Design Topic ____________________________ Subject(s) ______________________ Grade(s) _______ Designer(s) ___________________________

STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS

Unit Title: Protecting the Environment

Established Goals: (Copy & Paste Standards here)

3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and
charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.
1. Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys, hills,
coastal areas, oceans, lakes).
2. Trace the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the
physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or coastline).

3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S.
government.
2. Discuss the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens, including how to participate in
a classroom, in the community, and in civic life.

Understandings: Students will understand that… Essential Questions (2-5 max):

 Students will understand the ways in which  How has my community changed over
the natural resources of a region influence time?
the culture, economy and lifestyles of its  What can I do to help my community?
inhabitants.  How can we save our environment?
 Students will understand the ways that our
environment has changed over the years.
 Students will understand how we can make
a change to help our environment.

Knowledge:
Students will know:
 Students will know that settlers came to
California in 1769 and the terrain was
rough, with large costal and mountain
range making travel hard.
 Students will know how to compare the
terrain during the first settlers versus the
terrain today which still consists of costal
and mountain ranges, but now also has
railroads and paved land for travel.
 Students will know that an ecosystem is the
community of interacting organisms in an
environment.
 Students will know that recourses that are
depleting include; water, trees, oil, and gas.
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Skills:
Students will be able to:
 Students will know how to identify
geographical features; such as mountains,
deserts, valleys, and coastal ranges.
 Students will be able to describe what it
means to recycle and compost.
 Students will be able to compare and
contrast the affects between recycling and
not recycling.
 Identify the harm that the depletion of
resources has caused to our environment.
 Research ways in which we can make
changes to help our environment.
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Design Topic ____________________________ Subject(s) ______________________ Grade(s) _______ Designer(s) ___________________________

 Students will know that an endangered

species is an animal that is at risk of
extinction.
 Students will know that polar bears, bears,
snow leopard, pandas, and gorillas are all
endangered species.
 Students will know how our ecosystem has
changed over time. Specifically, melting
ice caps, and sea level decline, etc.
 Students will know how we can make
small changes, like recycling, in our home
to help the environment.
 Students will know their role as a citizen is
to be a part of the community.

STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Performance Tasks (Think about G. R. A. S. P. S.):
Goal & Role: You are a researcher in charge of
investigating the changes in the environment. You
will work on understanding the impact that the
depletion of resources have had on the
environment. Then you will work through ways
that you can help the environment.
Audience: Your audience will be researchers,
investigating what changes are occurring to the
environment.
Situation: You will focus on one depleting
resource, or habitat that has been impacted by
humans. An example of such can be the depleting
water, or the impact that climate change has
endangered polar bears.
With a subject in mind, students will create a
presentation using a campaign to make a change.
Product: You will create a visual and oral
presentation of an impacted resource as well as
create a campaign to promote ways we can make a
change.
The visual display can be a board, movie, or slide
show representing their subject. The oral
presentation will consist of the students talking to
“researchers” about what we can do to make a
change. This portion of the product should be
persuasive in nature.
Other Evidence (e.g., texts, quizzes, prompts, work samples,
observations, self-assessments, reflections):
Recycled Robots: Have the students create a short
written campaign explaining the materials that were
used in the creation of the robot as well as explain the
importance of recycling.
Observation: Observation through group work, think
pair share, homework
Class Discussion: Discussions done in the class to
both introduce a new subject, or to assess prior
knowledge. This will include listening to students use
of vocabulary, misconceptions, or questions.
This includes new vocabulary, digging deeper into a
subject, and understanding the different resources, and
habitats.
Work examples: This will include work done in the
classroom individual and in groups.
Including KWL charts, Vocabulary quizzes,
Knowledge quiz, written camping, and performance
task.

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Design Topic ____________________________ Subject(s) ______________________ Grade(s) _______ Designer(s) ___________________________

Criteria for Success:

Now, as a class we have discussed the current state of our environment, and ways in which we could help the environment. This includes animals and resources
that are in danger.
To illustrate what you have learned, you will create a campaign directed at researchers to explain the importance of preserving these resources, or habitat for a
particular animal, and what you think we should do to.
Your campaign needs to include a visual aspect, which could be but is not limited to, a movie, slide show, poster board. Which will include visuals to go along
with your campaign.
You will also need to prepare a verbal portion in which you will persuade the researchers to invest money into the preservation of your topic.

4 3 2 1

Images are included; Images are included; Few images are included; No images are included
Images are relevant; The Images are relevant; Some Some images are not
Visual Portion presentation of the images images are not easy to relevant; images are not
are easy to understand understand easy to understand

Speech is relevant; Speech is relevant; Speech is somewhat Speech is not relevant;

information given is Information is mostly relevant; Information is not information is not accurate;
accurate; speech is clear relevant; speech is mostly completely accurate; Speech is not clear or
Speech and concise clear and concise Speech could be more clear concise
and concise

Content is accurate and
relevant;
Subject chosen, is relevant
Information to the topic;
Clear connections are
made between the subject
and the ways that we can
change.
Content is accurate and
relevant; Subject chosen, is
relevant to the topic;
Connections between the
subject and the ways we
can make a change is could
be more clear.
Content is either not
accurate or not relevant;
Subject chosen may not be
relevant to the topic;
Connections between the
subject and the ways we
can make a change is not
clear
Content is not accurate or
relevant; Subject chosen is
not relevant; Connections
between the subject and the
ways we can make a
change is not clear.

The speech is clearly The speech is persuasive, The speech is persuasive The speech is not
persuasive with a goal in the goal is not very clear. but there is no goal. persuasive and there is no
Persuasive mind that can easily be pin clear goal.
pointed.

STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN

Summary of Learning Activities (Think about WHERETO):
 Globes Free Maps- California Terrain
 Double Bubble Map- California 1769 vs. Now
 Read- What a Waste! By Claire Eamer
 Vocabulary pre-assessment from What a Waste! By Claire Eamer
 Think Pair Share- what they already know about the environment.

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Design Topic ____________________________ Subject(s) ______________________ Grade(s) _______ Designer(s) ___________________________

 Exit Ticket- What can be recycled.

 Think Pair Share- What resources are depleting.
 Self Reflective Journal- How does it make you feel hearing/ seeing these depleting resources.
 KWL Chart- Know/want to learn about recycling.
 Gallery walk- Recycling
 Think Pair Share- What do you know about recycling
 Review Vocabulary
 Watch YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UuUeoyYmxI
 Exit ticket- what did you learn from the video that was new?
 Read- Why Should I Recycle? By Mike Gordon
 Class Discussion on how this book is similar to class discussions
 Introduce new vocabulary words
 Vocab- Informal Assessment
 Go over the recycled materials brought into class
 Begin working on art project, see lesson plan
 Begin working on art project, see lesson plan
 Students will write a campaign in conjunction with the art project, see lesson plan
 Social Studies Lesson- See Lesson plan
 KWL Chart- Know/want to learn about endangered species
 Gallery walk- Endangered species
 Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
 introduce new vocabulary words
 Vocab-informal assessment of new vocabulary words
 Exit ticked- How do you think that recycling can connect to helping the endangered species?
 Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
 students will pick a topic to present
 Begin research on topic of choice
 Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
 Work on verbal presentation
 Begin work on visual aid, such as a poster
 Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
 Students will present their work
 Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson

Stage 3--Learning Matrix

Monday Wednesday Friday

1.Globes Free Maps-
Week 1 California Terrain
2. Double Bubble Map-
California 1769 vs. Now
1.Think Pair Share- What
Week 2 resources are depleting.
2. Self Reflective Journal-
How does it make you feel
hearing/ seeing these
depleting resources.
1. Read- What a Waste! By
Claire Eamer
2. Vocabulary pre-
assessment from What a
Waste! By Claire Eamer
1.KWL Chart- Know/want to
learn about recycling.
2.Gallery walk- Recycling
1. Think Pair Share- what
they already know about the
environment.
2. Exit Ticket- What can be
recycled.
1.Think Pair Share- What do
you know about recycling
2.Review Vocabulary

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Design Topic ____________________________ Subject(s) ______________________ Grade(s) _______ Designer(s) ___________________________

1.Watch YouTube video Art Lesson- Day 1 Art Lesson- Day 2

Week 3 https://www.youtube.com/wat 1.Read- Why Should I 1.Introduce new vocabulary
ch?v=7UuUeoyYmxI Recycle? By Mike Gordon words
2. Exit ticket- what did you 2.Class Discussion on how 2.Vocab- Informal
learn from the video that was this book is similar to class Assessment
new? discussions 3.Go over recycled materials
brought into class
Art Lesson- Day 3 Art Lesson- Day 4 Art Lesson- Day 5
Week 4 -Begin working on art project, -Begin working on art project, -Students will write a
see lesson plan see lesson plan campaign in conjunction with
the art project, see lesson
plan
Social Studies Lesson- 1.KWL Chart- Know/want to 1. introduce new vocabulary
Week 5 See Lesson plan learn about endangered words
species 2. Vocab-informal
2. Gallery walk- Endangered assessment of new
species vocabulary words
3.Note progress of compost- 3. Exit ticked- How do you
see social studies lesson think that recycling can
connect to helping the
endangered species?
4. Note progress of compost-
see social studies lesson
Work on Performance Task Work on Performance Task Work on Performance Task
Week 6 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
-students will pick a topic to -Work on verbal presentation -Students will present their
present -Begin work on visual aid, work
-Begin research on topic of such as a poster Note progress of compost-
choice Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
Note progress of compost- see social studies lesson
see social studies lesson

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)