Students will be introduced to a wide variety of careers including careers not traditionally associated with the environment. Students will choose one career to research in depth, write a short report and present their findings to a small group. The best Minds On for this topic is to invite a guest speaker with a job closely related to the environment to address the class.
Students will learn about the interconnectedness of political, economic, environmental and social issues in the present world. Environmental education also seeks to ensure that students maintain a sense of hope and a positive perspective on the future. Planning for a career that incorporates responsibility for the environment will give students a reason to be hopeful.
Language (2006) - Reading
1. Students will read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and information texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning.
1.9 Students will identify the point of view presented in texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts; give evidence of any biases they may contain; and suggest other possible perspectives.
Language (2006) – Writing
1. Students will generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose.
1.1 Students
will identify the topic, purpose, and audience for more complex writing forms.
2. Students will draft and revise their writing, using a variety of
informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for
the purpose and audience.
2.2 Students will establish a distinctive voice in their writing appropriate to the subject and audience.
2.7 Students
will make revisions to improve the content, clarity, and interest of their
written work, using a variety of strategies.
3. Students will use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and
strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine
expression, and present their work effectively.
3.8 Students will produce pieces of published work to meet identified criteria based on the expectations.
History and Geography (2004) – Patterns in Human Geography
Students will compare living and working conditions in countries with different patterns of settlement, and examine how demographic factors could affect their own lives in the future.
Students will research job trends and predict the skills that will be needed to meet the challenges of Canada’s changing demographics.
At the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand how people in a wide variety of careers help to protect the environment
- know one job description including salary, education, skills, and employment prospects
- communicate the results of their career research
Research skills in the library or computer room.
Presentation skills in small groups.
Reading and writing skills.
- entrepreneur, labour (as an economic resource), sustainable development
Environmental Careers Lesson Plan (Print the lesson plan you are viewing)
BLM 1 – Research and Presentation
Explore, Find, Build Environmental
Careers PowerPoint Presentation slides 1 – 9 prepared by the Environmental
Careers Organization of Canada http://www.eco.ca/publications/Explore,-Find,-Build-Environmental-Careers---PowerPoint-Presentation-for-Students-and-Educators-(2010)/24/Academic-Resources/
Computer lab
Whole class addressed by a guest speaker describing their job and explaining how the job is related to the environment.
Whole class will brainstorm job titles related to protecting water and the environment.
Watch Explore, Find, Build Environmental Careers PowerPoint Presentation slides 1-9.
Hand out BLM 1 – Research and Presentation. Read it together and discuss career choices.
Alternatively, a guest speaker could be invited into the class to answer the questions on the student research activity.
Assessment as learning.
Have students select their top 3 career choices and hand them in on a piece of
recovered paper. The teacher uses this information
to learn about student interests and future dreams. With the long list of
career choices it should be possible to give students one of their top
choices.
Minds On: Differentiated Instruction
Slot the weakest students into their career of choice first.
Individuals will use the computer lab for one class of research.
Individuals will use the computer lab for a class of writing their answers into their chosen written format.
Partners will read and suggest edits to the written presentation.
Individuals will correct their writing and print a final version of the Environmental Careers Report.
Assessment as Learning.
Peer assessment of the writing to provide corrections.
Assessment of Learning.
Teacher uses a rubric to assess written report. The rubric is included in the student handout to ensure that students understand how they will be assessed.
The students choose a career and also a presentation format (mock interview, Facebook profile or timeline, graphic novel, PowerPoint Presentation or song lyrics).
In groups of four, each student will present their career to the other students and have the opportunity to learn about 3 other careers.
Note that some students might require computers for the presentation so plan the class location (library, computer room, classroom with some computers) accordingly.
Assessment as learning.
Peer evaluations of the presentations should be handed out by the teacher after
each presentation, completed and then collected before moving on to the next
presentation. The teacher should read
the peer assessments to identify students who need support to improve their
presentation skills or to find students who make inappropriate comments and
provide support to give reasonable feedback.
Gifted students could be challenged to find someone with an environmental job to interview and report about.