Class Activities

A Day in a Life

Grade Levels: All

Introduction:

In this activity, students will learn about what honey makers, basket makers, and cocoa farmers do in a day! These short videos give students a new found appreciation for our mother earth who continues to provide us with what we need. It also teaches them about who takes care of these resources and how they do it.

Activity:

  1. Visit this site for 3 animated day in a life videos on honey makers, basket makers, and cocoa farmers. Choose which videos you'd like your class to see.

  • Each video is approximately 3 minutes long

  1. After watching a video, these are the key takeaways students should have:

  • The importance and advantage of properly taking care of our resources

  • The role of humans which is to care but not to disrupt or damage resources

  • All the possibilities we can do with our natural resources

  • How all living things interact and help each other

  1. Discuss they key takeaways with each other and how else can we support and protect these resources



Food recipes to save almost spoiled food!

Grade Levels: All with adult supervision

Introduction:

Every day, so much food gets thrown away for many reasons such as being rotten or left overs. In a year, 1,300,000,000,000 kilograms of food is wasted (The World Counts.) and that affects the earth through carbon emissions but also waste resources that others have worked to provide and foods that could go to those who are hungry. So, what better way to enjoy food, spend some bonding time, and save almost spoiled food than making treats, drinks, foods and more with them!

Activity:

  1. Use this link to find 25 foods you can save and how. There is a wide variety like fruits, fish, dairy, meats and vegetables and some foods here will bring you to a wider list of recipes!

  2. Find an adult to do this with for safety and extra bonding time!

  3. Enjoy your super delicious treat!

Key takeaways:

  • Brings awareness on what food waste does and how much of it there is

  • Teaches students that "one man's waste is another man's treasure." Meaning that so much can be done to not waste resources and if others see it as trash, another person can make do out of it

  • Teaches students that there are always new solutions and possibilities to any challenge we face


Outlines

Reading Newsela Articles (45 minutes)

Related SDGs: All

Grade levels: 2-4

What is Newsela you may ask? Newsela is an online platforms where students can read articles that have been modified to their lexile levels. Articles also include a short quiz at the end to check for understanding.

Current events regarding sustainability are often inaccessible to younger learners, so this application allows students to be informed about the same topics which their older counterparts are. The reading levels are based on lexile scores, which teachers can access from the students' MAP test results. Here are some general approximations:

  • Grade 2: 300-500

  • Grade 3: 501-620

  • Grade 4: 621-780

Lesson plan templates:


First 5 minutes: Short introduction about sustainability and current events

10 minutes: Teaching students how to use Newsela via screenshare

15 minutes: Students read their articles, take notes, and answer the quiz

Seven minutes: Students share their take-aways in breakout rooms

Last eight minutes: Students and teacher discuss the main idea of the article

More lesson ideas

Examples from our very own ISM teachers: (insert img carousel or link to blog posts)

Eco-Bricking

Related SDGs: Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Life Below Water

Grade levels: all (younger grades should be careful with scissors)

Ecobricks are repurposed plastic bottles stuffed with plastic scraps that would otherwise go to waste. They are used as "bricks" to build houses and structures for the poor in the Philippines. This assembly would make a great follow up to a lesson about ocean pollution and waste management, as it is a potential solution here in the Philippines.

Lesson Plan Template

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbPt1Jn3YLw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVU_GGi9im0&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQU9ZKlV5CI


First 10 minutes: teacher explains what eco bricks are and how they are important

10 minutes: demonstration

Remaining time: students gather materials and make ecobricks

Bring them to ISM's collection center to donate, or to your nearest collection center, which may be found here.

**Reminder that the collection process is very strict, and the bricks must be very densely packed in order to be used for building construction.

Examples from our very own ISM teachers: (insert img carousel or link to blog posts)