The Problem
The campaign that my group has chosen to address is climate change and environmental conservation. We recognize that the distance our food travels to reach us is an issue that is linked to climate change and environmental conservation.
Our Plan
To address this issue, we will offer a lesson to our 4th grade classes that discusses these issues, where students will create a map system that stretches from their school to their nearest and furthest sources of food. We will discuss the basics of climate change with our students, reduce-reuse-recycle concepts, and lead into the benefits of creating a local food system and eating seasonally. Students will learn about how far their food travels to reach them and what this distance means in relation to climate change and environmental conservation.
Themes Addressed
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Biodiversity Loss
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Climate Change
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Food Choices
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Lesson Plans
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The Benefit
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People
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Animals
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Environment
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Here is how the project went:
Our project was successful. We had to switch gears since the pandemic caused schools to go online. We taught students on Zoom about climate change and how that is effected by our food systems. Students enjoyed learning about where their food came from.
Through this project I/we learned:
Teaching students online is much different from being in the classroom with them. Although some students were engaged in the lesson, others had distractions from their home lives. There were benefits to teaching online, such as being able to easily share videos and maps with the students. Although we did not get the taste and try different foods with one another, we will be growing more food at our school garden this year and donating it to our school community. Students and families will get to experience first hand how great it is to get food that is grown locally in their communities.
What I/we might change:
If I did this again, I would add in a larger project like assignment for my students so that they had ownership over their own learning. Maybe assigning each student a produce type and researching how it is grown, where it is mostly grown and what the agricultural impacts are on climate change and the environment. I think students learn well by being explorers and researching independently, so I think I'd give them additional independent work on the subject.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
The surprise that students shared when they realized how far their food traveled to get to their grocery stores.
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
Engaging students is best when they are the leaders of their learning. Focusing on what students are genuinly interested in makes them way more invovled and engaged in what they are learning about.