Using stories and storytelling to teach environmental issues Unit 10:

Elementary Science

Unit 10: Using stories and storytelling to teach environmental issues

Teacher Education through School-based Support in India www.TESS-India.edu.in

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

The TESS-India project (Teacher Education through School-based Support) aims to improve the classroom practices of elementary and secondary teachers in India through studentcentred and activity-based approaches. This has been realised through 105 teacher development units (TDUs) available online and downloaded in printed form. Teachers are encouraged to read the whole TDU and try out the activities in their classroom in order to maximise their learning and enhance their practice. The TDUs are written in a supportive manner, with a narrative that helps to establish the context and principles that underpin the activities. The activities are written for the teacher rather than the student, acting as a companion to textbooks. TESS-India TDUs were co-written by Indian authors and UK subject leads to address Indian curriculum and pedagogic targets and contexts. Originally written in English, the TDUs have then been localised to ensure that they have relevance and resonance in each participating Indian state’s context. TESS-India is led by The Open University and funded by UKAID from the Department for International Development.

Version 1.0 Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

Contents Introduction

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Learning outcomes

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Using traditional stories in the elementary classroom

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Working with storytellers

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Getting your students to interact with stories

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Using environmental stories in the classroom

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Activities based on ‘The Story of Mr Fox’

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Concept stories

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Summary

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Resources

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Resource Resource Resource Resource

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Stories that can be used in teaching science The work of Arvind Gupta Use of drama techniques in teaching science ‘The Rat and the Rat Snake’

Related units

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References

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Acknowledgements

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Introduction

Introduction Storytelling has been an integral part of Indian culture for thousands of years, with many stories being passed on from one generation to the next. Using these traditional stories, and those written by contemporary Indian authors, can provide an enriching teaching tool in the elementary science classroom. Listening to and reading stories can enable students to explore a range of concepts. Stories can be used to introduce new topics and terminology, explain abstract ideas, and present scientific problems. They thus provide an excellent basis for meaningful scientific enquiry. This unit explores the use of traditional and contemporary Indian stories to teach elementary science in an engaging way.

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Using stories and storytelling to teach environmental issues

Learning outcomes After studying this unit, you should be able to:

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plan lessons that use stories to introduce students to new scientific concepts

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use stories and storytelling as a basis for delivering inspiring and interactive student activities.

1 Using traditional stories in the elementary classroom

1 Using traditional stories in the elementary classroom Pause for thought .

Have you previously used stories to support your teaching? Can you recall a story that captured your students’ imagination?

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How do you think stories could be used to support teaching in elementary science?

Most traditional and contemporary stories follow a familiar pattern, namely: 1 Setting the scene. 2 Presenting a problem. 3 Resolving the problem. This three-stage structure has similarities with the process of scientific enquiry, whereby students are presented with a context, given a problem and asked to find a solution. Other scientific skills – such as observing, predicting and evaluating – can be promoted through the use of storytelling. Students can observe what is happening in a story through pictures or visual imagery, predict outcomes on the basis of existing knowledge, evaluate what has taken place from different perspectives, and draw conclusions from the events as a whole. Using well-known stories with familiar characters can provide an inspiring starting point for many scientific investigations. One elementary teacher used the familiar story of Rama and Sita to develop her students’ investigative skills as the festival of Diwali was approaching. Having revisited the story, she brainstormed a range of ways in which she could make use of it in her elementary science teaching. Look at the copy of her brainstorming results in Figure 1 and consider how she used the events and characters in the story to promote scientific enquiry.

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Figure 1 A teacher’s brainstorming summary on how she might use the story of Rama and Sita in teaching science.

Pause for thought .

How have the events and characters in the story been used to encourage scientific enquiry?

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Do you think your students would be inspired by these activities?

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How could you use similar activities in your classroom?

The following activity asks you to choose a story and then identify the opportunities it offers for teaching elementary science.

Activity 1: Collecting stories Using your knowledge of traditional or contemporary stories, identify three that could be used to support your teaching of the elementary science curriculum. In addition to recalling stories from your childhood, look for inspiration from the books available in your school and those you have at home. Sharing your list with a colleague will give you further ideas. Select one of the stories you have noted down and – using the question prompts below – brainstorm the teaching opportunities it offers. (Brainstorming is the subject of TDU 1, Using brainstorming to elicit prior knowledge: sound and musical instruments.)

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1 Using traditional stories in the elementary classroom

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What scientific concepts are covered by the story?

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What problems do the characters experience in the story and how could these be used as a starting point for scientific enquiry?

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Does the story contain any opportunities for students to predict what might happen next?

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Does the story contain any factual information?

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Does the story include scientific vocabulary?

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Does the story relate to your students’ personal experiences (such as observing the Moon, watching seeds grow or feeling the wind)?

Resource 1 suggests some traditional and contemporary stories that can be used to teach elementary science. Refer to this list if you need support with identifying a suitable story or wish to explore additional stories to exploit in this way. Once you have completed your brainstorming, make a summary to share with your colleague, and ask them to evaluate your proposed activities. Then consider how you could implement your ideas in your lesson planning. When you have completed this unit, revisit your brainstorming summary from this activity and add any further thoughts you may have.

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2 Working with storytellers Storytelling is still a popular performance art in modern India, with many traditional performance artists combining speaking and singing to convey their tales. The following case study describes how one teacher arranged a visit from a local performance artist to introduce the topic of tree conservation to her class.

Case Study 1: Miss Kari uses a performance artist to inspire her students Miss Kari is a Class IV elementary science teacher at a Government School in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. She belongs to the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan. Read how she invited a performance artist and folklore singer to visit her elementary science class after meeting him at the Marwar Festival, held in the first week of October. At the Marwar Festival, I watched Mangilal tell the story of the Bishnoi people who fought to conserve the trees in their village. I was captivated as he performed ballads and used his Kaavad, a red box decorated with illustrations depicting scenes from the story, to bring the tale alive [Figure 2]. I knew that his performance would inspire my students to find out more about tree conservation. I invited him to visit my school and asked him to narrate the story of Amrita.

Figure 2 A traditional Indian storyteller with a Kaavad.

The day before Mangilal visited my school, I asked my students to work in groups of four and write down five questions that they wanted to ask him about tree conservation. On the morning of the visit, the students were very excited. Mangilal started his performance by asking the students which trees grew in their community and whether they considered them to be important. Then he started singing the ballad of the Bishnois. As he did so, he opened each door of the Kaavad, to reveal the colourful illustrations that told the tale. The students were captivated. As Mangilal continued, he interspersed his story with thought-provoking questions such as: What would life be

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2 Working with storytellers

like without trees? Why do we need trees? Do you think trees need protecting? What can be done to protect them? At the end of the session, he listened to the students’ suggestions and answered their questions.

Miss Kari reflects on the storytelling The visit was a huge success. I really don’t think my students would have been so inspired if I had told the story myself. Over the following weeks, my students were really motivated to learn about tree conservation and the story of the Bishnoi community. I felt that the story encouraged my students to explore the issues surrounding tree conservation in a meaningful context. With the support of my colleagues, I have now started to compile a list of local people that are willing to be invited into our school to tell stories, demonstrate a skill, or talk about their experiences, to enhance the science curriculum.

Can you think of any storytellers that could be invited to perform in your school? Are there people in your local community who could talk to students about their work and experiences? Talking to your colleagues and the parents of your students is a good way to get to know who might be available to visit your school. Start a list of people who could be approached in relation to different science topics. Resource 2 discusses the work of Arvind Gupta, an Indian scientist and toy inventor who visits schools in India and other parts of the world to promote hands-on learning in science. He may be visiting a school near you.

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3 Getting your students to interact with stories Pause for thought Think about your teaching practice. Are your students eager to talk about the stories that you have shared with them? What classroom activities have you planned in connection with these stories?

Encouraging students to think beyond the storyline and explore the dilemmas and issues faced by the characters in a story will help them to apply and manipulate scientific knowledge. Interacting with a story could involve taking on the roles of some of its characters, acting out parts of it, and engaging in a discussion or debate. Participating in such activities allows students to interpret what has happened in the story and identify possible solutions to particular problems, while using the appropriate scientific language. Table 1 suggests some simple techniques that help students to think from ‘within’ stories, to enhance their understanding of science. Table 1 Techniques for teaching with stories. Drama techniques

Drama activities can help students to explore the significant issues within the story. .

‘Role play’ asks students to play the part of characters in the story and to act out scenes of interest or explore solutions to a problem.

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‘Thought tunnel’ asks students to create a tunnel by facing a partner, forming a line and linking hands above their heads, creating a tunnel. Students are then asked to ‘be’ a story character and walk through the tunnel, saying what they are thinking or feeling.

(Refer also to Resource 3, which reviews the use of drama methods that support science learning.)

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Letters

Receiving or sending letters to people or characters gives students a real purpose for solving a scientific problem. Receiving letters requesting help from real or imaginary people or story characters provides students with particular motivation to solve certain problems. The teacher can write the letters and have them ‘delivered’ to the class by another member of staff. The letters can be received before or after reading the related story. Asking students to write letters to real or imaginary people or story characters outlining a solution to their problem encourages them to make recommendations based on their observations and understanding.

Using puppets

Simple puppets are useful in enabling students to talk directly to the characters in a story. A puppet can explain a particular problem and the students can ask it questions and help it find a solution. The puppet should be representative of a character in the story and talk directly to the students. The teacher does not need to mask the fact that they are talking on behalf of the puppet but can give it a distinct voice if wished. It may be helpful to practise this in advance.

Discussion techniques

Discussions and debates can help students to understand a scientific issue from more than one perspective. Students, in pairs or small groups, should be encouraged to have free-flowing discussions about the scientific issues in a story. In a debate an issue raised in a story, such as deforestation, may be represented by opposing opinions. The teacher can make use of this controversy by asking students to research and prepare an argument for or against a motion. An example motion might be: ‘Humans should be able to cut down all the trees they need.’ (Refer also to TDU 14, Facilitating discussion: food and malnutrition, for more techniques for using discussion in the science classroom.)

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Pause for thought

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Have you tried any of these story-based techniques with your students before? If not, are there any reasons why you haven’t?

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Ask a colleague if they have used any of these teaching techniques. If they have, ask them if you could observe them doing so.

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Next time you read a story to your class, try using just one of these techniques, observing how your students respond.

4 Using environmental stories in the classroom

4 Using environmental stories in the classroom Stories can help your students to empathise with the animals and plants, as well as the human characters, that feature in them. Environmental stories are narratives that teach students about animals, plants and the world they live in. An example of an environmental story is ‘The Story of Mr Fox’.

The Story of Mr Fox I was once a happy fox cub. I lived in a beautiful thick forest with my mother and two brothers. We ran and played in the lush grass and chased other animals. One hot day I fell fast asleep in the cool shade of a tree. Suddenly the bright sun woke me up. I opened my eyes and could not believe what I saw. Everything had changed. Everything had been destroyed. I stood and looked at the stumps that used to be trees. Nothing was left apart from hard dry ground and the beginnings of streets and buildings. I saw a deer that looked very sad. ‘Where have all the trees gone and where are all the other animals?’ I asked her. She explained how humans had chopped down all the trees but had not planted new ones to replace them. The deer said that all the other animals had left because there was no food or clean water. She told me that I should leave too because every time it rained, the ground flooded as the water could not drain away. After a while I said goodbye to the deer. My home had gone. I didn’t know where my family were and I was starting to feel very hungry and thirsty. I wandered around the empty space but I couldn’t find any clean water or food. I felt scared and alone. Day and night, I walked in search for water, food and a safe place to sleep. Whenever I stopped, humans drove me away with sticks and angry voices. I could feel my body getting weak and tired. One day, when I had almost given up all hope, I came across a cool, dark forest. As I walked through it, I could feel the moist grass under my paws. I found plenty of food and water. The forest felt safe and there were no signs that humans visited it. I still live here today. I found a mate and now we have two fox cubs of our own. The forest is magnificent and full of life. But how long will it last?

Read the following case study, which describes how an elementary teacher used ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ to introduce the topic of ecosystems.

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Case Study 1: Using a story to teach about deforestation Miss Bose is a newly qualified teacher. As a student, she had observed other teachers using stories to introduce new science topics. She therefore decided to use an environmental story to introduce her Class III students to issues relating to ecosystems. Before I started reading the story to my students, I explained that I would be stopping at various points in the story to give them the opportunity to ask me questions. I read the first paragraph of the story and asked my students ‘What do you think the story is about?’ and ‘Can you describe the forest that Mr Fox is living in?’ Although the story had no pictures, my students were able to describe the kind of forest that Mr Fox was living in. Some students even thought they knew where the forest was! I continued with the story, stopping occasionally to give my students the opportunity to predict what they thought might happen next. I asked my students ‘What has happened to Mr Fox’s forest?’ and ‘How do you think the story will end?’ I gave them two minutes to discuss their ideas with a partner, after which I continued to read. When I had finished, I asked my students what they thought about the story. These are some of the comments they made: .

I felt sorry for Mr Fox because he lost his family and home.

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I wonder what happened to the deer. She had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep.

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I am worried that the Mr Fox’s new home will be destroyed too.

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Is it a true story?

Next, I asked my students to lie on the floor with their eyes closed and imagine that they were Mr Fox sleeping under the cool shade of a tree. As I played the sound of the wind on my audio player, I asked them to open their eyes and look around the devastated forest and describe what they could see. To finish, I read ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ again and asked my students to tell me what they had learnt and what else they wanted to know. These are some of their replies: .

I would like to know what other animals lost their home when the forest disappeared.

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I want to know what foxes and deer eat.

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I would like to find out why humans are chopping down trees.

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Is there anything we can do to help the foxes?

Miss Bose reflects on the lesson I felt that using a story to introduce the topic of ecosystems and animals was far more effective than me just giving my students some facts about

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deforestation. I think my students became emotionally connected to the story and wanted to learn more about foxes and other forest animals. I did not have much experience of using drama techniques and felt quite anxious about asking my students to imagine being in a forest. However, they responded much better than I expected. It has made me want to use drama with my class again.

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5 Activities based on ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ Two elementary teachers were asked to read ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ and brainstorm the learning opportunities that the story presented. Read through their ideas with a colleague or friend and highlight the ideas that you think could work in your class. Add your ideas to the list too.

The Story of Mr Fox: ideas for activities 1 What does Mr Fox eat? Teach students about food chains. Ask them to create a food chain of a fox by painting pictures and linking them together with strips of card to create a wall hanging. Repeat this for a deer’s food chain. Discuss the impact of losing one living thing from the food chain. Define the word ‘interdependence’. 2 Where is Mr Fox now? Allow students to research the ideal habitat for foxes. Can they identify a local area where Mr Fox might live? Can they find it on the map? Would it have everything that Mr Fox would need to survive? Get the students to write to Mr Fox and tell him about the new home they have found for him. 3 What is the ideal habitat for Mr Fox? Ask the students to design the ideal habitat for Mr Fox. What food will he need to survive? Are there enough places for him to shelter? Is he safe from predators? Create a model habitat using boxes and recycled materials. Ask a fox puppet to say if he would like to live in the new habitat or not. 4 Why is deforestation happening? Why do humans need to cut down trees? Why are forests necessary? Provide the class with factsheets that help to answer each of these questions. Divide the class into three groups, each of which should research one of these questions. Ask each group to feed back to the class. Get them to do a role play, such as presenting a short news report on the subject to another class in the school. 5 What is the environmental impact of deforestation? Create a brainstorm of the role of trees in the environment, provide factsheets and allow students to research the role of trees in the environment. ‘Hot seat’ a tree (see Table 1 and Resource 3). Encourage the students to ask the tree questions about why it should be left to grow undisturbed. 6 What can we do to save Mr Fox’s forest? Create a suggestion box in class of what small things could be done to help save Mr Fox’s forest. Share ideas and write to Mr Fox to tell him what humans can do to help.

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7 Write Part 2 of ‘The Story of Mr Fox’. Will it have a happy ending? Will his cubs grow up happy and healthy? How has the forest been protected? What other dangers might he face?

The following activity asks you to read ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ to your class and carry out a simple related activity with your students.

Activity 2: Preparing a lesson plan Read through ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ one more time and choose one activity from the list above, or one of your own suggestions. Prepare the lesson plan as follows: 1 Write down the questions that you will ask your students as you read them the story. For example, what do you think has happened to Mr Fox’s family? Why did his body get weak? 2 Identify a point in the story where you could stop and ask your students to predict what will happen next. 3 Allow time after the storytelling to invite your students to tell you what they think the story is about and identify the key issues it raises. 4 What scientific vocabulary will be used? Will any terms need to be explained or defined? 5 Prepare any necessary resources in advance. Update your knowledge of deforestation before the lesson begins. 6 Conclude the lesson by reading ‘The Story of Mr Fox’ again so as to allow your students to reflect on the central message of the tale. You may find it useful to use the lesson plan template given in Resource 3 of TDU 1, Using brainstorming to elicit prior knowledge: sound and musical instruments.

Pause for thought After completing Activity 2, answer the following questions. .

How did your students respond to ‘The Story of Mr Fox’?

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Did the story inspire them to find out more about deforestation?

Now try some of the other suggestions in Activity 2 with your class. Resource 4 provides another example of an environmental story that could be used with your students. Consider writing your own environmental stories to highlight issues of relevance to your local community.

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6 Concept stories ‘Concept stories’ are short stories that that have been written to teach a specific scientific idea. Because the scientific concept is at the core of the story, the characters, settings and plots may not be fully developed. Most concept stories are written by teachers and adapted to suit the learning needs of their students. Next, you will find an example of a concept story written by an elementary science teacher who wanted to teach her students about plant lifecycles as part of a project about the role of plants in the environment.

The Story of the Rajma Bean Once there was a lonely rajma bean [red kidney bean] buried just beneath the soil. The bean waited patiently until one day he felt cool rainwater touch his skin. The ground became warm and the bean’s internal temperature started to rise. Suddenly he burst open and began to push his roots deep into the soil. Then he slowly stretched his shoot towards the sunlight. Finally, he broke through the darkness to reach the warmth of the Sun at the surface. Every day the plant grew taller and stronger as he enjoyed the sunlight. Soon his first green leaves appeared which contained chlorophyll. This allowed him to photosynthesise, which meant he could now make his own food. He did this by taking in carbon dioxide gas from the air and combining it with water and sunlight to produce the sugars he needed to grow even more. As a by-product, he released fresh oxygen from his leaves into the surrounding environment. Sometime later, he noticed small flower buds growing in between his leaves. The next day they had opened up to reveal delicate pink flowers. The bean felt very proud of himself. The farmer who watered him smiled when he saw the flowers. After a while, the flowers shrivelled, and tiny bean pods grew in their place. Inside the bean pods were baby beans, which grew bigger and heavier every day. Soon the farmer who watered the bean came to harvest the new bean pods, picking them gently from his stalk. Then the bean began to feel very tired. The farmer had stopped watering him. His body couldn’t get enough energy and he began to wilt and die. Just before he closed his eyes, he noticed that the farmer had left some of the bean pods on his stalk. The pods cracked open. He watched as the new beans fell from the pods into the soil. Then the story began again.

In the next activity, you will consider how you can make use of this story in the elementary science classroom.

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Activity 3: Writing your own concept story After you have read ‘The Story of the Rajma Bean’, write down your answers to the following questions: .

What would students learn by reading or listening to this story?

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What subject-specific vocabulary has been introduced in the story?

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What aspects of the story would need further teacher explanation?

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What activities can be planned around the story?

Think about the next science topic you are planning to teach. Try writing your own concept story to support your students’ understanding of the new topic.

Pause for thought When you have completed this unit, revisit your brainstorming summary from Activity 1 and add any further thoughts you may have.

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7 Summary Stories can be used to teach elementary science in a wide variety of ways. Traditional and contemporary stories can be used to provide a basis for scientific enquiry, as students interact with the characters and are motivated to find solutions to their problems. Stories featuring people, animals and plants can help students to gain a better understanding of wider environmental issues. Creating short concept stories can demonstrate abstract ideas in a memorable way, and help to introduce scientific vocabulary. Using stories to teach science is enjoyable and motivating for both teachers and students.

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8 Resources

8 Resources Resource 1: Stories that can be used in teaching science Table R1.1 Traditional and contemporary stories that can be utilised to teach science. Story

Science focus

‘Ganesha and Kaveri’ (traditional)

Water cycle (river sources)

‘The Famous Smile’ (contemporary) by Rivers and ecosystems Geeta Dharmarajan ‘Why the Sky is so High’ (traditional)

Water cycle Air pollution

‘The Magic Rainbow’ (contemporary) by Geeta Dharmarajan

Light (refraction) Forces (lift)

‘Free Mountain’ (contemporary) by Kaveri Cheterjee

Forces (lift)

‘Viku and the Elephant’ (contemporary) by Debu Majumder

Animals and ecosystems

‘On the Tip of a Pin Was …’ (contemporary) by Geeta Dharmarajan

Habitats (worms)

‘Walk the Grasslands with Takuri’ (contemporary) by Nima Manjrekar and Nandita Hazarika

Ecosystems (flora and fauna)

‘The Wise Tree’ (traditional)

Ecosystems (interdependence)

‘The Enchanted Saarang’ (contemporary) by Asha Hanley

Ecosystems (interdependence)

‘Black Panther’ (contemporary) by Aravind Krish Bala

Ecosystems (endangered animals)

‘In Bon Bibi’s Forest’ (contemporary) by Sandhya Rao

Ecosystems (endangered animals)

‘Gulla and the Hangul’ (contemporary) by Mariam Karim-Ahlawat

Conservation

‘Turtle Story’ (contemporary) by Kartik Shanker

Conservation (turtles)

‘Bulli and the Tiger’ (contemporary) by Shalini Reys

Conservation (human relationships with the environment)

‘Postcards from Ura’ (contemporary) by Savita Rao

Ecosystems (human relationships with the environment)

‘Razia and her Pink Elephant’ (contemporary) by Mukul Dube

Human/animal interdependence Forces (lift)

‘My Grandfather Aajoba’ (contemporary) by Taruja Parande

Life processes (human lifecycle)

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‘The King with Dirty Feet’ (traditional)

Health and personal hygiene Materials

‘Wizard Punchkin’ (traditional)

Materials

‘Ten Fools’ (traditional)

Sound (how sound travels)

‘The Musical Donkey’ (traditional)

Sound

‘The Wind and the Moon’ (traditional)

Phases of the Moon Weather systems

‘Kuttan and the Shooting Star’ (contemporary) by Serene Kasim

The Earth and beyond

‘Mai and her Friends’ (contemporary) by Durga Bai

Dark and light

‘Moon, Ramu and I’ (contemporary) by Geeta Dharmarajan

The Earth and beyond (space travel)

Resource 2: The work of Arvind Gupta Arvind Gupta is a scientist, engineer and toy maker. In the belief that students learn best by interacting and engaging with science, rather than passively listening to instruction, he visits schools and delivers lessons that demonstrate how science and play can be combined. Using recycled materials that might otherwise be thrown out, he designs simple toys that show how physics works. His first book, Matchstick Models and other Science Experiments, was reprinted in 12 languages. Gupta's website includes freely available instructions in a number of languages for making hundreds of improvised toys, as well links to short video clips on YouTube. He has won many awards for his life-long contributions to science education. He is a true inspiration to both teachers and students. .

‘Arvind Gupta: turning trash into toys for learning’ (TED, 2011) –

Gupta talking about his work .

Books and Toys – Gupta’s website contains a wealth of information,

including the life stories of influential Indian scientists, ideas for activities and stories that will enrich your students’ classroom experiences.

Resource 3: Use of drama techniques in teaching science Drama techniques can provide students with active, memorable ways of learning about science. Table R3.1 presents some suggestions.

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Table R3.1 Drama techniques that can be used to teach science. Technique

Description

A historical play

Students role play the life story of a scientist, acting out their struggle to find a solution to a problem and in particular the moment they made a new discovery.

Representations

Students are asked to make a human representation of a phenomenon, such as magnetic poles attracting or repelling each other. This can contribute to their understanding of how things work.

Freeze frame

Students act out a scientific process or phenomenon and are asked to freeze at a specific point, for example the moment when a solid turns to liquid. They are then asked to explain what is happening at that moment.

Music

Use musical recordings or other sound effects, such as dripping water, a storm or a crackling fire, to help students imagine they are in a different place, watching a scientific process taking place.

Hot seating

Working in groups, a student takes on the role of an ‘expert’ and answers questions from their peers about a particular scientific process or phenomenon. Variants on this include the whole class questioning a volunteer student, or the teacher taking on the role of the expert.

Resource 4: ‘The Rat and the Rat Snake’ This is an example of a story that can be used or adapted to teach environmental issues in the elementary science classroom.

The Rat and the Rat Snake A rat snake (Figure R4.1) lived in an ant-hill on the edge of a rice field. It loved to eat the rats, which came to the field near its burrow and into the rice store. One day the snake was very hungry and chased a rat that ran past its nose. But the rat ran faster and escaped into the rice store. The rat snake was annoyed and slithered off to find another rat to eat.

Figure R4.1 A rat snake.

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A farmer saw the rat snake and, fearing for his life, killed it with a heavy stone. He did not know that rat snakes are harmless to humans. When the rat realised that the rat snake was dead, she was very happy. She could now eat all the rice she wanted without worrying. Like other rats, she ate about 50 g of rice a day. One day the rat gave birth to eight babies. She and her babies grew up without fear as the farmer had killed the rat snake. Very soon the rat’s eight babies grew up and started eating rice too. Each of them ate 50 g of rice a day. Six weeks later, the rat became a proud grandmother. Four of her children had started a family, with eight babies each. About a month later the rat’s grandchildren were fully grown and ready to eat their share of the rice. One morning the farmer went to look at his rice store. What do you think he found?

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9 Related units

9 Related units The following units are particularly closely linked with the content of this unit. .

TDU 8, Developing observational skills: exploring the relationships between the Earth, the Sun and the Moon: This unit provides examples of how drama and movement can be used to develop students’ understanding of abstract concepts.

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TDU 9, Helping students to predict and hypothesise: states of matter: This unit includes further examples of how drama and movement can be used to develop understanding of abstract concepts.

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TDU 11, Making and using games to support learning: understanding electricity: This unit explores how games can be adapted and used to encourage student interaction.

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TDU 14, Facilitating discussion: food and malnutrition:: This unit explores the different ways that students can apply and develop their understanding of scientific concepts through discussion and argumentation.

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TDU 15, Using outdoor spaces: studying plants in their environment: This unit promotes active learning through the use of outdoor spaces.

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References Books Braund, M. and Reiss, M. (2004) Learning Science Outside the Classroom, pp. 1–12. London: RoutledgeFarmer. Centre for Environmental Education for NCERT (undated) Joy of Learning: Handbook of Environmental Education Activities, Standard 3 to 5 (online). Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre Ahmedabad. Available from: http://www.ceeindia.org/cee/pdf_files/JOL%203-5.pdf (accessed 11 February 2014). Dotlich, R.K. (2006) What is Science?, illustrated by Sachiko Yawakashi. Henry Holt & Co. (see also http://rebeccakaidotlich.com/bookcase/concept.html). Konicek-Moran, R. (2013) Everyday Physical Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-based Science Teaching. Arlingont, VA: National Science Teachers Association. See also: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/files/PB333X1web.pdf (accessed 11 February 2014). Lind, K.K. (1999) Science in Early Childhood: Developing and Acquiring Fundamental Concepts and Skills. American Association for the Advancement of Science and the US National Science Foundation. NCERT (2007) Looking Around: Textbook for Class III, NCERT Books. Websites and online resources Bishnoism (undated) ‘Bishnois, the first environmentalists of India’ (online). Available from: http://www.bishnoism.com/thefirst.php (accessed 17 February 2014). Books and Toys, http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/ (accessed 17 February 2014). Fien, J., Cox, B. and Calder, M. (undated) ‘Teaching and learning for a sustainable future: a multimedia teacher education programme’ (online), UNESCO. Available from: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/ theme_d/mod21.html (accessed 17 February 2013). Kevin Strauss: Children’s Author and School Speaker, Tales with Tails Story Programs, http://www.naturestory.com (accessed 17 February 2014). Read, C. (2008) ‘Scaffolding children’s learning through story and drama’ (online), IATEFL Young Learner Publication. Available from: http://www. carolread.com/articles/s%20learning%20through%20story%20and% 20drama%20CATS%20Autumn%2008.pdf (accessed 17 February 2014).

Sabnani, N. (2009) ‘The Kaavad storytelling tradition of Rajasthan’, Design Thoughts, July. Available from: http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in/resources/dt-july2009/kaavad.pdf (accessed 17 February 2014). Songs for Teaching (undated) ‘Earth songs about nature, environmental concern conservation and alternative sources of energy’ (online). Available from: http:// www.songsforteaching.com/environmentsongs.htm (accessed 17 February 2014). TED (2011) ‘Arvind Gupta: turning trash into toys for learning’ (online), April (filmed December 2010). Available from: http://www.ted.com/talks/ arvind_gupta_turning_trash_into_toys_for_learning.html (accessed 17 February 2014). Wikipedia (2014) ‘Rat snake’ (online), 11 February. Available from: http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_snake (accessed 17 February 2014).

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements The content of this teacher development unit was developed collaboratively and incrementally by the following educators and academics from India and The Open University (UK) who discussed various drafts, including the feedback from Indian and UK critical readers: Snighda Das and VBS, Jane Devereux, and Christine James. Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit: Figure 2: © spotreporting, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ 29792566@N08/5159018218/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/2.0/deed.en). Figure R4.1: © Felix Reimann, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File: Zamenis_longissimus.jpg (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/deed.en). Clip art: used with permission from Microsoft. Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

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