Facing the Future Presentation at NCSS 2012

Their Voices, Their World:
Connecting Social Studies,
Literacy, and Science
Dave Wilton

www.facingthefuture.org

"When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic
about the future, my answer is always the
same: If you look at the science about what is
happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic,
you don’t understand the data. But if you meet
the people who are working to restore this
earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t
optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse."

~ Paul Hawken
Environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author

About Facing the Future
 Seattle-based nonprofit
founded in 1995
 Interdisciplinary global
issues and sustainability
curriculum for K-12
 Over 1.5 million students
reached annually
 All 50 U.S. states and
over 120 countries
 Professional development www.facingthefuture.org
and consulting


Sustainability is . . .

“. . . meeting the
needs of the present
without comprising
the ability of future
generations to meet
their needs.”

“Our Common Future,” United
Nations Brundtland Report, 1987

Defining Sustainability

Social
Well-being

Sustainable
Flourishing Communities Strong
Environment Economy


Teaching Global Sustainability
in the Primary Grades

4 Lessons
Simple, local, and personal
learning experience
Diverse learning modes
Integral use of children’s
literature & music
Focus on systems and
interconnections


Lesson 1:
Map of Myself

Explore personal identity and culture
Respect diversity of identities and cultures


Lesson 1:
Map of Myself

Activities Resources
Non-verbal My Map Book
introductions by Sara Fanelli
Define identity Fish is Fish
and culture
by Leo Lionni
Poster and
scavenger hunt “So Much the Same”
by Judy and David Gershon


Lesson 1:
Extension and Action Projects
Interview local community members (or older
“student buddies”) to learn about their
identities and cultures.
Map their origins, draw portraits, take
pictures, compile the biographies into a
book, and/or create a mural.


Lesson 2:
Connections All Around


Lesson 2:
Connections All Around

Activities Resources
Field trip to a “The Green Grass
dairy/produce Grows All Around”
farm or garden If You Give a Mouse a
Draw or journal Cookie
about farming by Laura Numeroff

Food webs The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss


Lesson 2:
Connections to Children’s Literature

K - 2nd grade
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
by Laura Numeroff

3rd - 4th grade
The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss


BEEF
BUN
PATTY
Connections Connections
Wheat, water, sun, Grass, water,
chemicals, tractor,
feedlot corn,
oven to cook buns, slaughterhouse,
plastic bag for buns butcher, trucks

CHEESE TOMATO

Connections Connections
Milk, cow, Soil, sun, fertilizer,
water LETTUCE people to pick
veggies, truck
To make a cheeseburger it takes cows for the beef patty, water and soil for the
lettuce and tomato, trucks to transport the items to the market, and people to
grow, harvest and move the food.

Lesson 2:
Food Web Assessment Rubric
STANDARD EXCEEDS MEETS BELOW
STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD
FOOD WEB
Content:
Shows connections related
to food item.

Craftsmanship:
The central food item image
and the parts of the web are
clear and readable.
SENTENCE
Content:
Sentence lists connections
related to food item.

Correctness:
Sentence displays proper:
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Punctuation


Lesson 2:
Additional Resource

Ecological Footprint: the area of the Earth’s
productive surface (land and sea) that it
takes to produce the goods and services
needed to support a given human lifestyle.

www.kidsfootprint.org

About the Teacher’s Guide
Four Units
1. Biodiversity & the Natural
World
2. Humans and the
Environment
3. Culture & Diversity
4. Responsibility & Teamwork
Appendix
1. Background Info for Children’s Books
2. Endnotes

Linking Across Curriculum
Connect children’s lit with
foundational science &
social studies concepts
Scaffolding student learning
Aligns to Common Core in:
reading, writing, speaking
and listening
Aligns with specific science & social studies
standards for all 50 states

Searchable Database of
State Education Standards


Teaching for the Future
Challenging issues as
opportunities
Involves students in
solutions
Designed for developmental
needs of K-3 students
Draws on students’ personal
experiences and interests


Lesson Structure
Each lesson can stand alone
Reach all learners
Components:
• Hands on lessons
• Step-by step instructions
• Vocabulary
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Additional Resources & Service Learning Projects


Unit 1: Biodiversity
& the Natural World
Objectives
 Determine if items are essential or
nonessential for survival
 Compare their survival needs with
those of other animals
 Experience simulations of high and
low biodiversity
 Read or hear stories about
endangered species
 View and label photos of eco-systems
with high and low biodiversity
 Discover ways to support biodiversity
locally and globally

Unit 1: Biodiversity
& the Natural World
Critical Thinking Questions
 What things do we need to survive?
 How are basic human needs similar to
the needs of animals?
 Why is high biodiversity important?
 Why is it important to protect
endangered species?
Key Concepts
 Essential needs
 Habitat
 Biodiversity
 Endangered species


Activity 1:
Needs vs. Wants
What things do you
need to survive?
Do animals need the
same things that we
do to survive?
Could we survive
without other
animals and plants?


Activity 2:
Biodiversity Game
Part 1
K-1: Each plant must pair
up with an animal
2-3: Each animal must pair
up with an plant that it
depends on
Temperature then rises
over the years, how does
weather affect plants?


Activity 2:
Biodiversity Game
Part 2
K-1: Each plant must pair
up with an animal
2-3: Each animal must pair
up with correspon-ding
animal
Temperature continues to
rise, how does weather
affect plants?
How are animals affected?

Activity 3:
Children’s Literature

 2 books per lesson, 8 books total
 Books available in late fall at http://www.dot-to-dot-books.org

Activity 4:
Picturing Biodiversity
Is it easier to meet your
needs, like food, when
biodiversity is high or
low?
Sort and then label as
high or low biodiversity
This picture shows
high/low biodiversity
because . . .


Appendix:
Country Background Info


Endangered Species
Background Information


Picturing Life in . . .


Unit 2:
Humans & the Environment
Objectives
 Recognize that everyday items are
made from natural resources
 Explore a local environment and
identify why nature is important
 Determine ways that humans impact a
local environment
 Read or listen to stories about
endangered species in different
This Chapter Available
as a FREE Download at
ecosystems
www.facingthefuture.org  Discover ways that humans can
improve local environments and protect
endangered species

Unit 2:
Humans & the Environment
 What are some ways that we use
Earth’s resources?
 How do humans affect the environment
in which they live?
 How can humans help the natural
environment?
Key Concepts
This Chapter Available  Natural resource
as a FREE Download at  Environment
www.facingthefuture.org  Conservation
 Endangered species

Unit 3:
Culture & Diversity
Objectives
 Explore elements of their own cultures
endangered species and personal
identity
 Interview classmates to learn about
different cultures
 Compare and contrast our own culture
to the cultures of others
 Discover ways to promote cultural
diversity


Unit 3:
Culture & Diversity
 What is culture?
 How can we celebrate our own cultures
while also respecting other cultures?
 What are some similarities and
differences that exist among all people?
Key Concepts
 Culture
 Diversity
 Tradition
 Unity


Unit 4:
Responsibility & Teamwork
Objectives
 Determine why responsibilities exist
 Participate in a role-play about rights
and responsibilities
 Create an action plan that promotes
taking responsibility in school
 Discover ways to promote rights and
responsibilities to humans and the
environment
responsibilities and teamwork


Unit 4:
Responsibility & Teamwork
 What is a responsibility?
 What responsibilities do each of us
have as a member of a community?
 How can we benefit from working with
other people to solve problems?
Key Concepts
 Rules
 Responsibility
 Teamwork
 Problem solving


Website Resources
 Global
Issues
Tours
 Classroom
Examples
 Service
Learning
Database
 Lesson
Finder

Lesson Finder

Classroom Examples

Searchable Database of
State Education Standards


Review of
Curriculum Resources
Teacher’s Guides
Over 60 free lessons available
at www.facingthefuture.org

Student Textbooks
Written for grades 6-12. Preview
chapters available online

Curriculum Units
1-2 weeks in length. Most
free to download online


Staying Connected


www.facebook.com/FacingtheFuture

www.twitter.com/facingthefuture

dave@facingthefuture.org


“We must teach our students that
they can be architects of the future,
rather than its victims.”
~ Buckminster Fuller, Architect and Philosopher


Facing the Future Presentation at NCSS 2012

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