Title:    Environmental Fair for 8th Grade Students

Name:    David Duane

E-mail:        permanent:           dduane@fenn.org
                    while at WWF:    duadav@yahoo.com

Key words:    environmental, interdisciplinary, student centered project, education initiative

Text:    The Environmental Fair is an interdisciplinary project completed by 8th grade students at The Fenn School in Concord, MA.  Students research a relavent environmental topic for one week and culminate their work by presenting a visual piece which sums up their research.  The students arrange their visual piece on a 3 ft x 6 ft cardboard poster which is displayed for the entire school during the Environmental Fair.  The entire school community and parents visit the Environmental Fair.

        Students are assigned to groups of four, and they work with a faculty mentor in researching their topic and developing a plan for their visual presentation.  Topics and mentors are assigned to groups, but the topic is of particular interest to the faculty mentor.     Students are required to complete several components for their presentation.  They must present factual scientific content with written text, pictures, diagrams, and graphs.  They must also complete an opinion essay regarding their topic or issues relevant to their topic as well as conduct a survey in the school community regarding their topic.  The topics vary, and include such content as: the rain forest, endangered species, nuclear power, global warming, and noise pollution.

        While the students are working during this project, their academic courseload is suspended (aside from languages) so that they can devote their full energy to the project.  They spend the first portion of the project on research, with the aid of the school library, and may attend a field trip with their mentor.  They latter part of the project completing essays, diagrams, and graphs before finalizing their visual display.  During the Environmental Fair, they must be present to answer questions and inform the community of their work.

Resources:    Students research their topic in the library using magazines, books, periodicals, and internet resources.

Standards:    Their is no formal assesment for each student or group.  However, a panel of judges awards prizes to the top presentations.  Visitors complete a "scavenger hunt" of questions prepared beforehand.

Woodrow Wilson Leadership Program in Environmental Science lpt@www.woodrow.org
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation webmaster@woodrow.org
CN 5281, Princeton NJ 08543-5281 Tel:(609)452-7007 Fax:(609)452-0066