Course-505

LearningEnvironmentalStudiesatElementaryLevel

Assignment-I

Q.1.IslearningofEnvironmentalstudiesimportantatprimarylevel?Givereasonsinyoursupportthroughsuitableexamples.Answer:Yes,learningofEnvironmentalstudiesisverymuchimportantatprimarylevel.Oneofthemajorconcernsofthismillennium istakinggoodcareoftheenvironmentwhichnurturesallofus.Wehave now been living in a situation where environmentaldegradation is occurring atanunprecedentedpace.Hencetheimmediateneedofthedayisbringingaboutanawarenessoftheenvironmentanditsproblemsatalllevels.

Sincereeffortsareneededtore-establishourlinkswiththeenvironment.Wemustprotecttheenvironmentfrom ‘ourselves’.Itisourownlifestyle,greed,selfishnessandlackofawarenessthatisthestartingpointofalltheproblemsrelatedtotheenvironment.ThegreatscientistAlbertEinsteinhassaid“youcannotsolveaproblem withthesamemind-setwhichcreateditatthefirstplace”.Itisonlywhenwetrulybegintoseeourselvesasanindivisiblepartoftheenvironment,and then there would be a fundamentalshiftin ourmind settowards itsconservation.

TeachersplayasignificantroleinthesocietybecauseoftheirinfluenceonthechildrenItisanimportantstudyareaattheschoollevelanditseffectiveimplementationrequiresachangeinthemindsetofteachersfrom merecontenttransmitterstothatoffacilitatorsandco-learners.Itcallsforashiftinclassroom practicesfrom mere‘transmissionofthecontent’to‘transactionofthecontentleadingtotransformationofbehaviors’inchildren.Teachers,thus,becomethekeytothesuccessfultransactionofenvironmentaleducationinschools.

Theyplaya centralrole in building necessaryabilitiesand competenciesin children forexploring,understanding,appreciating and participating in environmentalprotection andconservation.Inordertoachievethis,theteacherneedstobeempoweredtocreateawareness,attitudeandconcerninchildrenandfacilitatethem inunderstandingandsolvingenvironmentalproblems.

Inthisprocess,environmentbecomesamedium forengagingyoungmindsintheexcitementoffirst-handobservationofnatureandunderstandingthepatternsandprocessesinthenaturalandsocialworlds.Inthiscontext,ithasnecessitatedarelookintothecurriculum ofteachereducation,soasto“preparetheyoungmindstoappreciatetheimportanceofenvironmentinaholisticmanner,notonlyforhumansurvivalbutalsoforalllifeformsonEarth”.OneofthemainfocusesofEnvironmentalstudiesistoexposechildrentotheactualworldtheylivein.

Thelearningsituations/experiencesofEnvironmentalstudieshelpchildrento exploreandconnectwiththeirnaturalandhumanmadesurroundings.Environmentalstudieshelpschildrendeveloptheirowninsightsintothefunctioningofseveralthingsorunderstandinghuman

processesin theirenvironment.Such interactionswith theirsurrounding environmentareimmenselyimportantinthehealthydevelopmentofchildren.Suchinteractionsalsoenhancechildren’slearningcapabilitiesbyprovidingconcretelearningexperiences.

ThescopeofEnvironmentalstudiesattheschoollevelmaybesummarizedasenablingchildrento:•Connectwiththeirnaturalandhumanmadeenvironmentunderstandingourdependenceonthevariouscomponentsofenvironment(bioticandhumanmade)

•Developaholisticunderstandingoftheirenvironment•Develop a multidisciplinary perspective to understanding ofourenvironmentalissues/problemsandappreciatetheimpact/sofourdailyactivitiesonitsintegrity.

Schoolsplayacriticalroleinsupportingandhelpingchildrenexploretheirenvironmentandconstructtheirownmeaningfrom theirinteractions/experiences.Bystructuringandorganizinglearningexperiencesforchildrentoexplore,understandandexpresstheirexperiences,thetransaction ofEnvironmentalstudiesin theprimarystagecontributesto developmentofconceptualunderstanding,attitudesandvalues,skillsandhabits/practicesrelatingtorangeofsubjects/focusareasattheprimarylevel.SuchlearningexperiencesalsointroducechildrentosomeofthehiddenbenefitssuchasDevelopmentofappreciationandrespectfornatureandnaturalresources,diversitythatexits in the environment,abilityto express feelings andthoughts,etc.

Q.2.How willyou design reallife based learning in your

classroom forteachinglearningofEVS?

Answer:

Objectives&Outcomes

Studentswillnamewaystoimprovetheirimmediateenvironmentbyreducing,reusingandrecyclingintheirlives.

MaterialsNeeded

Apencil

The“Reduce,Reuse,Recycle”worksheet Acrayonormarkerforeachstudent AcomputerwithaccesstoYouTube 6largesheetsofchartpaperwith2labeled“1Reduce,”2

labeled“2Reuse,”and2labeled“3Recycle.”

Procedure

OpeningtoLesson

Postthepre-madechartpapersaroundtheroom. DirectstudentstotheReduce,Reuse,Recyclechartsplaced

aroundtheclassroom andaskthem iftheyknow whateachwordmeans.

Leadstudentsinadiscussionofwhattheydointheirhouse,orwhatyoudointheclassroom toReduce,ReuseandRecycle.

BodyofLesson

Modeling

o Show thevideofrom HappyDancingTurtlecalled“Reduce,Reuse,Recycle.

o Theyspeakratherquicklysoyoumaychoosetowatchitmorethanonce.

Ifthevideo isnotavailable,leadadiscussionaboutwhatstudentsalreadyknowaboutReduce,ReuseandRecycle.

GuidedPractice

Passouttheworksheet. Tellstudentstofillinanyexamplesfrom thevideoofwhat

peoplecandotoreduce,reuseandrecycle.

Show thevideoagain(orreview thediscussion)sothatthestudentscancompletetheircharts.

Discussasaclass.

IndependentPractice

Explaintheactivitytothestudentsbeforeyouseparatethemintogroups.

Splitstudentsinto6groupsandtelleachstudenttogetamarkerorcrayon.

Assigneachgrouptoachartpaperandhavethem discussandthenwriteasmanyideasastheyhavethatareNOTfrom thevideoonwaystoreduce,reuseorrecycle(dependingonwhichchartpapertheyareassignedto).

Afterabout5minutessignalforstudentstomovetothenextchartpaper.Havethem readanddiscussalloftheideasthatthepreviousgroupwrotedownandthenaddanynew ideasthattheymayhave.

Afterabout5moreminutessignalforstudentstomovetothenextchartpaper.Havethem readanddiscussalloftheideasthatthepreviousgroupwrotedownandthenaddanynewideasthattheymayhave.

Instructstudentstogogettheirworksheetandpencilfrom

theirdesksandthengowiththeirgroupstothe4th chartpaper,whichwillbearepeatofoneofthe3Rs.

Havethem discussanyideasfrom thischartpaperandnoticeiftherearenew ideasthattheydidn’tseeinthefirstchartpaper.

Instructstudentstocompletethissectionoftheirworksheetwithideasfrom thegallerywalk.

Repeatwithchartpapers5and6,allowingstudentstimetocompletetheirworksheets.

Closing

Havestudentsgobacktotheirdeskanddiscusstheactivity.AskwhatnewideastheylearnedforhowtoReduce,ReuseorRecycleandaskhowtheywillapplytheseideasintheimmediatefuture.

Assessment&Evaluation

Studentswillbeaskedtocompleteaworksheetandcontributeinaclassdiscussion.

Course-505

Assignment-II

Q.1.SelectanyTopicofyourchoicefrom textbookofEVSofanylevelandsuggestanactivity

toteachthistopic.

Answer:

Topic:RenewableorNon-Renewable

Materials:

❑“EverydayItems”worksheet(oneperpairofstudents)❑“RenewableResources”worksheet(oneperpairofstudents)❑“NonrenewableResources”worksheet(oneperpairofstudents)❑“RenewableorNonrenewable?”worksheet(oneperstudent)❑Glue(onebottleperpairofstudents)❑Scissors(oneperpairofstudents)❑Newspaper(onesheetperstudent)❑Aplasticcontainer,aluminum can,steelcan,glassbottle,apple,paperandleatherbelt❑“NaturalResources”overhead❑“WaterCycle”overhead❑Rubricoverhead❑Rubrics(oneperstudent)

Preparation:

Bepreparedtoputstudentsinpairsforpartoftheactivity

Discussion

1.Holduptheplasticcontainer,aluminum can,steelcan,glassbottle,apple,paper,andleather

belt.

2.Putupthe“NaturalResources”overhead,andcoverupthebottom half(thepicturesofthe

items).Tellthestudentsthatalloftheseitemsaremadefrom naturalresourcesandthatthese

resourcesareeithernonrenewableorrenewable.Explainthatnonrenewableresourcesexiston

Earthinlimitedamounts,e.g.,fossilfuels(coal,oil,andnaturalgas)andmanyminerals(e.g.,

iron,gold,andbauxite,thesourceofaluminum.

3.Holduptheitems,oneatatime,andaskstudentvolunteerstoclassifythem asmadefrom a

nonrenewableorrenewableresource.Uncovertherestoftheoverhead,andreviewtheitems

thatwerenotdiscussed(i.e.,gasoline,bikehelmet,etc.).Brieflyexplainhownaturalresources

aretakenfrom theEarthandmadeintoproducts.

4.Letstudentsknowthatresourcescanalsobeclassifiedasperpetualresources.Theseare

formsofnaturallyrecurringenergythatarebeyondhumanmanagement,e.g.,sun,wind,falling

water,tides.Putupthe“WaterCycle”overhead,andexplainhowthewatercycleisanexample

ofaperpetualresource.

5.Introducetheconceptofconservation.Askstudentswhethertherearewaysthattheycan

usefewerresources.Shareonewaythatstudentscanconservenaturalresources.Forexample,

byridingabiketoschoolinsteadofdrivinginacar,studentscanconservefuel,whichcomes

from anonrenewableresource.

Procedure

1.Dividetheclassintopairs.Giveeachpairofstudentsthefollowingworksheets:“Everyday

Items,”“RenewableResources,”“NonrenewableResources.”Alsogivethem apairofscissors,

andglue.

2.Instructeachpairtocutouttheitemsandclassifythem bygluingthem intooneofthetwo

possiblecategories:renewableornonrenewableresources.

3.Reviewwiththewholeclasswhichitemstheyclassifiedasrenewableornonrenewable

resources.

Wrap-Up

1.Askstudentswhattheythinkwillhappentononrenewableresourcesifwecontinueusing

them.(Theywillbedepleted.)

2.Askstudentswhethertheythinkrenewableresourcesarealwaysavailableforever.Passout

onesheetofnewspapertoeachstudent,andhavethem rollituptorepresentatree.Putallof

the“trees”togetheratthefrontoftheclasstorepresentaforest.Askthestudentswhatwould

happeniftheyneededtocutdowntentreesayeartoprovideenoughpaperfortheirschoolbut

onlyfivetreeswerereplantedeachyear(thenaturalresourcewillbedepleted).

3.Askthestudentstoturntoapartnertobrainstorm somewaysthattheycanconserve

nonrenewableandrenewableresources.(Useless.Userenewableresourcesinstead,e.g.,a

paperbaginplaceofaplasticbag.Reusebagsandrecyclethem.)

4.Passoutthe“RenewableorNonrenewable”worksheet,assignstudentstonameoneitem

from eachofthefourcategories(fossilfuels,minerals,plantsandanimals)andexplainhow

theycanconservethenaturalresources.

FinalAssessment

Havestudentsidentifytenitemsintheclassroom,writingthenaturalresourceusedtoproduce

theitem andwhethertheresourceisrenewableornonrenewable.

Q.2.DiscusstheroleoflearningresourcesinlearningofEVS.Selectany

oneresourceanddiscussitsutilityinteachinglearningofconceptsof

EVS.

Answer:

Roleoflearningresources:

1)Real-lifebasedexperience,inphysical,biological,socialandculturalaspectsoflifeare

appropriateforEVS.Useoflocalresourcesandmaterialfacilitatereal-lifebased

learning.

2)EVSaimstoenhancecognitiveability,capacityandresourcefulnessinchild,andto

makehercuriousaboutsocialphenomena–startingwiththefamilyandmovingonto

thewiderspace.Usinglearningresourcescreativelyonecanachievethis.

3)Byusinglocalresources,teacherscanhelpstudentstoconstructtheirownknowledge,

developskillsandvaluesprovidingthem directlearningexperiences.

4)Withthehelpoflocalresourcesyoucanbuildstrongrelationshipwithsocietyand

neighboringcommunities.

5)Studentscanconnecttotheworldaroundthem throughtheirstudiesandvice-versa,

whichisanimportantpartoflearning.

6)Studentswillbecomeawareoftheirimmediateenvironment.

7)Studentswillbesensitizedtowardstheconservationoftheirimmediateenvironment.

InstitutionalResources

Institutes,especiallypublicservicesectorones;canbeveryeffectivelocallearningresources.

Eachinstitutehasitsownuniquemandateandvisionwhicheventuallycontributestothe

development/economicgoalofthesociety.Ateachercanplanandcoordinatevisitstorelevant

institutes.Thisalsoensuresreal-lifelinkbuiltintotheteaching-learningprocess.Somesuch

possibilitiesexistintheform of:

PublicFacilities:

Publichospitals,busstations,postoffices,policestationsPubliclibraries,banks,veterinary

hospitals,gram panchayatoffices,officeoftheMunicipality

MuseumsandHistoricalSites:

Museumsofnaturalhistory,palaces,parksandgardens,laboratories,coldstorage

Otherestablishments:

Plantnurseries,windfarms,universities,dams,zoos,firestations

CommercialandIndustrialsetups:

Powerhouseunits,factorieswhicharenotharmfulforchildren,shoppingmalls,localmarkets,

etc.

Localfairsalsoprovidegoodopportunitiesforlearning:

ByvisitingFairsstudentscanlearnhowmarketworksandcanrealizethelocalrituals,dressing

style,modeoflivingofdifferentkindofpeople.

Course-505

Assignment-III

Q.1.Whythereisaneedofcontinuousandcomprehensiveevaluationin

EVS teaching learning? As a primary teacher,how continuous and

comprehensiveevaluationhelpsyouinteachinglearningprocessofEVS?

Answer:

Learning is a continuous process,so should be the ‘assessmentof

learning’.Assessmenthelpstheteacherdiagnosegapsanddifficultiesin

learning.Iftheseareaddressedassoonastheyarenoticed,theflow of

learningcancontinuemakingtheLearningprocessefficientandeffective.

Classroom assessmentshouldbegearedforaccomplishingthisjobfor

everypupil.Thusgoodassessmentprocessshouldbecontinuous.

AssessmentoflearninginEnvironmentalstudiesthereforedemandsthat

theassessmentprocessiscomprehensive.Assessmentshouldbecarried

outbyself,peers,teacher,parentsoroccasionallybyotherschoolstaff.

Thishelpstocreateaholisticpictureofthechild’sdevelopment.

Thelearnersneedtousehead,handandhearttoattaintheEnvironmental

studiesobjectives.Thus,theteachershouldprovideopportunitiestothe

learnerstouseallthefivesenses,logicalthinking,andcreativethinkingas

well as to develop and express their feelings. Consequently the

assessmentshouldbebasedonlearningtakingplacethroughallthefive

senses,logicalthinking,imaginationandthefeelings.

Theteachermayuseoral,writtenand performancemodesto assess

child’slearning.Shewillneedtosometimesassesseachchildindividually,

butatothertimesassessgroupsorassessthewholeclasstogether.The

teachershouldnotoveremphasizeanyoneform ofassessment,beit

writtenororaloractivitybased.Suchdiverseandbalancedassessment

makesassessmentcomprehensive.

Wecansaythatanassessmentwillbegoodandeffectiveonlywhenthe

assessmenthasbeenvalid,reliable,fairandflexible.Thesearethefour

importantfeaturesofgoodassessment.

1)Valid assessment is the one which is relevant to the EVS objectives a

nd also to the learning experiences provided.Itaddresses the

essentialskillsandknowledgeanddimensionsofcompetency,as

wellasmoreimportantlyvalues.

2)Reliable assessment produces consistent outcomes when applied by

 differentteachersinarangeofcontexts.Objectiveassessmentlike

‘match the pairs’is likely to be more reliable than subjective

assessmentsuchasessaywriting.

3)Fairassessmentdoesnotdisadvantageanystudentandtakesinto

accountthe personalityand preferences ofeverystudentbeing

assessed.

4)Flexibleassessmenttoolsandprocessesmakeanassessmentsuit/

relevantinarangeofteachinglearningcontexts.

Formative assessmenthelps the teacherdiagnose impediments to

learningandhelptheteachertakeacorrectiveactionthenandthere.

Summativeassessmenthelpedtheteachertodiagnosemajorgapsin

thestudents’knowledgeandunderstanding.

Variouskindsofselfassessmentaswellaspeerassessmentcanadd

muchvaluetotheoverallassessmentprocess.Appreciationbyselfand

classmatesmakesthechildfeelbetteraboutself.Itcanhelpthechild

buildselfesteem.Duringcooperativelearning,groupmembersareoften

askedtoratethepositivesocialbehaviorofothermemberslikehelping

andencouraging.Awordofcaution,theteacherneedstotakecareso

thatselfandpeerassessmentneitherbecomeatoolofexcessivepraise

norunduecriticism foranychild.

ThusCCEmeans:studentswillbeevaluatedonaround–the-yearbasis

insteadofbeingtestedinthroughayear-endonlyexam.Givingevery

childanopportunitytoexperiencesuccessandenjoylearning.Lookfor

varietyofabilitiesthatachildisgoodatandalsohelpthechildby

supportingher/him tofillthegapsinlearningthroughmanyandvaried

informalassessments.