The Green Footprint Project: How Middle School Students Inspired Their Community and Raised Their Self-Worth

       How does this sound for a school project? - “Students complete Internet research, create pamphlets, give presentations, and take on other activities to alert the school community to local environmental issues.”  With the focus on the human environment’s impact on Earth, a fifth grade teacher embarked on an experimental project with her students and reports very positive results in this article. Students brainstormed ideas and collectively chose the focus of local air pollution.  This was inspired by their observation of idling cars outside their classroom’s open windows.  The project was multidisciplinary. Of course, science was used to design research like collecting data by timing how long individual cars idled over a three week period.  Critical thinking skills where taught and developed as well.  Using math, students analyzed the data on idling cars and computed such things as amount of gas and money wasted by idling.  This led to ideas like parents walking their students home, carpooling and turning off the ignition while waiting. Social studies came into play with students attempting to get community and governmental support for “idle-free school zones.”  English Language Arts were incorporated into the project with written and oral presentations.

It is difficult to be critical of an article and project that I feel has great merit.  The one problem I had with the article is the “Self-Worth” factor.  If this factor is important enough to include in the title of the article, I would expect much more attention and discussion devoted to it within the body of the article. The only mention of this aspect is the author’s sense that students’ observation of their project’s impact on their community gave them a stronger sense of self and that research suggests that students who use their own ideas and language develop a positive sense of self-worth. I’m not sure how one would measure self-worth, but I feel it is essential to expand on this if one makes the claim, or leave it out of the title and have it be more of an interesting side note to the project which, again, is a great idea, was implemented well and deserves acknowledgement.

Cortez-Riggio, K. (2011, January). The Green footprint Project: How Middle School Students Inspired Their Community and Raised Their Self-Worth. English Journal, 100.3, 39-43.

Recycling: Reducing Waste by Buffy Silverman

Recycling: Reducing Waste. by Buffy Silverman. Heinemann Library, 2008. 46 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This book is part of a Do It Yourself Series.  It is specifically targeting tween readers interested in the environment, the green movement and helping the Earth.  The book is very attractive in its layout. There are photographs and illustrations on every page. The first chapters deal with trash - What is it?, Where does it go? What is its impact on the environment?  The main focus of the book is on recycling.   The connection between recycling and reducing trash in landfills is explained.  One complete chapter is devoted to recycling paper. The incredible volume of paper that consumers use and the process for making new paper from recycled paper is explained.  Other processes include; plastic, computers, cell phones, batteries and food and yard waste recycling. There are several excellent activities that give readers hands on experiences like simulating a landfill to monitor how different products decompose and making your own paper from recycled paper.  Throughout the text,  words that appear in a bold font are described in a glossary.  There are excellent resources listed including books, websites and organizations that students can pursue. This is a great book on the subject of recycling and is so complete it could serve as a  handbook for a school recycling club.  Well-written, excellent graphics and useful information make this book easy to recommend.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 7.1 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.

Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard

Exploring the Titanic. by Robert D. Ballard. Scholastic, 1988. 64 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Sometimes real life events provide some of the most dramatic stories.  This is the case with the ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic, which was the largest ship ever built, and its first voyage was also its last.  The book details the construction of the Titanic and includes amazing facts like, if the titanic had been stood upright it would have been taller that any building at the time (1912). There are incredibly detailed cutaway views of the ship in full color illustrations.  The dramatic account of the Titanic’s first voyage reads like a great fiction novel.  One eerie fact presented in the book was that in 1898, an American writer had written a book called The Wreck of the Titan, in which an “unsinkable” passenger ship sails from England to New york, strikes an iceberg and sinks and does not have enough lifeboats for all of the passengers. The story of the Titanic exactly! A great feature of the book is that it goes beyond the historical accounts and invites the reader to become informed about the modern locating and subsequent exploration of the wreckage of the Titanic. This aspect in itself is fascinating. Criss-crossing miles of ocean using scientific equipment to attempt to locate the wreckage 12,000 feet below the surface and then exploring the wreckage in a 3-man submarine. Absolutely phenomenal photographs and illustrations enhance this account of an incredible accomplishment. The credibility of the book is solidified with the fact that the author was one of the scientists who located the wreckage and explored it in the 3-man submarine. I give this book the highest recommendation for tween readers!

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 6.7 Interest level: Ages 8 to 13.

Natural Disasters by Claire Watts

Natural Disasters. by Claire Watts. DK Publishing, Inc., 2006. 72 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Natural Disasters is part of an eyewitness books series. This book focuses on the Earths’s naturally occurring disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes. I am a visual person and this book captured my attention immediately with full color photographs on every page. Earth gives humans sustenance, but it “can also generate catastrophic disasters that kill people, damage the environment, destroy property and disrupt normal life.”  Descriptions of the Earth’s molten core and tectonic plates provide a foundation for the understanding of the instability that can cause disasters. Imagine a 100 foot high wall of water moving at 600 miles per hour towards your home.  This is the power of a tsunami. Incredible photos of tsunami damage bring the event to life. One tsunami killed an estimated 100,000 people in just 15 minutes! Earthquakes are unpredictable and can cause death and destruction as wel,l as the Earth’s surface shakes and levels man made structures. When the Earth’s molten core breaks through its crust. the extreme power of a volcano is released. “Lava, ash rocks and superheated gases” unleash a terrifying assault on the surrounding land.  Not to be outdone, hurricanes are huge storms that can measure 500 miles wide, have winds over 135 miles per hour and cause devastation and death. The book also has information on floods, wildfires, droughts and infectious diseases.  This is another great non-fiction selection for tweens that can be informative and entertaining.  

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 8.6 Interest level: Ages 9 to 13.

You Wouldn't Want to be on the Hindenburg! by Ian Graham

You Wouldn't Want to be on the Hindenburg! : A Transatlantic Trip You'd Rather Skip. by Ian Graham. Franklin Watts, 2009. 32 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is one in a series of “You Wouldn’t Want to...” books. The LZ129 Hindenburg was the world’s largest airship.  It was a German built lighter than air craft that was filled with hydrogen and was as big as an ocean liner.  With the use of cartoon like illustrations the factual story of the Hindenburg is revealed through the eyes a mechanic who has been assigned as part of the crew.  Throughout the book, handy hints advise the mechanic like,”Make sure you are not afraid of heights!” and “Don’t light a match, hydrogen is extremely flammable!”  All of the parts of the giant luxury passenger air ship are detailed - the frame, the gas cells, the control car, passenger cabins, the engine car, lounge and the dining room. This book has the label disaster and that’s what transpires soon after the Hindenburg sets off on May 3, 1937 from Frankfurt, Germany for the United States.  After a spectacular flight across the Atlantic ocean the Hindenburg prepares to land on May 6 in Lakehurst, New Jersey.  As the airship gets close to the landing zone there is a bang and it bursts into flames! The hydrogen that filled the craft is on fire! The fire destroys the Hindenburg in only 32 seconds as onlookers on the ground are horrified. Amazingly 62 of the 97 passengers and crew survive the crash. To this day the cause of the disaster is unknown.  This book is filled with facts and is presented in an interesting and entertaining format. Reluctant readers will be especially drawn to this book.  This is a great read and I recommend it for tweens.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 5.5 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.

The Planet's Most Extreme Stinkers by John Woodward (Animal Planet)

The Planet's Most Extreme - Stinkers. edited by John Woodward. Blackbirch Press, 2005. 48 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  Sometimes you just want to read a book for fun.  This book explores the 10 most extreme “stinker” animals on Planet Earth.  In a countdown format, the reader learns about the most foul smelling animals on planet earth. Who would guess that one of America’s most common pets, the dog, comes in at number10? Ok, warning! It’s going to get gross if you keep reading.  Did you know that vultures go to the bathroom on their own feet to stay cool? Hippos make the list because of a fermented smelly “dung showering” behavior. Yes, it is exactly what you think. Extreme halitosis interest you? This is the claim to fame of the Hooker’s sea lion. Vomit is a key ingredient! I warned you if you keep reading it’s gross. “Hyena butter” is a smelly secretion and we are only on number 6. The “musk” of a musk ox is actually urine. The bull elephant has a special gland that secretes a rancid smelling liquid. A millipede seems harmless enough, yet when threatened it can release the foul smelling gas hydrogen cyanide which can kill!  The giant petrel is a bird that loves to feast on rotting flesh and then use projectile vomiting to spread a disgusting smelling acidic liquid.  And the number 1 stinker on planet Earth?  It’s the skunk!  The skunk’s powerful squirt glands can spray up to fifteen feet to cover its target in what has been voted “the worst smell in the world”.  This book is co-sponsored by the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet which gives it a scientific base.  There are full color photographs on every page.  Why do I think tween boys would love to read this book out loud to tween girls?

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 6.0 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.

Earth by Elaine Landau

Earth. by Elaine Landau. Children's Press, 2008. 48 pages.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This book is packed with information about planet Earth and would serve as a great resource for tween research.  Reader’s attention is captured immediately with satellite images of our planet where 6.6 billion people live. Using the photographs taken from space, the predominately blue hue of the earth is attributed to the majority (70%) of its surface being covered by water, but did you know that only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water?  Not only does the book focus on the Earth’s makeup, it also describes its place in the solar system.  Do you know how fast the Earth travels in its orbit around the sun?  The answer is 66,700 miles per hour!  Gravity, astronomy, asteroids and other planets are described.  It is life, in all of its forms, that sets the Earth apart as unique among the other planets. And it is water that is the requirement for all life on Earth - plants, animals and other living things.

The “centerfold” of the book is about global warming - what it is, what causes it, an what we can do to fight it.  Some of the suggestions include driving less, using less energy, planting trees and recycling.

The full color illustrations are very appealing. Earth’s three layers; the crust, mantle and core (which can reach temperatures of 11,000 degrees F.) are clearly displayed. Interesting features of the Earth are revealed like Crater Lake which formed 7,700 years ago when water filled a collapsed volcano and Meteor Crater formed 50,000 years ago when a meteorite crashed into the Earth!  There is a chapter dedicated to the moon.  There are cool statistics and great resources.  An excellent resource for tweens.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Reading Level: 4.2 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.