Sustainable Saturdays: Coral Reefs - 2-Week Project Course
In this eye-opening 2-part project, your learner will explore the elements of coral reefs and their role in maintaining healthy oceans. They will carry out research on an assigned coral reef and create a presentation on their findings.
Shiminly
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(83)
What's included
2 live meetings
2 in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Learners will be expected to complete their project task in their own time in between Project Day 1 and Project Day 2. Learners may also be assigned a homework task related to the lesson. However, this task is for their own edification and is not mandatory.Assessment
Learners will be provided with verbal feedback by the facilitator leading the session on; how well they executed the assignment, how they have developed the target skills, and how the learner can continue to develop what they have taken from the session.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 10
Intermediate - Advanced Level
Our mission is to give students the tools they need to become Global Citizens of the 21st Century. We help shape resilient, confident, and empathetic individuals, who will be equipped with practical life skills integrated with academics, to ensure success in the real world, beyond their school careers. We use inquiry-based methodologies to encourage our learners to develop sharp, critical, and sensitive minds. This course is a special two-part project course which will run over two consecutive Saturdays. Project Day 1: On the first Saturday, your learner will explore the biological elements of coral reefs, the wildlife they harbor, and the vital role they play in ocean health and, consequently, planet health. In addition, they will learn the direct and indirect benefits of coral reefs to humans, including protective barriers, biodiversity, and tourism. Learners will then explore and discuss the most common threats to coral reefs posed by human activities and how they can be mitigated, such as overtourism, overfishing, and pollution. They will also learn about the process of acidification and its causes and effects. For their project task, which should be done in their own time in preparation for Project Day 2, they will be assigned a prominent reef from different oceans around the world. They will be asked to research how this reef has changed over the last 100 years as well as what has provoked these changes. They will investigate the current threats to this reef, what is being done to mitigate these problems, and what more can be done to safeguard this reef’s future. Project Day 2: On the second Saturday, learners will begin by recapping on what they learned in the previous lesson regarding the elements, benefits, and roles of coral reefs. They will then present their findings on the reef they were assigned to the rest of the class. After presenting, your learner will then carry out a short self-evaluation answering questions, such as; what they learned throughout the project, how the project helped them develop research and critical thinking skills, and how learning about coral reefs can help us sustain healthy oceans and, thus, a healthy planet. Finally, the teacher will provide each learner with constructive feedback on how they performed with respect to our 7 Shiminly Core Skills; Critical Thinking, Motivation and Exploration, Emotional Intelligence, Global Citizenship, Creativity and Innovation, Teamwork and Communication, and Self-Awareness and Adaptability. Upcoming Project Dates: Project Day 1: Saturday November 11, 2023 Project Day 2: Saturday November 18, 2023 Project Day 1: Saturday November 25, 2023 Project Day 2: Saturday December 2, 2023 Project Day 1: Saturday December 9, 2023 Project Day 2: Saturday December 16, 2023 Project Day 1: Saturday January 6, 2024 Project Day 2: Saturday January 13, 2024 Project Day 1: Saturday January 20, 2024 Project Day 2: Saturday January 27, 2024 General Class Structure: Each of our lessons is separated into distinct sections. After being welcomed to the class, learners will be introduced to the topic through a game or warm up activity (5-10 minutes). They will then have their existing knowledge on the topic tested with various inquiry-based questioning techniques. After, our facilitators will present them with pertinent information on the topic and the main class task (10-15 minutes). The facilitator will then present the main task, which will predominantly be student-led. During this time, students will be creating, innovating, or solving a problem while the facilitator guides them (20-25 minutes). Learners will then have the opportunity to present their class work. They will give and receive feedback from each other as well as from the facilitator (10 minutes). Before finishing the class, learners will complete a short Exit Ticket to solidify their takeaways from the class experience (5 minutes). Materials: The facilitator will share all of our content built on Canvas LMS. We use this for display purposes only and learners are not required to create an account. To make our content engaging, we diversify our delivery methods as much as possible. Our content includes static slides with text and images built on Microsoft Powerpoint, educational videos from YouTube, online games built on platforms such as Wordwall and Baamboozle, and interactive builds developed on Articulate Storyline. Our content is well-researched and referenced in every lesson, as it is all strictly factual, objective, and secular. We only use images and YouTube videos that fall under the Creative Commons license. Each of our lessons is also matched with a selection of Common Core and CPalms standards and is inspired by a variety of UNESCO key topics.
Learning Goals
For each of our projects, we curate a set of Core Skills, Subskills, Academic Skills, and our own Shiminly Skills that learners will develop. For this particular project, the skillset is as follows:
Core Skill: Global Citizenship
Subskills: Environmentalism, Exploration, and Responsibility
Academic Skills: Environmental responsibility, giving advice, and understanding ecosystems
Shiminly Skills: Awareness, initiative, and respect for the environment
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We are committed to protecting your child’s privacy and protecting them from harmful or inappropriate content. We use Canvas LMS to store and display content only using the screen share feature on Zoom. Learners are NOT required to make an account with Canvas and will not be able to interact with the content in any way, nor are they permitted to view any of our content outside of class hours.
Learners WILL be required to have a Google Suite account, as they may have to digitally submit an assignment to our facilitator using Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Drive. We ask that parents create a dedicated and anonymous email account for the sole use of online task submission. Our facilitators will ensure to protect all personal information of learners.
Our facilitators ONLY show content that has been created and reviewed by our instructional design team. We design static slides using PowerPoint and Articulate Storyline. In addition, please find a list of our external sources, which we embed onto our Canvas pages and display through screen-share only:
Wordwall (https://wordwall.net/) - All of our Wordwall games are built in-house by our instructional design team. We do not use games that have not been built by a Shiminly instructional designer. These games are displayed through the screen-share feature only and learners are not permitted to interact with the games in any way.
Baamboozle (https://www.baamboozle.com/games) - All of our Baamboozle games are built in-house by our instructional design team. We do not use games that have not been built by a Shiminly instructional designer. These games are displayed through the screen-share feature only and learners are not permitted to interact with the games in any way.
Regarding the class topic, some content may be triggering for learners (e.g., emotions, finance, health). Such content will be approached with the utmost care and respect by our facilitators. Any questions asked during the lesson are preset and generalized and do not pertain directly to the learners. Learners will not be asked to share any of their personal experience related to this topic. Advice provided in the lesson is specific to the topic and not personalized. This class should not be viewed as a substitute for therapy or life counseling in any way.
Supply List
To participate fully in our sessions, learners require; a pencil, an eraser, a notebook, and internet access for research purposes.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Source 1: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-do-coral-reefs-form-2291791
Source 2: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/marine-life/coral-reef-ecosystems
Source 3: https://youtu.be/3kb0bz-3lWc
Teacher expertise and credentials
1 teacher has a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's Degree from Hampshire College
Mr. Justin Erkess is an enlightening and inspiring educator and a true global citizen. He has over 20 years’ experience traveling the world and educating learners of all countries, cultures, and creeds. He specializes in environmental education and mindfulness and has helped countless learners get involved and make a positive impact on their communities and natural surroundings. He has also worked to establish working relationships between establishments such as supermarkets, farmers, food banks, schools, and religious institutions to build a healthier and more sustainable future for his community.
Mr. Erkess holds an honors degree in Geography and Social Sciences. He is also TESOL-certified.
As well as an enriching professional career, Mr. Erkess has also led a life full of travel and culture. He is passionate about language learning and is conversational in Spanish and Russian. He is currently studying Usbek. In addition, he has spent years discovering the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of the Chinese art of kung fu.
Mr. Erkess is a firm believer in creating deep and meaningful connections between communities, cultures, and nature.Reviews
Live Group Class
$45
for 2 classes1x per week, 2 weeks
60 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-16
1-12 learners per class
