Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Zachary T. Regan
Abstract
This inquiry-based project explores the causes and effects that greenhouse gases has on
the atmosphere and how those effects impact humans and ecosystems. Students will explore
what the reasons are behind the cause of greenhouse gases and how a community could slow its
effects. After this 10-day lesson, students will have had the ability to research about this topic
and present to students and a greater audience to describe the research they have found and a
proposal to answer the question, “how can we create a cleaner atmosphere today to save our
future?”.
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 3
I have been teaching for 5 years at New School for the Arts in Tempe. I got my
bachelor’s degree from ASU in secondary education. I believe every student, with the support
they need, is capable of achieving greatness inside and outside the classroom. Being a leader in
the classroom will impact the students I teach outside the classroom and it is a responsibility of
mine to ensure the students leave with life skills as well as content knowledge.
I believe that students gain more when they work together and are able to safely
collaborate with their peers to achieve a goal. Projects are perfect for allowing students to be
creative and bounce ideas off one another to obtain knowledge. Projects show not only that a
student is capable of completing a big assignment but how their thought process developed
Integrating technology into a classroom is essential for students especially if they want to
classroom, so the students can start to gain knowledge about how to use devices and programs
At New School for the Arts school there are a lot of students that suffer from poor
performance even when they show signs of brilliance. Since it is a charter school that focuses on
artistic talents, students focus on the arts portion of the school more than the content courses.
Also, a lot of these students come from poor socioeconomic backgrounds and have problems to
deal with outside of the classroom. As a school, their graduation rate is fairly low due to the fact
that a lot of these kids are artist and will make jobs out of their talents without the need for
higher education.
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 4
New School for the Arts has a fairly big front building where most of the art classes are
including music, drama, dance and art. It also contains an auditorium with a stage and stands and
the principal’s office. There is actually no school nurse but a place where they can go to rest or
wait to be picked up. When you step out back there is a warehouse that stores most of the paint
and other art supplies. There is no cafeteria so there is a food truck that comes for lunch every
day. There are multiple smaller (portable-like) buildings that contain the content classes such as
math, science, English, and history. I am in one of these buildings and they are bigger than they
seem on the outside. The school population is about 75% female with White and Hispanic
making up the majority of the ethnicity in the school. 30% of the teacher base is male as well. In
my class, there is about 80% female students. There are 2 classes each for 6th, 7th, and 8th
grades. Outside the small building, there is a small court yard where they sell snacks and drinks
to the students. The students are required to bring a lunch or money since there is no cafeteria.
This project will take place around Tempe and Mesa which is where the students live. It will be
Summary of Project
This project has to deal with our atmosphere make up and the future impacts human
development may have on the Earth due to global warming. As global warming becomes more
prevalent, students need to learn early how they are affecting our local community and even
globally and ways they can help in the effort to fight the effects of global warming. Students will
develop theories about what is causing the planet to heat up, they will determine what needs to
happen to reduce carbon emissions and why it’s important, and finally they will create a program
or activity that will benefit the fight against global warming. This project will engage the
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 5
student’s interest by showing how they might be one person, but they can make a huge impact in
the community.
Project Impact
There are about 55 students that will participate in the project. If this project is
successful, it could affect the entire city of Tempe in two to three years. If green house gases
lower in the city of Tempe due to this project, then the air everyone breathes will be cleaner.
Future students can also build off of past student’s projects and make it better than before. I think
letting the students take the lead will empower them to be creative. I also believe that most of the
students will enjoy a challenge to create something that could affect thousands of people.
As a teacher I believe that this project will show a lot of creativity in my students and the
true ability that they are capable of. If other schools start to do this project, then it will create
more students who are aware of the impacts they have on the environment and make the world a
better place by the time they leave my class which is what every teacher strives to do.
For my entrance activity I will be using a graduate student at ASU to help the students
gain interest and help the ASU student show their presence in the community. This project is
trying to help combat global warming so if it is successful, then Tempe would benefit since the
Project Narrative
Day Learning Goals and Outcomes Project-Based Learning Activities Assessment Technology &Support
1 -DQ: How can we create a I will dress as an “atmospheric The students will Students will be using
cleaner atmosphere today to chemist from the future” and will formulate 2 reasons laptops to do research
save our future? speak with the students and share why global warming and using their online
-Why is a clean atmosphere the extreme weather/climate of is getting worse and 2 portfolio (Weebly) to
important? future Earth. Students will use ways on how to stop document their
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 6
-What makes the atmosphere laptops to research answers to the its effects as an exit research throughout
dirty? driving question and will form ticket. the class period.
-SWBAT create and discuss any need to know questions they
questions about the atmosphere may have. Then, in groups, they
and the effects of global will discuss what they have found
warming. and any answers they have found.
-Goals: to engage students and They will record these questions
have them practice the first and and answers (if they found any) in
second steps of the scientific their online portfolio. In their
method (observing and groups, they will then present
questioning observations) their important information to the
-Content standard: class. During research time, I will
6.E.1U1.6, 6.L2U3.11, walk around and ask to see their
7.E1U1.5 research and portfolio. Since this
-ISTE Student standards: 1a, is a student driven learning
1b,1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, project I will be able to help 1 on
3c, 3d, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5b, 1 with the students that need more
6a, 7a, 7d help with guidance.
-ISTE Educator standards:
1a, 1c, 2c, 3b, 3c, 3d, 5a, 5b,
5c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 7a
2 -How does an atmosphere Each group of students will get The students will get Using thermometers
contribute to the greenhouse two 2-liter bottles filled with their goals signed by and laptops they will
effect? about 3 inches of dirt. Students me as an exit ticket be able to organize
-SWBAT understand how an will tie a string to the water bottle any observations and
atmosphere contributes to the so that it is roughly 1 inch from important information
greenhouse effect and create a the surface of the dirt. I will come about the experiment.
goal for their project based off around and poor 50 mL of water They will experience
their understanding. in each of the bottles. The screen-casting and
-Goals: To observe and discuss students will cap one of the how it is used to help
their observations from the bottles and set both bottles in demonstrate activities.
water bottle experiment. direct sunlight. The students will
-Content standards: put the experiment in their
6.E1U1.6, 6.L2U3.11, Weebly with their predictions.
7.E1U1.5 They will know how to set up the
-ISTE Student standards: 1a, experiment from the screencast
1b,1d, 2a, 2b, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, that I will provide them that
4a, 4b, 4d, 5a, 5b, 6a, 7a, 7d shows step by step how to set it
-ISTE Educator standards: up. After 15-20 minutes they will
1a, 1c, 2c, 3b, 3c, 3d, 5a, 5b, look at their thermometers and
5c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 7a write down the temperatures and
any other observations they have.
As a class we will have a student
lead discussion as to why one was
hotter. They will record any
important information into their
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 7
This project will show students what they are capable of and how they can drive their
own learning. They will develop a sense of understanding to how a science project is created and
the sort of things that are involved in project development. Students will learn how to research,
For this project, pencils and paper will be needed for students to use for notetaking while doing
research on their projects. Since they are basic classroom supply’s that don’t cost that much,
DonorsChoose.org is a perfect place to fund these items. This project has a lot of student-based research
and having enough laptops for every student in the classroom will ensure that the students can work on
their projects daily instead of waiting a day or two in order to gain access to the laptop cart that is
shared between all teachers. The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grant is a grant that is awarded
to teachers that develop critical thinking and problem solving in their lessons. As this is a project,
student-lead lesson, this grant’s description is exactly what will be taught in this lesson. The NWA Sol
Hirsch Education Fund Grant awards classrooms that strengthen the education of meteorology. This
project deals with the atmosphere and how it can affect earth’s climate and weather patterns, so this
grant is in line with this project proposal. Within this project, there is an experiment that needs string,
thermometers, and 2-Liter bottles. The string is cheap and can be funded on DonorsChoose.org. The
other two materials needed can use Elmer’s Teacher Tool Kit Grant which is given to fund projects that
foster creativity and critical thinking. This project develops both creativity and critical thinking. The $200
gift card is for the guest speaker and can be funded by the AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program
since it’s a STEM grant that is awarded for the use in teaching STEM subjects by incorporating new ways
Appendix A
Student can formulate 2 reasons why global warming is getting worse and 2 ways to slow its effects as an exit ticket.
SWBAT use prior knowledge to understand and collaborate with their peers
SWBAT explore reasons why a clean atmosphere is important
Explore
How will you model your performance expectations? (Remember you are not modeling what you want students to discover but need to
model expected behavior or required procedures.)
How will students take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them answer the question posed in the
Engage?
What questions or prompts will you be prepared to use with students while they are “exploring”?
Teacher Will: Students Will:
Help students start asking questions and be sure that they have Get a laptop and start researching answers for the driving
recorded their questions in their portfolio’s question. They will form any questions they have about the
driving questions and put them in an online portfolio (Weebly).
Co-Teaching Strategy
What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
I will provide laptops and certain websites to get the students started on their research. As this is student driven learning, I will be able to
work closer to the students that need more help.
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
INQUIRY-BASED PROJECT PROPOSAL: ATMOSPHERE AND GREENHOUSE GASES 13
Explain
How will all students have an opportunity to share what they discovered?
How will you connect student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations?
How will all students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the sub-objectives by answering the question from the
Engage before moving on?
Teacher Will: Students Will:
Create groups (since I know the students and how well they work with Discuss what they have found in their research and the questions
certain people) they need to know about the driving question. They will put these
questions and any answers that a peer has given them into the
portfolio.
Co-Teaching Strategy
What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
I will change groups as needed if the group members do not work as well as I’d planned or if some are further than others.
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
Elaborate
How will students take the learning from Explore and Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this
learning at a deep level?
How will students use higher order thinking at this stage (e.g. A common practice in this section is to pose a What If? Question)?
How will all students articulate how their understanding has changed or been solidified?
Co-Teaching Strategy
What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
I will make sure everyone in the group speaks about their information they have found
How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
Evaluate
How will all students demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content)?
How will students have an opportunity to summarize the big concepts they learned (separate from the assessment)?
Appendix B
Laptops to be purchased