Assignment 1 - LIBE 463 - Instructor: Keith McPherson

RATIONALE, GRADE LEVEL AND CURRICULUM AREA:

I am currently a primary teacher in the Surrey School District and I hope that once I finish my library diploma I will find myself teaching in the library one day! I feel that teaching students to have a sense of responsibility for their world is a very important thing. Next Year I will be teaching grade 1 or 2 and so I will be focussing on the grade one and two social studies curriculum. The particular topic within the social studies curriculum that I have chosen to focus on is demonstrating responsible behaviour in caring for the environment because it is an important aspect of both the grade one and grade two curriculums. In order for us to care for our environment we have to make choices. Helping students to take responsibility for themselves and their learning and make wise choices is something that is crucial for their success now and in the future. The choices they make now may become habits later and so it is important for them to really think critically while they are young. This is an inquiry based study and I am hoping that I will find a variety of types of materials available in the library to help students engage in this area of study.

I have chosen this subject area because:
a) learning about the environment is important to everyone’s future
b) our school has had a chronic problem with littering (students are no longer allowed to take food outside at recess/lunch because their wrappers and food end up all over the playground)
c) young students tend to have a strong moral sense and this area of study will likely appeal to them

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES AND LINKS TO THE GRADE ONE AND TWO CURRICULUM GUIDES:

E2 demonstrate responsible behaviour in caring for their immediate and school environments (Grade 1)

- demonstrate care and concern for the environment in their actions )e.g., reduce, reuse, recycle; avoid disturbing plants and animals during nature walks)

- describe ways they care for their environment at home (e.g., putting away their toys, helping with household chores, recycling)


E2 describe their responsibility to the local environment (grade 2)

- contribute to class discussions about environmental issues (e.g., pollution, over-use of non-renewable resources)

- create a list of things they can do to positively affect their local environment (e.g., not wasting water, reusing paper, litterless lunches, planting gardens and trees)

The curriculum document for grade one can be viewed at the following link: Social Studies Curriculum Guide Grade 1
The curriculum document for grade two can be viewed at the following link: Social Studies Curriculum Guide Grade 2