Wind, Environmental Justice, and Literacy in ESL Science
My students need 26 copies of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind". They also need cork, 20 rulers, 14 motors, and other supplies to create their own windmills.
My students come from many different countries, and are eager to learn! However, the language barrier can get discouraging. Hands-on activities in which they can use creativity to bridge the gap have so far proven to be the most effective for these active children.
This is an ESL Sheltered Earth Science class, in which all of the students are low-level English speakers.
We have students from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. These students have responded very well to hands-on activities, as these types of projects tend to take away much of the language barrier and allow students to actively participate in the learning process.
My Project
These students will read "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind", a book about a young man from Malawi who learned about wind energy and constructed a windmill to power a well to alleviate the symptoms of drought in his village. They will learn new vocabulary and increase their literacy skills while reading the book, then they will get a chance to try building one for themselves. They will construct their own windmill from materials like cereal boxes, index cards, and paper clips. We will attach their motors to a circuit board to light up an LED light when their windmill is operational. They will have the chance to refine their designs to ultimately design the most powerful windmill in the class. They will then have a chance to conclude by skyping with students in Durham's sister city of Arusha, Tanzania, showing off their designs and comparing notes.
Students deserve to see real-life examples of science working in people's lives.
They deserve the chance to see someone like them taking an active role in using environmental technology to improve his standard of living. We will take science out of the textbook and into the real world, allowing the students to be active participants in experiencing the intimate connection of environmental science to social justice.
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