Chitizenship Coursework

On the Monday 19th January we decided to go to Meadow Primary School, which is mine and Katie's old primary school, to talk to a class of year 4 children about why we need trees. The group of children where specially selected by the Headmaster as they had recently been on a trip that had a lot to do with nature and involved many nature based activities. Our presentation included a short PowerPoint presentation on the topic we had chosen which was â€Å"Why we need trees†, and asking the children to answer some questions at the end on the topic, using the information that was provided in the presentation and some booklets that we had also made and provided. These included some information, questions and other activities, as well as a web site where they could get more information. We where originally going to plant a tree with the children as well, but because of unfortunate rainy weather we where not able to as the ground was to muddy and slippery. Describe your Role As my part I introduced who we where, why we where here and what we had come to talk about. I also talked about the contents of slides 1-8, as we decided to talk about the slides that we made, mine being about why trees are important to our and other animals survival. The slides did not only have information on but also some questions that I asked them to see how much they knew already and to get them involved to interests them more as I did not think they would be to interested with us just talking for about half an hour as the children between ages of 8 and 9. As we where early finishing I also took part in quizzing the children on the presentation, which was actually quite a good method to find out what they learnt, which in turn helped see how interesting and helpful our presentation was. Planning Stages We decided to do our presentation when we where looking through a booklet in our PSHCE lesson, that had suggestions in of what we could do for our coursework. We decided this could be fun for both the children and us and be an opportunity to see how well we can interact with children. We discussed a school that would be appropriate for us to go to and then got in contact with the head master by writing a letter. After he replied saying he would like us to go and see him, me and Katie went to see him to tell him in more detail about our intensions. After he said we would be allowed, we started preparing our presentation. We told him about the woodlands trust, and asked them if it would be ok to set up a school planting program. This would mean they would get tree, plants, and shrubs sent to them, which they could plant on the school grounds. This was also, where we got the trees that we would be planting from. After we finished the presentation and booklets, Katie and I went back to Meadow to arrange a date when we could go, and the group of students we would be presenting it to. Many different factors affected this as we where hoping to do it on a Monday afternoon when we had PSHCE as then we would not have to miss any of our other lessons, but it also had to be appropriate for the school, as we could not do it before Christmas as they had school plays and where doing other activities. The Headmaster also had important meetings, and wanted to see us do the presentation as well. My Contribution My contribution to the planning was helping to write the letter to the headmaster of Meadow Primary School telling him of our intensions and asking if we could go and see him to explain in more detail and hopefully get his permission to prepare and give a presentation on our chosen topic. When he replied I went to see him along with Katie to explain in more detail and get permission to give the presentation, and to arrange a group of children who we would be giving our presentation to. Once we knew this I started making slide 1-8 of the presentation. To do this I looked on the tree for all website to get some ideas and information about what I could include, along with various other websites that provided information about our chosen topic. Contribution of Others The rest of my group done very similar work to me as we wanted to make sure the work was split equally between us, and that we where all happy with what we where doing. As I mentioned before we all contributed to helping write the letter as we knew it would be important to get a reply. Katie came with me to see the headmaster to organise dates etc and explain in more detail about what we wanted to do. She also created the next part of the power point which was slides 9-16 which where about what problems where being caused due to there being less trees, and why they where being cut down. She also researched information on the internet a created slides 17-22 which where about what we could do to help and also a slide on the woodlands trust website as they played an important part I our talk. Kelly made the booklets that we gave to the children using the information that we put on the power point, and also finding pictures and activities that would help make the booklet more interesting. As we also wanted to plant a tree we got together to talk about where we could get one from, and decided that we talk to the headmaster of meadow about getting involved with the tree for all program which meant they would be sent boxes of trees, hedges, shrubs etc that would be at a suitable size to plant. He said that they where interested in doing this and was sent the box of plant life, and allowed us to plant one of them each instead of having to buy our own. Activity Log Activity Group/Individual Date Writing a letter to the headmaster Group 3/11/08 Meeting the headmaster to organise details Group 14/11/08 – 9/01/09 Researching information for the topics we where doing Individual 14/11/08 -06/12/08 Creating slides in the PowerPoint or booklets Group/Individual 14/11/08 -06/12/08 Talking about the presentation Group/Individual 19/01/09 Asking questions Group/Individual 19/01/09 We thought educating children about the value of trees would be a good idea because there where lots of things to talk about especially as issues such as global warming are now becoming a problem. We decided to talk to a group of younger children as we felt it would be more interesting for them and they would be more likely to listen and get involved. I also feel it is important to educate the children at an earlier age, so they will interested in helping by recycling, turning of lights etc at an earlier age, and get into a routine of it so it will carry on when they are older. Even though there was quite a bit of work involved I am still glad I decided to do the project because both the group and the children found it fun, although it was a bit disappointing that we did not get to plant the trees. When the headmaster replied to our letter, me and Katie went to see him which although was a bit daunting, it was also very helpful as he gave us some ideas and tips that could help us prepare the presentation and improve our work, which soon made us feel much better about going to see him again. Going to see the headmaster also helped me to see what it would be like in the future going to see an employer as I now know what its like to be questioned about what I want to do. I was so relived when he said yes because it was a school I was familiar with and also one of the easiest to get to, which made everything a lot easier to organise. It took quite a long time to prepare the presentation as we had to fit it all together, and find times when we all could get together at the end to edit the power point and make sure we all thought it was informational, yet not to complicated for the children to understand. We also had to make sure the booklets where informational yet fun so the children will take interest in them. A lot of the information we included we thought of ourselves, but researched facts that we could include to show them more clearly how bad problems like global warming and deforestation where getting, but telling them other things like what we can do to help we came up with ourselves from things we already knew. Team work played an important part in our project as we had to all do equal parts in order to make it fair, but we also had to be happy with the part we where given which we where. On my own it would have taken me much longer to do and also would have been more scary to do the presentation, so I'm glad I was able to work in a team as it made the experience more enjoyable. List of Supporting Evidence We have kept a copy the letter we wrote to the headmaster as proof of our visit, and we have also kept copies of the power point presentation and booklets. We where also given some copies of the letters that the headmaster sent out to the parents of the children to make them aware of our visit and our intentions, which has his signature and contact details of the school. There where also other documents that where created whilst organising dates etc which the headmaster, but we have not included them as they where just notes as a reminder of the date and time and other details like what age the children where. The power point was really just a background that would help us to give our speeches by showing facts and other details, and it also make the talk more interesting for the children, as we used bright colours and pictures. We choose a green theme as we thought that would be the most appropriate colour, and included pictures of animals as we told of how they could be affected if all the trees where cut down, because I think it is important the children know the effects global warming and deforestation has on the animals, as well as ourselves. I think creating the power point was the hardest part, because we had to make informational, but complicated to understand, which meant we had to be careful about what we talked about and our vocabulary, because if we mentioned something or said words that the children did not understand they would become confused, so we asked other people like our parents what they thought before we went back to tell him it was finished. The booklets where something we made as an extra for the for the children and consisted of activities like dot to sots and bullet pointed some information and facts that where mentioned during the presentation. We made them as an encouragement for children to do something more, like convincing their parents to recycle more etc, as they would be able to remember facts and what they can do to help better. We also included the Tree for All website on them, so they will be able to go on there and get more information and ideas. Use of Supporting Evidence I think writing the letter to the headmaster was the most important part of our work, because without it we would not have been able to do our presentation, and may have ended up doing something else, which would have been really disappointing. The power point was also important as it helped keep the children from getting bored, as well as reminding us what to say by showing facts and information, as without we would have had to memorise a speech which would have been hard to remember and probably quite boring for the children, which would have made it quite nerve wrecking and probably not as enjoyable. I also think it was better that we made booklets for them even thought they where not necessary, as it meant the children would be more likely to get involved as they had something that could tell them how, and them doing something like, turning of lights, recycling, etc would still be and achievement as our aim wasn't just to inform, but to try and convince them to get involved. Once we finished the presentation we questioned the children on what they had learnt, and this proved that we where successful in capturing their interest, as we where afraid of none of them getting involved and putting their hands up, but many of them did which was very pleasing as it meant our visit has had some kind of effect. Doing this presentation has also taught me some new things, especially when we where creating the power point, for example I now know that the Amazon Rainforest gives us more than 20% of our oxygen, and that nearly half of it has been cut down. I found this quite shocking, and it made me realise just how bad things are getting environmentally, and made me think more about what could be drastic effects that these damages could have, like more illnesses due to less trees removing the air pollution. I am really disappointed that we did not get to plant the trees as it would have been nice to give them and example, and it would have been a new experience for me, and a lot of the children who have never planted a tree before, although hopefully they will get chances in the future now that the school is getting trees to plant from the woodlands trust. I hope that they will enjoy doing this and that our visit will encourage them to do things outside of school and suggest ideas to any outer school clubs they go to, or get involved with activities and events that go on within the community. Evaluation of my Own Contribution I think I done my role within the group well because I created my faire share of slides for the power point, and helped organise the presentation, which meant going to meadow primary after school, as well as working on the slides. I also helped put the power point together and improve other slides that may have been a bit complicated. I think the amount of work we done was all fair and equal and I think we done it quite well, and I was especially pleased with how the presentation went as I was really nervous in case they found us boring or would not listen and where badly behaved, but luckily we managed t interest them as they where eager to answer the questions, although they could sometimes get a bit chatty when we started discussing things, although I am still really with how well behaved they where. Evaluation of Others Contribution I think everyone in my group worked really well, and I think we functioned well as a group, as we shared the work equally and had now arguments or disagreements about what we where doing , or over who was doing what. I think it was our good teamwork and cooperation that made everything go so well. I think Emma and Katie done a really good job of creating their slides for the power point and explained them in a calm yet interesting way. Kelly also did a really good job with the booklets and finding and creating activities for them. She was also very good with her timing during the presentation as she gave us enough time to do each slide, and also made sure we switched at the right point and stayed within time. I really enjoyed working with my friends and am really happy that everything went so smoothly because of our hard work and motivation. For my PSHCE project, me and my friends Kelly, Katie and Emma, wanted to do something to help the environment. We choose to do a project based around trees, as they are an important part to the survival of living things as they provide us with oxygen. They also provide homes and food for animals and resources for us. Due to the air pollution that is given off from transport vehicles, burning fossil fuels to make electricity, etc, as more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, and traps heat emitted by the sun. This is called the greenhouse effect, and trees reduce the problem as they take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and give off oxygen. Cutting down the trees therefore speeds up the process and can lead to devastating effects like flooding that will be caused by the sea levels rising from the polar ice caps melting from the hotter temperatures. We thought the best way to help, would be to inform younger people as hopefully it would interest them at an early age to recycle, turn off lights and electrical appliances when there not being used, etc, and they would also encourage their parents and brothers and sisters to do the same. We decided the best way to do this would be to go to a primary school and give a small presentation and give out some booklets about trees, why they are important, what is happening and what we can do to help. We also thought that planting a tree with them would be a fun example and reminder of what they can do to help, as they would then see the trees everyday. The school we decided to contact was Meadow Primary School because it was near by and mine and Katie's old primary school, so we already knew the headmaster and the contact details. We decided the best way to contact him would be through a letter so we wrote one together explain what we wanted to do, why and what it involved. I put my phone number on the letter, and a couple of days later, he phoned us saying that he would be happy to let us give our presentation, and that we should go and see him after school to arrange some details. Me and Katie went because it was inconvenient for Emma and Kelly as they lived quite far away. Once there we talked about the details like when we should visit, which was preferably Monday afternoon as that is when we have PSHCE and so we would not be missing any of our other lessons. We also discussed which class we would be talking to and decided that our talk would fit in best with a group of year fours who had recently been on a school trip which had involved them learning about nature. Over the next week we created a power point presentation and some booklets. We decided to split the power point presentation into three sections, and we would each speak about the part that we done. I would be talking about why trees are important and where they are being cut down. Katie was talking about the problems cutting down trees was causing, and why they where being cut down, and Emma talked about what can be done to help. I got information of various websites which helped me to include some facts and figures, like who the Amazon Rainforest gives us 20% of our oxygen. As we where talking to children between the ages of we had to be careful of the language we used and how we phrased things, as they would not know as many words as us, and so may not understand if we said something that we had been taught in our lessons at school. I found this a bit difficult as when I am usually describing something, I like to use a wider vocabulary and try to make it very detailed, but as I had to do the opposite of this, I found I had to keep asking people for their opinion of whether the children would be able to understand, as although we did want to teach them something new, we thought it would be difficult and confusing for them to learn too many new words. When everyone had finished their part, we fitted the power point together and changed everything so it matched. We also read through it editing and adding in bits, like questions each part offered ideas from all of us making it better. When we where finished we gave Kelly the presentation so she would have the information she needed to create the booklets, which I think she done really well, as she found and created lots of activities for the children to enjoy. When we where happy with our final editing, me and Katie went back to Meadow to arrange a date for our visit, but due to the time we had some trouble, as we where doing exams, and they had Christmas plays, so we went back after Christmas and arranged the date for the 9th January. On the day we left our fourth lesson early, to get to Meadow before half two so we could prepare the presentation. While we where talking, the children where very quite and didn't talk at all, which although this was really good as showed they where listening, I did worry that they may be too shy or uninterested to answer the questions, but this was not the case. We found the children answered the questions with a lot of enthusiasm which was really pleasing as it showed they where interested in helping the environment, and capturing their interest was something we wanted to achieve. As it was to wet to plant the trees, instead we decided to spend the last 15 minuets questioning the children about the presentation, which I think went really well as like before, the children where all enthusiastic to answer the questions we asked, and gave us many of the points that where included in the power point. This was great as it showed that they had been listening and showed they where interested in the environment. I think that everything was really well although it was really disappointing that we did not get to plant the trees as it would have been fun and a great experience for us and the children, but we did get the satisfaction of knowing that they would be planting them some other time, and that they had learnt something. They also seemed to be really interested in the booklets that we made which was pleasing as hopefully they will have taken them home and done the activities and even tried some of the activities we recommended. I also hope that they will have tried to influence their parents and their siblings to help by turning of lights and recycling, as this could spread out through out the community and encourage many more people to start helping, which could have an impact on the amount of trees that are being planted and cut down.