Mount View prioritizes integrating Environmental Education
across contents and grades.
across contents and grades.
6th Grade
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7th Grade
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8th Grade
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Multi-Grade
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Sixth Grade
Outdoor Education
Each October, all 6th grade students attend a 3 day, 2 night Outdoor Education camp at Sandy Hill Camp in North Bay, MD. Camp activities include seining, kayaking, water quality testing, eco games, UV testing, live animal presentations, and an orientation to Mount View's Green School program. More than 95% of student attend the camp each year; however, any student who is unable to attend the camp at North Bay still participates in "Camp Mount View'' on the school campus where they learn about different ecosystems, go on scavenger hunts on school grounds, set up tents, and conduct nature observations at our drainage pond. |
The pictures below were all taken at Outdoor Education Camp. Clockwise (starting with upper left):
a student meets a live horseshoe crab during a presentation by "The Bay Guy" students kayak at North Bay students examine the UV ratings of sunscreens students watch the "Reptile Man" introduce them to the value of snakes students create UV bead bracelets students seine during a critter count |
G/T Research
In G/T Research, students learn how to conduct secondary and primary research and then spend the majority of their semester conducting an independent research project on a topic of their own choosing. All students in the class ( +/- 60) spend one class day learning about the Green School program at Mount View and the Student Driven Practices completed by students in earlier years. In addition, all students spend 4 weeks researching how human behavior affects sea turtle nesting on North Carolina beaches as a sample research project before selecting their own research project topic. After the introductory lessons, approximately 40 students a year choose an environmental issue for their independent research topic, ranging from fracking to sustainable fishing. Students conduct secondary research to look at the environmental issue from multiple points of view and then conduct primary research to gather new data on the issue. They present their findings to authentic audiences, such as school administration and government representatives. |
The two screenshots below show the research of one group of students during the instructional unit on Sea Turtle Nesting.
The screenshots below show the research of one student who learned about oil pipe lines and how several of the pipe line locations were part of birding trails of the Howard County Bird Club.
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Inquiry And Innovation Reading Class
Students in the Inquiry and Innovation Reading Class spend one marking quarter of the year studying a unit titled "Future Of Water." Lessons in the unit focus on the availability and demand for fresh water around the world, along with conservation efforts and pollution prevention. Students learn how to read scientific articles and examine news sources. Lessons culminate with students reading A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park. |
Clockwise (starting with upper left):
students reenact scenes from A Long Walk To Water students read A Long Walk To Water part of a worksheet from the unit which asks students to examine their water usage |
Earth And Space Science Class
During the unit "Digging In: How do scientists work together to solve problems?" students spend two weeks investigating factors that affect erosion. They create a topographical map of our school grounds and take a walk around the school identifying signs of erosion. |
A student's worksheet identifying features on our school grounds using Google Earth.
Students looking for signs of erosion on our school grounds.
A student's worksheet with his drawing of location of erosion.
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Social Studies
As part of their study of contemporary issues in Asia, students learn about the history of the Three Gorges Dam in China, examine how dams can help and hurt the environment, and write an argumentative essay that either supports or opposes the construction of future damns. |
Two students' essays arguing different points of view as to whether or not the construction of the Three Gorges Dam was worth the environmental and cultural impacts.
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Seventh Grade
MWEE (Watershed) Project
In Science classes, students learn about the factors that affect water quality on local waterways and complete activities that show students a variety of ways how run off from different sources can impact the health of the stream. Students then take a field trip to the Howard County Conservancy to conduct scientific tests on the Davis Branch River and to collect and identify macroinvertebrates. The data collected is used by the Conservancy to compare with data from previous dates in order to determine the health of the stream and identify trends. After the trip, students complete lessons in Social Studies to use their contextual knowledge in order to create a geographic and environmental proposal for our community that will aim to improve water quality and local ecosystems. |
Photos of students collecting and identifying macroinvertebrates at Howard County Conservancy.
Two reflections written by students about the MWEE Project.
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Science
In science, students learn to describe the interconnected effects of warming on Antarctica’s living and nonliving systems by assuming roles of various research scientists, from ornithologists to oceanographers. Students use their knowledge to understand the effects of climate change on sea ice, krill, and penguin communities of the Antarctica. |
A student's worksheet learning about the penguins
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Spanish
During the food and nutrition unit, students learn vocabulary to express food choices and preferences. As a culminating activity, students are asked to put together a slideshow, in the target language, explaining how fresh, local food can be used to create a healthy breakfast. |
A student presenting his project (in the Spanish language) about healthy breakfast choices.
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Chinese
As part of an introduction to learning about Chinese culture, students research , watch videos, and do oral presentations to answer the essential question: How do environmental problems challenge our lives? Throughout the lessons, students learn essential vocabulary about the environment. |
One of the students learning to write environmental vocabulary in Chinese.
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The prompt given to students for one of the class discussions, and one student's reflection on the discussion.
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Eighth Grade
Chemistry and Physical Science
Students research what a carbon footprint is and what factors contribute to it. Students then create a slideshow to educate and bring awareness to their families and community about their energy consumption and waste on a daily basis. Students also share what actions could be taken to reduce the carbon footprint. |
Screenshots of three slides from the slideshows created by two different student partnerships.
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English: Frankenstein
Students research the environmental effects of England's Industrial Revolution in order to prepare for reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Students then find textual evidence that shows a connection between Frankenstein's creation and the impact of the Industrial Revolution on England's environment and society. Students use this text evidence to write an explanatory paper demonstrating how Shelley's view of the Industrial Revolution can be seen in the characters, conflicts, and events of the novel Frankenstein. English: Wax Museum
All 8th grade English students complete an independent research project on a historical figure who fought for freedom, overcame obstacles, and uncovered truths. As part of the project, all students are introduced to the work of Rachel Carson and how she fought for freedom of information and exposing the dangers of pesticide abuse. After this introduction, students then research a person of their own choosing. They write a speech from that person's point of view, create a tri-fold board about the person, and present both the speech and the board to their classmates and community. Each year, approximately 5 students choose environmentalists. This year, students have chosen to research Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, Julia Hill, Greta Thunberg, and Gaylord Nelson for their Wax Museum Figure. Students will research how that figure fought for the environment and what specific actions they took to protect the environment. |
Part of the final Frankenstein essay written by a student.
Students working on the display boards that will go with their Wax Museum speeches.
A student learning about Rachel Carson.
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Spanish
Students studying the Spanish language learned about monarch butterflies, their life cycles, and their migration route to Mexico. Students created their own monarch caterpillar and gave him a little "home" in order to learn prepositions. In addition, students created posters about the monarch life cycle in the target language and participated in a virtual monarch migration by sending |
(Left) A student's monarch caterpillar inside of its house during a lesson on prepositions. (Right) A student's poster showing the life cycle of the monarch caterpillar, written in Spanish.
Monarch butterflies raised in the Spanish classroom are released into our monarch waystation garden.
A note from the Spanish teacher, Mrs. Sharbaugh, announcing that our students' symbolic butterflies had arrived in Mexico!
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Inquiry And Innovation Reading Class
Students in the Inquiry and Innovation Reading Class spent one marking quarter of the year studying a unit titled "Future of Food." Students learned about agricultural practices, the industrial food chain, and the potential for contamination in the US food supply. Lessons are based upon reading Omnivore's Dilemna by Michael Pollan. |
Students reading Omnivore's Dilemna.
Students' slideshow presentation about the 8th chapter.
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Multi-Grade
Oyster Gardening
Students in the Oyster Gardening program attend field trips and complete online lessons to learn about the biology of the oyster and the important role that oysters play in the health and ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay. Students use this knowledge to raise 4 cages of oyster spat on the docks of the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Annapolis. They count and measure the spat in October and again in May, when they complete their studies and attend a CBF field trip to add their spat to an oyster sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay. Along the way, families take turns visiting the cages each week to test the water quality and to keep the cages free from sediment. In addition, students visit the Annapolis Maritime museum each year for lessons ranging from oyster dissection to the history of the oystering tools. Because some students will choose to participate in Oyster Gardening for three years, the field experiences are different each year to ensure that there are always new lessons available. In addition, students and their families watch educational videos and take quizzes to assess their knowledge through an online educational platform. |
A collection of Oyster Gardening activities (clockwise from upper left):
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Future City
Future City is a project-based learning program where students imagine, research, design, and build a city of the future which features a solution to a citywide sustainability issue, such as resilient power grids or public spaces from reclaimed brown fields. Students complete 4 parts to the project: a project plan, an essay, a scale model built from recyclables, and a virtual city designed in SimCity. Then, the students attend the Mid-Atlantic Future City competition at the Baltimore Museum of Industry and present their work to a panel of local engineers and professors who serve as judges for the competition. Students explain their city's infrastructure, sustainability solution, and overall design. |
Students present their cities to judges at the Baltimore Museum of Industry during the Mid-Atlantic competition each January. (clockwise from upper left)
One group's essay about their resilient power grid using microgrids and biological solar panels.
Screenshots of the student's progress toward renewable energy in their SimCity.
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Environmental Film
Students in the Environmental Film seminar research an environmental issue of their own choosing and then create a film that they hope will inspire others to understand the issue and help fix it. Students learn to use storyboarding and film angles to create a compelling story, and receive feedback on their work at a film making workshop at American University. The final film produced by students incorporates facts about their chosen environmental issue into their script and is shared at an Environmental Film Showcase for middle school students at the Silver Spring AFI. Students see films on a variety of environmental issues, from global warming to pollution prevention. |
Pictures from student films. (clockwise from upper left)
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Debate
Students in the Debate Seminar researched and prepared arguments for the resolution: "Be it resolved that there be a junk food tax in the state of Maryland." As part of their research, students debated and discussed how taxes and health policies can drive the food marketplace, specifically with regard to the impact on low-income urban areas and the affordability of healthy food options. They also examined how tax revenue can be reallocated to provide local services, such as farm to table efforts, urban gardens, and nutrition education. Students will use their research to debate against other middle schools in the county on March 25th. |
Students on the pro team figure out the reasons they will use in the county debate.
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Environmental Leadership
Students in the Environmental Leadership seminar learn about the Green School certification process for MD schools and choose to research and implement a project that fits the parameters of one of the 7 student driven practices. In addition, students prepare for school events and celebrations. |
A screenshot from the working document where ELT members sign up for committees.
A photo of the first part of one committee's plan sheet where they identify the goal for their committee and link it to a Student Driven Sustainability Practice.
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One Day Learning Opportunities
Students in the The Environmental Leadership Team (ELT) create a yearly plan for educational opportunities at Mount View. For some activities, the students request that the teachers set up the event. For other activities, students design and lead the activity themselves! All activities are connected to our Green School initiatives. HABITAT RESTORATION
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Photos of events. (Clockwise from upper left)
Students attend a live animal educational show by Piney Run Park. The display created by students who attended a lunchtime "craft and learn" session about The Backyard Bird Count, led by ELT members. Students create sunprints after taking a nature hike. ELT students lead an educational trivia game about honeybees. Students learn about egg yolk nutrition with Dr. Celi A student poses with the succulent she just planted. An example of the event descriptions that students see for selecting one day learning opportunities.
Photos of the Green Auction:
(left) Students show their answer for which "R" should be the first choice of the three R's. (right) Students hold up their answer board showing their knowledge of our Green School initiatives. |
Screenshot of some of the students response to one of the online Green School Trivia Games.