“Together for the Oceans” is a transversal and multidisciplinary project which aims at the knowledge of seawater environment, encouraging its preservation.
WHO
Age of students
We tried it out in two second classes of Primary School I.C. Rende -Commenda “G. Stancati”.
Aims of the project
This project wants to help the students to understand the importance of sustainability.
WHEN
When the activities took place
The activities started in February and ended in April.
WHAT
How the project is structured
TOGETHER FOR THE OCEANS is made up of three Learning Units:
- reading of history and artistic representations
- written and oral re-elaboration of knowledge in a narrative and fantastic key;
- pollution and its impact on animals and sustainable fishing.
Firstly we read the story “La bambina e l’Oceano”, then each student represented the scene that most impressed him. The main topic in this first part was biodiversity. Then, we proposed the creation of fishes, boats, sea plants through different techniques. Children made collages, origami, drawings and created artifacts.
After that, we read stories about fishes that explain well themes such as generosity and self-confidence.
We studied the cycle of water and we did experiments to understand the evaporation, condensation and precipitation process.
At the end, we spoke about pollution and its effect on the animals. Students understood the importance of sustainable fishing and set up their own rules to fish in the sea.
All the insights are presented with an inclusive, laboratory, argumentative methodology.
ASSESSMENTS
Children produced narrative videos, developed storytelling; reproduced contexts using personal imagination and rewrote stories with creative writing. In addition to it, they carried out experiments, drew using various techniques, made collages with recycled. The products realized were different, such as drawings, written summaries, origami, graphic representations, posters, artifacts, experiments, manual jobs, storytelling.
It’s all visible in the attached adobe spark: https://spark.adobe.com/page/rXJGUS9WJ1WNn/
MOTIVATION
The students were engaged through an inclusive and stimulating methodology. The modality that the students liked most was that of the laboratory, the scientific experiments and the creation of objects with natural and recycling materials.The use of technology made an innovative setting.The scientific method of making hypotheses, deriving predictions and carrying out empirical observations has been implemented.
MATERIALS
.Materials used were: books, paper and cardboard, rubber, cork, wood, shells, natural and recyclable elements.
THE PEDAGOGICAL VALUE
First of all the children were highly interested and constantly involved in the stimulating activities. Secondly the vision of the story told, full of coloured and beautiful images of the Coral Triangle excited them. Thirdly, the research about many animals and sea environments interested them. At the end of each learning units (UdA) the students became really autonomous and competent. Finally, they were able to create expressive and artistic elaborations, capable of critical thinking on what concerns sustainability, eager to know biodiversity.
DAILY LIFE TOPICS
The project is about natural environments; marine pollution and its effects on the animals; sustainable fishing; creative collage and diversified artistic explorations; the cycle of water. Moreover, we red texts about animals and the pleasure of discovering new environments. The stories explain well themes such as generosity and self-confidence. They also deepen the relationship between nature and knowledge.
LINKS WITH STEM CAREERS
The topic chosen covers subjects such as: Italian, Science, Geography,Technology, Civics and Art. Therefore, we guaranteed multidisciplinarity through creative works, scientific documentaries and debates. Moreover, the students used different techniques, materials, strategies and methodologies.Finally, the scientific method was use, that is brainstorming, hypothesis, argumentation, comparison, synthesis, guided exposure.
21st CENTURY SKILLS
The approaches used are those of Life Long Learning: they aim at the development of autonomous thinking. The development of transversal skills, such as problem solving or creativity is the basis of this work.
At the end of the Learning Units students demonstrated to master issues of environmental sustainability.
In conclusion, they became able:
- to identify environments, places, landscapes, sea animals in order to analyze their qualities and properties and describe them;
- to make objects, like boats and fishes, with different artistic techniques (collages, origami, creative recycling).
- to design fantastic solutions for a better life on the planet Earth.
WHY OTHERS SHOULD REPLY
There are many reasons to reply this project. First of al, it was fun to deal with topics of great importance, such as biodiversity, sustainability and pollution through playful activities. Indeed,students love experiments, creative works and animals, all of which have contributed to the success of our work
All visuals belong to the Author – Attribution CC-BY