Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview:The U.S. Green Buildings Council, according to its Web site, "a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of more than 8,500 organizations from every sector of the building industry united by a common purpose: to transform the building marketplace to sustainability." Recently it gave the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., its top honor by naming it a Platinum-rated building. This Quaker-affiliated school's new building was designed to be environmentally friendly.

Suggested time allotment: Students can read about Sidwell Friends School and other information about Green Schools (2 days) and then plan a reporting package for their paper. (Time varies)

Objectives

Students will:
•  Read about Sidwell Friends School and the Green School concept
•  Develop coverage for their student media. This could include
1.   An audit of how environmentally wise the school is
2.  A sidebar in Sidwell Friends School, including an interview with someone at the school via phone.
3.  An assessment of what their school might be planning in the future for the environment
4.  Other ideas?
•  Interview administrators, janitors, teachers and students. Be sure the news/feature coverage is fair and balanced.
•  Present findings to the class. If the group or class believes the school could be more "green," develop a plan for the School Board and Administration, outlining the steps they could take.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands , from " Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.
· VI -- Power, authority and governance. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.... High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and governance.
Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
· Find out more about the Sidwell Friends School - the middle school building in particular - in the U.S. Green Building Council press release about the award, released March 21, 2007.
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· The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Waste Management Research Center also have a Web site entitled, "Greening Schools." From here, the site includes tipcs on "greening your lesson plans," largely in science courses, and greening your building."
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· Available in downloadable pdf, is   "National Review of Green Schools: Costs, Benefits, and Implications for Massachusetts," for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, November 2005, principal author: Greg Kats.
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· See what the schools says about the Green Building on its own Web site. This also includes links to Kieran Timberlake Associates, LLP.
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· Also available is a Fox News video of a visit to the site for Earth Day.
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