The Science Behind the Stories with Grade 6

Sixth-grade students mixed creativity, scientific knowledge, and interactive storytelling as they wrote, edited, illustrated, and read aloud their own environmental science storybooks during a recent class presentation.

In Social Studies class with teacher Beth Hunter, the students learned about a myriad of environmental topics and issues, exploring their causes, effects, and potential solutions. As the unit of study progressed, they also learned about renewable and nonrenewable resources, focusing on the importance of sustainability and how it impacts the world. Additionally, Mrs. Hunter introduced the books, The Great Kapok Tree authored by Lynne Cherry and One Plastic Bag authored by Miranda Paul, setting the stage for deeper discussions about environmental responsibility.

“This project was a great way to not only introduce the students to a handful of environmental issues affecting us today, but allow them the opportunity to research the topics they found deeply interesting,” said Mrs. Hunter. “It is so important to understand our environmental impact and responsibility along with actions we can take to become stewards for a better future.”

Over the course of two months, the students selected their topic from a list of about 10 different environmental issues. Some of the topics included wind and turbine energy, solar power, climate change, the coral reef, space debris, and more. Once approved by Mrs. Hunter, the students began researching and crafting their stories following a structured rubric. The content had to include a character that introduced readers to the topic at hand, the background and explanation of the topic, how the topic affects humans and the greater world, and how the topic could be solved. Most importantly, the content had to feature illustrations that enrich the story.

For the building of the storybook, the students designed a colorful cover page with their name and title and then laid out each page of their story before assembling by either taping or bounding them using string. Once finished, the students were ready to present. One-by-one, each student stepped into the spotlight to read their story to their classmates. Mrs. Hunter advised the students to enunciate and display their illustrations. As each student was reading, their classmates were instructed to write a few comments about what they liked about the story and topic discussed.

For the final assessment, students were graded in seven areas; specifically, the basic concept of the topic chosen, lesson taught, accuracy of facts presented, use of vocabulary and writing skills, illustrations, grammar and spelling, and cover and sources page. The students were also graded on their written notebook entries, which included their research notes, investigative questions and answers, and informative facts they learned about their topic of choice. The final entry included a reflection page that detailed what they learned throughout the whole process and their overall thoughts of the different environmental issues discussed by their classmates.