Download Character Newsletter for High School Students

Tolerance
High School - April 2012
Character Education
Newsletters
Broward County Air
Quality Program
Tolerance is the ability to recognize and respect the differences, values, and beliefs of other people.
Just in time for Earth Day, your students can learn about tolerance as it relates to environmental
issues. Through participation in local Earth Day activities and research, students will be able to
educate themselves about environmental issues affecting our county, state, and country.
Go Green
This April 2012 issue is the last for the current school year. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the
activities and announcements found in the newsletters throughout the school year. Please take our
short survey on the FCAT Warm-up Character Education Newsletters. We value your opinion and look
forward to hearing from you. The link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6.
Enjoy the rest of the school year and have a safe summer!
NatureScape Broward
Energy/Electricity Audit
Climate Change
Broward County Kids
Corner
Upcoming Events
EARTH DAY!
@Broward Environment
Activity
The Energy/Electricity Audit takes place four times in a school year: September, December, February
and June. This activity can be done as a class activity and then move into a school wide activity.
Energy Lighting Audit Checklist
The scores are out of five and depend on the extent to which the item is done throughout the
building:
Point Scale
5= Throughout School
4= Over ¾ of School
3 = ½ of School
2 = ¼ of School
1= We are now aware of this
(Total Possible Points = 85)
Does your school:
Take advantage of all natural light to save energy?
Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard incandescent “screw-in” bulbs?
Use high efficiency fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts?
Use high intensity discharge lights (e.g., high pressure sodium) in outdoor areas?
Replace incandescent bulbs in exit signs with a light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent
replacement kit?
Use time clocks, occupancy sensors, and dimming controls to reduce lighting energy?
Use a Building Automation System (BAS)?
Use lighting only when needed?
Ensure custodial staff turns off lights after cleaning?
Ensure teachers, custodians and students turn off lights when they are last out of a room?
Post “lights out” posters or reminders in the building?
Use lighting after hours & weekend only in occupied areas?
Turn off lighting for display purposes (e.g., trophy cases, etc.) at night & during summer?
Turn off all computers when not in use?
Post” Computer Off “reminders in the classrooms?
Equip all vending machines with energy misers?
Ensure there are no desk lamps in use?
* A school can get points only for one of these two entries.
Energy Heating and Cooling Audit Checklist
Score one point for each checkmark (Total Possible Points = 24)
Does your school:
Set heating thermostat set points to maintain 70°F or lower?
Set air conditioning (A/C) for 73°F-75°F and shut it down during unoccupied hours?
Operate your building systems (e.g., boilers, fans, and pumps) efficiently and optimize efficiency
through regular inspections and preventative maintenance?
Use gas as the main heating fuel?
Control heating/cooling from the central computer and match the occupancy schedule?
Use time clocks and sensor controls to reduce heating/cooling energy?
Use a Building Automation System (BAS)?
Keep doors/windows closed during heating and cooling season?
Close doors/windows when A/C is on in air-conditioned spaces?
Make effective use of the free cooling available in the early morning hours?
Run the exhaust systems only when needed?
Turn on heating and cooling for after-hours & weekends only in occupied areas?
Inspect and clean coils on regularly scheduled basis?
Leave standby pumps in the off position?
Test boilers periodically for performance/efficiency?
Ensure return air grilles are inspected & not blocked by books, cabinets, etc.?
Ensure pneumatic controls air compressor & dryer are clean & in good working order?
Clean and replace all air filters on a regularly scheduled basis?
Ensure there are no fans or portable electric space heaters being used by occupants?
Insulate steam and hot water piping? (Pipes are warm/hot to touch.)
@Broward Environment’s
Channel
Use curtains and blinds effectively in heating and cooling seasons?
Ensure all doors close tightly and have a good weather seal that keeps out drafts and hot air?
Ensure there is adequate weather stripping around windows/ doors? (Reduce air leak.)
Seal all penetrations in floors & exterior walls?
Follow Up: Have the class/students that completed the energy/electricity audit write a report based on
their finding and present it to the school’s administration.
Source: www.earthcarecanada.com/earthcare_program/Lessons/Energy_Audit.pdf
World Summit on Climate Change
This activity is for student to work in small groups where they will research the impacts of climate
change on a particular designated country, and they will predict future impacts for this country. They
will interact by simulating an international summit on climate change (taking place 20 years from now).
The country representatives will attempt to reach an international agreement on how to reduce GHGs.
Goal: To help students understand the impact of the western world’s GHG emissions on developing
nations and the importance of being a global citizen.
Time: 2–3 hours
Setting: Classroom
Materials: Copies of the student handout and backgrounders
Handouts:
Teacher Handout: Reflecting on the Summit www.climatechangenorth.ca/sectionLP/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#TH01
Student Handout: An International Agreement on Climate Change – Is it possible?
www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#SH01
Skills: Research, critical thinking, small group work, predicting, developing an argument, presenting
Background Learning:
Teachers and students should be familiar with the basic science of climate change.
High school students should read:

Climate Change: What’s the Big Deal?
www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_01_O_E.html

Global Impacts of Climate Change
www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_12_O_E.html
During the lesson, students may also read:

Climate Change Agreements…and Disagreements
www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_16_O_E.html
Introduction to Lesson Plan:
This lesson involves students in three phases of activity: researching and preparing as a group to
present at a simulated climate change conference; presenting and discussing at the simulated
conference; and reflecting on what the experience has taught them. Ideally, the activity should be
spread over three classroom periods, although you may need to scale back, depending on time
availability.
Period 1 – Group research and preparation
Period 2 – The international summit
Period 3 – Debriefing & reflection
For Period 1, it would be useful for students to have computer access. Alternatively, you could assign
some of the initial gathering of research as homework.
Activity:
1. If the students are not already familiar with the basics of climate change and its impacts, spend
some time on the basics, and also on the impacts as outlined in Global Impacts of Climate Change.
2. Introduce the plan of the conference to the students. Divide the class into groups (not more than
five students per group) and assign each group a country. Some countries that would be
interesting to include are:
o Bangladesh
o Canada
o India
o United States
o Indonesia
o Kuwait
o Tanzania
o China
o Venezuela
3. Preparation: Distribute the Student Handout: An International Agreement on Climate Change – Is it
possible? Read through the handout with the students, clarifying what they need to do to prepare
for the summit. Allow time for student research and preparation. Tell the students that Global
Impacts of Climate Change is also a good resource for this activity, and make copies available. As
you move around the classroom, encourage the students to take strong positions that will result in
lively debate and discussion. (Note: This research phase could be expanded to include
preparation of an informational display on their country, including pictures, country information, key
points, etc.)
4. The Summit: Arrange the classroom so that the speakers are arranged in a large circle, with their
support groups clustered behind them. Encourage students to stay in-role. (They may even want to
wear clothing representative of the country.) You, as the teacher, are the summit chair, moderating
the summit. The summit progresses through these stages:
o Presentation of Opening Position Statements – The conference chair welcomes participants,
and gives the speaker for each country two to four minutes to introduce their country, give
some key facts relating to climate change impacts in their country in 2025, and state what
they hope to gain from the summit meeting. Don’t move on to general discussion until each
person has been heard. Encourage the countries to listen carefully to each other’s position.
During the next phase of the summit, they may want to team up with other countries that are
taking similar positions.
o Negotiation Break – The chair calls a five-minute break, to allow the country teams to negotiate
with other countries to enhance their position.
o Working Towards a Solution – The chair facilitates a discussion as countries try to come to an
agreement on how to slow the progress of climate change. The speaker is the only one who
can speak for the country, but other group members may pass notes or whisper suggestions.
The class may not reach an agreement. (In fact, it may not be realistic for them to reach
agreement.) The most important thing is that differing views are presented, and that the
students realize how citizens from other nations regard the issue of climate change.
5. Debrief: Using the Teacher Handout: Reflecting on the Summit, lead a class discussion to explore
what students experienced and learned from the summit.
6. Ask students to distill the key thoughts and ideas learned from their research and participation in
the summit into 200-800 word report. (This may be composed by the whole class, or assigned for
homework.)
Evaluate students on:
 Participation in the summit
 Country opening positions, statements and arguments
 Reflective essays
Enrichment Ideas: Predicting Two Futures - Students write worst-case and best-case scenarios; set
in any country they choose. The worst-case scenario presents a vision of a world where little or no
climate change action has been taken: temperatures are hot, there is more precipitation, species are
extinct, etc. The best-case scenario presents a community using alternative energies, major
efficiencies, and new solutions.
Sources: www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/LP_35_H_MS_summit.html
An experiment was conducted in a lab to determine the effects of dioxin, a toxic chemical that causes
damage to living organisms. A different concentration of dioxin was added to each of ten tanks that
contained identical samples of aquatic plants in water. After a month, observations were recorded, the
plants were discarded, and the solution from each tank was poured down the laboratory sink. What is
the best way to improve this experiment in order to minimize the effects of dioxin on the environment?
A. use animals rather than plants
B. use a single concentration of dioxin
C. review the results with another scientist
D. discard the materials at a hazardous-waste site
Answer: D
Please Take Our Survey
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and provide your candid feedback to help the
Broward County Air Quality Program assess your educational needs. To thank you for your time, all
responses received by Wednesday, May 23, 2012 will be entered into a drawing. Each of three
winners will receive one of these great environmental prizes including: "365 Ways to Live Green" by
Diane Gow McDilda, the Ventura County Film "AIR" or a deluxe 18oz stainless steel water bottle. The
link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6. Enjoy the rest of the school year and
have a safe summer!
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