Harmon+-+Memos+2+to+5



MEMO 2 REWRITE (LUCYLAKE)
 * What organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating?
 * What is the mission of the organization?
 * What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization?
 * What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be?
 * Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes?
 * Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates?
 * What could be layered into this curriculum so that it address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates?
 * The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created this module.
 * The EPA’s mission is to “protect human health and the environment.” They work to ensure that health risks are minimal in their environment and try to create laws and regulations to reduce the risks to U.S. culturally, aesthetically and health-wise. They work to protect the resources of the U.S. and make sure the country stays ecosystemically diverse and productive.
 * The EPA believes that the first step to protecting the environment is to understand the issues. They put out many modules for kids and adults to assist in breaking down bigger issues so they are understandable to any age and ability level.
 * The module, Acid Rain with the Tale of Lucy Lake, seeks to teach the subject of acid rain through fun interactive modules and activities. It is aimed towards younger children (grades 1-3).
 * Fairly, yes. It has a good story, although modules such as the word search seem redundant. They do not seem to address the question at hand and were not very great additions to the module. The story, however, was fantastic. It took the reader through the destruction of a lake through acid rain, as well as how things could get better if we were careful and took care of the environment. It was very simple, had animations and plenty of pictures. In only 11 pages, it taught about taking care of the environment, the concept of acid rain and the consequences. It was very well thought out and provided enough detail to make the story interesting to younger audiences.
 * It teaches some of the literacies. It does not teach things like questioning the sources of information, but it does advocate learning from the past and trying to provide a better future for the environment. It also gives a small glimmer of hope and advocates fixing problems instead of just letting the environment suffer after we mess with it.
 * Legislature, big business and other big topics like that could be integrated into the module. Media literacy would be a difficult thing to layer in, but it could be accomplished by adding in the kids listening to the news and hearing that the lake was fine, when in reality it was destroyed.

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MEMO 3 REWRITE (COCO)
 * What organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating?
 * What is the mission of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What could be layered into this curriculum so that it address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created this module.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The EPA’s mission is to “protect human health and the environment.” They work to ensure that health risks are minimal in their environment and try to create laws and regulations to reduce the risks to U.S. culturally, aesthetically and health-wise. They work to protect the resources of the U.S. and make sure the country stays ecosystemically diverse and productive.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The EPA believes that the first step to protecting the environment is to understand the issues. They put out many modules for kids and adults to assist in breaking down bigger issues so they are understandable to any age and ability level.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Coco story focuses on air quality. Coco the iguana has asthma and his skin changes to reflect the air quality outside instead of to provide camouflage. The learning outcomes are to teach air quality in an easy fashion to younger children (grades 1-3).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I believe it does a fantastic job of teaching these outcomes to students. Although highly impractical and lacking a solid explanation why Coco is a mutant iguana, it does get the point across that air pollution is harmful, causes/linked to asthma, where pollution comes from, and well as how to protect yourself from having an asthma attack when pollution is too high. It does not address preventing air pollution so much, but it does teach the dangers. The glossary in the back of the book is a nice touch as well as the resources offer more explanations and sources for the data.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It does follow certain literacies. It does not teach media literacy or preventative practices which are essential if we hope to make our air 350 ppm.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I think again, a news report could be layered in to show about media literacy. I think an explanation why Coco has asthma may also help – were they born with it or is it a recent thing? Things like that.

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MEMO 4 REWRITE (Go fish!) [] MEMO 5 REWRITE (EcoLogo Activity)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is the mission of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What could be layered into this curriculum so that it address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Population Connection, a grassroots non for profit organization.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">They advocate a ZPG or zero population growth model. They educate young people how to stabilize world population to a level that the world can sustain.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The mission is to stabilize population. This module seems to diverge from the original intent but it does teach students about overfishing and population control in terms of resources.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Simulate even and uneven consumption of limited resources. It promotes sharing and can reinforce positive interpersonal behaviors. They want to demonstrate the need to think of others when consuming limited resources.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes, it is a pretty good idea. It can be elaborated on and could become a much more in depth activity, but it has great discussion questions that could really get children to think. It has a lot of potential but doesn’t exactly make the cut.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes. Resource consumption is a hot-button issue! Especially since watching movies like Darwin’s Nightmare, it is extremely relevant.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Disadvantage in picking out goldfish. Maybe one table can only pick up the goldfish with two fingers, while another table can pick up the fish with three, four or their whole hand, to show technology disadvantages etc. It could also be layered into growth as well, like, more people in class, more fish needed. If we fish too much, we will not have enough fish to feed everyone.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What organization developed the curriculum module you are evaluating?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is the mission of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What is the educational mission and philosophy of the organization?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What does the curriculum module aim to teach? In other words: what are the learning outcomes supposed to be?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do you think the curriculum is appropriately designed to produce the intended learning outcomes?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Does this curriculum teach the kind of literacies the EcoEd Research Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What could be layered into this curriculum so that it address more of the learning outcomes that the EcoEd Group advocates?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chris Summerville, a teacher and academic coordinator at the Global College in Japan and Long Island University in New York.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Link students to environmental issues by making it relevant to their daily lives.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">See above.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">To understand and grasp at what logos in the environmental products mean. Also, looking at where they are and acting as a “shopping detective” to see where things are from and what impact they have.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Totally. I had a teacher do this with me, and I actually just found this written up module by googling different sustainability terms. It’s very similar to the thing we did in the SSRP the first day.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes. It is very well done.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some more logos, and where the people who have their “credentials” are certified and where they pull their money. What standards does a product need to be considered “energy efficient” or “organic”.

[] Ecologo Chapter 1