Elizabeth Glaum-Lathbury, 8th Grade Reading Course
I came to the Valley and Ridge Workshop at the invitation of a friend and faculty member at Dickinson. While Valley and Ridge is designed for university-level educators, the concepts are easily applied across all levels of learning and teaching.
Using a passage from a released PSSA ELA Item and Scoring Sampler, titled “Cool Roofs,” as a springboard, I built a unit for my 8th grade Reading course. Topics include green roofs; segregation and historical housing policies in the US; affordable and clean energy; and a student-proposed, inquiry-based project.
During the workshop, I formulated an idea for students to work to improve their community through reading, writing, and public speaking. Students will read passages about the aforementioned topics and reflect on how these have impacted their school community. Does segregation and inequity exist in their town? How has it shaped the neighborhoods where they live compared to surrounding communities? What needs exist that can be changed through action? Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guide, through readings, partnerships with professionals, and research, students will create an action plan to enact change on the school campus or within the community. They will present their proposal to the appropriate government entities– either the School Board or Borough Council.
More generally, attending the workshop allowed me an opportunity to re-envision my classes through a lens of sustainability and engage in discussion with other like-minded professionals.