to be an environmental steward and why it's important for living things to contribute to a healthy environment.
2. Guide students in brainstorming a story about an organism that makes a positive change to its environment.
3. Assist students in drawing pictures and writing simple sentences for their stories.
4. Encourage students to share their stories with the class, highlighting the positive environmental impact in each narrative.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA class book compiling students' stories about environmental stewardship and the roles of living organisms in making positive changes.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports the learning goal of understanding environmental stewardship and role of organisms in the ecosystem by using storytelling.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Environmental Stewardship and Weather Observation Rubric

Category 1

Weather Observation and Patterns

Assessment of students' ability to observe, record, and describe local weather conditions and patterns over time.
Criterion 1

Observational Skills

Ability to use senses effectively to observe and describe weather conditions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Student provides detailed, clear, and accurate descriptions of weather conditions using multiple senses consistently.

Proficient
3 Points

Student provides clear and accurate descriptions of weather conditions using multiple senses regularly.

Developing
2 Points

Student provides basic descriptions of weather conditions using at least two senses inconsistently.

Beginning
1 Points

Student provides minimal descriptions of weather conditions, struggling to use senses effectively.

Criterion 2

Pattern Recognition

Ability to identify and describe patterns in weather over time.

Exemplary
4 Points

Student accurately describes weather patterns over time with detailed examples and insightful observations.

Proficient
3 Points

Student accurately describes weather patterns over time with clear examples.

Developing
2 Points

Student describes basic weather patterns over time with some guidance.

Beginning
1 Points

Student struggles to identify or describe weather patterns over time.

Category 2

Role-Playing Environmental Change

Assessment of students' ability to role-play and demonstrate how organisms impact their environment.
Criterion 1

Creative Representation

Creativity and accuracy in role-playing scenarios where a plant or animal impacts the environment.

Exemplary
4 Points

Role-play is highly creative and accurately represents the environmental impact of the assigned organism, with detailed explanations.

Proficient
3 Points

Role-play is creative and accurately represents the environmental impact of the assigned organism.

Developing
2 Points

Role-play shows basic understanding of the organism's environmental impact but lacks clarity or detail.

Beginning
1 Points

Role-play lacks creativity and fails to accurately represent the environmental impact.

Criterion 2

Argument Construction

Ability to construct an evidence-based argument showing the environmental changes made by organisms.

Exemplary
4 Points

Argument is well-constructed, with comprehensive evidence and clear explanations demonstrating environmental impact.

Proficient
3 Points

Argument is clear and supported by evidence demonstrating environmental impact.

Developing
2 Points

Argument lacks depth and is only partially supported by evidence demonstrating environmental impact.

Beginning
1 Points

Argument is unclear and lacks sufficient evidence demonstrating environmental impact.

Category 3

Environmental Stewardship Storytelling

Assessment of students' storytelling skills to depict positive environmental changes by organisms.
Criterion 1

Story Creativity and Clarity

Creativity and clarity in storytelling about an organism's positive environmental change.

Exemplary
4 Points

Story is highly creative and clearly details the organism's positive environmental change, with engaging illustrations.

Proficient
3 Points

Story is creative and clearly details the organism's positive environmental change.

Developing
2 Points

Story provides basic details of the organism's positive environmental change but lacks creativity.

Beginning
1 Points

Story lacks clarity and creativity in depicting the organism's positive environmental change.

Criterion 2

Understanding of Stewardship

Understanding environmental stewardship and the role of living things in the ecosystem.

Exemplary
4 Points

Exhibits a sophisticated understanding of environmental stewardship and clearly articulates the role of living things in detail.

Proficient
3 Points

Exhibits a thorough understanding of environmental stewardship and articulates the role of living things clearly.

Developing
2 Points

Exhibits a basic understanding of environmental stewardship with limited articulation of the roles of living things.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to demonstrate an understanding of environmental stewardship and the roles of living things.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on the role-play activity where you acted as a plant or animal. What did you learn about how these living things change their environment?

Text
Required
Question 2

On a scale from 1 to 5, how well do you think you can observe and describe local weather patterns now compared to before the project?

Scale
Required
Question 3

Why is it important to understand the roles of different living things in our environment?

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Required
Question 4

Which activity was your favorite: Weather Pattern Explorers, Environmental Change Role Play, or Stewardship Storytelling? Why?

Multiple choice
Optional
Options
Weather Pattern Explorers
Environmental Change Role Play
Stewardship Storytelling
Question 5

What is one new thing you learned about being an environmental steward?

Text
Required