Are you teaching an environmental unit or do you just want to celebrate Earth Day? TechnoEnvironment has lesson plans for you! In this technology project, students create publications using Microsoft Publisher to raise environmental awareness.
There are many fun environmental lessons in TechnoEnvironment. Students can create a postcard, poster, or pamphlet. There are also extension activities that explain how to produce an environmental map, calendar, or banner. View a sample environmental lesson that explains how to create a postcard.
When designing this project, it was imperative that educators have the support material to teach environmental topics. Research can be time consuming. In addition, many websites or books are written using scientific jargon that is difficult for students to understand. For this reason, TechnoKids Inc. created fact sheets on a range of environmental topics. Each sheet outlines the cause of the problem, harmful effects, solutions, and interesting facts. They can be used as the sole information source, as a means to acquire background knowledge, or as a starting point for further research.
There are 14 Environmental Fact Sheets:
TechnoEnvironment is written as a typical TechnoKids technology project. It has a series of assignments that gradually introduce technology skills. Students learn basic skills to create the postcard. Next, additional tools and program features are used to produce the poster. Finally, students acquire advanced skills including how to organize information in a table and construct a quiz to make the pamphlet.
If instructional time is limited, teachers can pick and choose activities, without having to teach every assignment. For example, students can just make the postcard or poster. In addition, TechnoEnvironment contains skill reviews that target specific environmental topics such as garbage, plastic pollution, fuel emissions, and water consumption. The skill reviews have a fact sheet on one side and instructions for making a publication on the second side. The skill reviews can be used in place of the assignments if time is an issue. For example, the fuel emissions skill review has students create a standing pamphlet. This is a simple, less intense task that could be used in place of the two-sided pamphlet.
Within the technology project are fun activities suitable for an Earth Day celebration. For example, students can create a two-page banner, calendar, or environmental map, which can be completed in only one class. These activities are best-suited for children that have a basic understanding of Microsoft Publisher tools.
TechnoEnvironment is available Microsoft Publisher 365, Office 2016, and Office 2013. To order the project, visit the online store.