G. Casey Cassidy
This year I developed a curriculum unit that focuses on energy conservation as it directly relates to our physical plant at Roberto Clemente Middle School. Together with our local utility companies we will attempt to develop strategies which will maximize our energy efficiency while minimizing our expenditures. In a time of major budget constraints, the rationale for this unit might allow us to reallocate monies that can be saved to programs which will enhance the educational opportunities for our students.
Specific lesson plans will emphasize hands-on experiments as our students immerse themselves in the scientific method process of gathering information, stating hypotheses, designing experiments, making observations and recording and analyzing these data. Our studies will become interdisciplinary as we study new vocabulary and present oral and written reports in English, make observations based on comparisons and critical thinking in Science, study the global impact of the conservation of natural resources in Social Studies, and compute measurement statistics in mathematical problem-solving situations. Teamwork will become our primary focus as we work together toward reducing the energy waste at Clemente.
(Recommended for any grade level)
