Brief Description

In this lesson students will use Kid Pix 3 to create a compare and contrast poster that is divided into two sections.  One side will represent a clean, natural environment.  The other side will be a polluted environment.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 3T-F3.  Use prescribed technology tools for publishing and presenting information.

• Standard 3:  Personal and social perspectives in science and technology

- Describe and explain the interrelationship of populations, resources and environments.

Academic

• Students will discuss the effects of pollution on the environment.
• Students will extend the discussion by completing a worksheet to demonstrate their thinking and understanding of how humans impact environments.

• Students will create an environmental poster in Kid Pix 3 by using a variety of the tools (text, backgrounds, stamps, paint and pencil tools)

• Students will need to know basic keyboarding skills.
• Students will also need basic skills in Kid Pix 3 (stamps, backgrounds, type box, paint and pencil tools).

Each student should have a computer.
1 projection screen and machine
1 worksheet and pencil per child

Accommodations for Special Needs

• This lesson can be modified for lower ability learners and Sheltered English Immersion Students (SEI) by helping with the typing process (finding keys, how to spell words).  Teachers can also explain the steps one at a time or re-explain the process of creating the document.
• This lesson can be modified for high-ability learners by having them type sentences to describe each section. Students can save their document for a slide show and create different environments and pollution.

• Anticipatory Set:
1. Teacher will start a discussion on pollution and our environment.  This discussion will remind students about different kinds of pollution and how they harm the environment.  Teacher will ask questions to guide the discussion.
• What is pollution?
• What does pollution do to our environment?
• How can we help?
• Would you choose to live in a clean or polluted environment and why?
• Why do you think people pollute?
• How would you improve air pollution?
• What would happen if everyone at a picnic left behind garbage?
• What would you recommend to people hiking, camping, or picnicking?
• If you saw someone polluting (littering) what would you say to them?
• How would computers impact our environment’s pollution issues?
2. Teacher will say, “Today in the computer lab we will create a poster to show a clean environment and a polluted environment.  This poster will help others understand what pollution looks like.”
• Lesson Development (in the computer lab)
1. Students will open up the Kid Pix 3 program. They will enter under their name in the beginning screen (each student has been entered on their computer so their name will automatically appear).  The students should then be at a new, clean screen.
2. Teacher will remind the students where to find the backgrounds under habitats (top left hand side with a picture of a tree).  Students will choose a background that they would like to create a poster for.
3. Teacher will demonstrate how to draw a dividing line by using a thick black pencil line.  Students will divide their background choice into 2 sections by drawing a black line down the middle.
4. Teacher will demonstrate how to type text in the Kid Pix 3 program.  “To type, please click on the icon with a T.  Click on the background where you want to type the word CLEAN.  Type the word CLEAN.  You may change the color by going to the color wheel.  You may change the size by changing the number in the font size box.  You may change the font by scrolling down the font styles.  Please repeat this process for the other side, but type POLLUTED.”
5. Teacher will explain how to add stamps to the background.  “We will be using stamps from the stamp button.  Please remember that each category has several trays.  You will look through the stamps and decide if you want to include them in your poster under the clean side or the polluted side.  Under the clean side I am going to add birds and flowers.  Remember, try to make the stamp size fit our background by changing the size of the stamp.  Under the polluted side you may add cups, paper and other stamps that might be found at a picnic or camp site.”
6. Teacher will demonstrate how to add other kinds of pollution.  “You can add other pollution examples to your picture by using the drawing tools.  If your background has sky, you might want to make air pollution by using gray spray paint.  If your background had water, you might want to add oil by using a black pencil or paint brush.”
7. Teacher will say, “To make sure that others know which environment we like or don’t like, we should put a big X on the polluted side by using the thick black pencil tool.”
• Closure:
1. The students will walk around briefly to look at each other’s environment posters.
2. In the regular class, the students will complete a worksheet on what they did and learned.

Teacher will listen to discussions and will observe and assist students in the computer lab.  Students will be assessed on the following aspects.

Student participated in the class discussion on environment.

Student followed directions and created a poster about the environment using Kid Pix 3.

Students demonstrated their understanding of how the environment is related to human actions by successfully completing the worksheet.