Vacant Lot Community Eco-center

1. Vacant LotCommunity Eco-center Celeste Acosta, Lindsey Loflin, Melissa Rivera, Edith G. Hernandez

2. The purpose of the eco-center is to provide an outdoor learning environment where students can learn about different habitats and the effects of community builders on them, as well as to get the community involved.

3. Essential Question How does community expansion effect habitats?

4. Content Areas3rd Grade Standards • Science • Observe and describe the habitats of organisms within an ecosystem. • Describe the environmental changes in which some organisms would thrive, become ill, or perish. • Language Arts • Write to record ideas and reflections. • Write in different forms for different purposes, such as lists to record, and letters to invite or thank. • Social Studies • Identify examples of actions, individuals, or groups can take to improve the community.

5. What grade levels will participate?... Lessons could be adapted so that all grade levels could participate. It could span an entire school year and classes could schedule weekly visits.

6. Lessons/Activities Science: • Students will observe and record the lifecycle of several organisms. (Ex. Caterpillars, tadpoles…) • Students will research the survival needs of organisms within our eco-center. • Students will create a weather center with a thermometer, barometer, anemometer, weather vane, wind sock, and rain gauge.

7. Lessons/Activities Social Studies • Students will organize community involvement by writing letters to members of the local community asking for volunteers and donations for supplies. • Students will investigate how community expansion effects local habitats.

8. Lessons/Activities Language Arts • Students will keep a reflective journal to record and reflect upon their observations.

9. Resources Field Experience • Nature Discovery Center • Tour discovery center, and discuss habitats. Guest Speakers • Eric Duran, from the Nature Discovery Center • Guide students in how to create habitats for living organisms. • Dr. Neil Frank, from Channel 2 News • Talk to students about tracking weather in their weather center. Books • In My Garden By: Helen & Kelly Oechsli • Shows students how to take part in creating their own garden. • The Big Book of Nature Projects By: The Children’s School of Science • Includes a variety of nature experiments and projects that children can do. • Play and Find Out About Nature By: Janice Van Cleave • Easy experiments for children to do outdoors exploring nature. Websites • Spark Parks • http://www.sparkpark.org • Information on how to start a school/community project. • Creating A School Garden 101 • http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/healthy/active-ate/pdfs/create_school_garden.pdf • Overview of how and why to create a school garden, and materials, and things needed to complete the project. • The Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas • http://www.naba.org/chapters/nababest/index.htm • An informational website about butterflies and how to incorporate into classroom instruction. • Houston Wilderness • www.houstonwilderness.org • A Bridge between a dynamic, growing city and the wetlands, forests, prairies and river systems that sustain us as individuals and communities.

10. Pitfalls • One major pitfall is weather, if there is too much rain it will effect the survival of the organisms, and also disrupt observation time for the students. • Funding is another possible pitfall, if community sponsors do not come through there will not be enough money to maintain the eco-center.