Activity 13: Community Celebration

 

 
 Steelhead Trout. Illustration from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Overview
Background Information
Objectives
Time
Materials
Advance Preparation
Setting the Stage
Conducting the Activity
Wrap-Up

Overview
For this activity participants invite members of the community to a celebration where they present the results of the unit activities, unveil their community art project, show portfolios of their work, and express appreciation for the help they received. In this way, the unit comes full circle, as the participants are now salmon and steelhead “experts” presenting what they have learned to members of the community.

Background Information
Celebrating hard work and success is an important component of learning within a community context. Throughout this unit, participants have explored their community’s connections to salmon and steelhead. By planning a celebration event, participants gain experience in communicating with the community and reflecting on what they have learned and accomplished. Taking time to celebrate helps participants to see that their actions really do make a difference - both to the salmon and steelhead and to the people in their community.

Objectives
Participants will: (1) plan a celebration of what they have learned and accomplished through the Agua Pura: Exploring Salmon and Steelhead in California Communities unit, (2) create thank-you cards for the salmon and steelhead resource professional, community artist, and other community members who helped them in the unit, (3) create a presentation and share what they have accomplished with community members, and (4) celebrate their hard work.

Time
Setting the Stage: One to two group sessions, plus time for participants to prepare their presentations and other celebration events
Activity: One to two group sessions

Materials

  • Participants’ work from throughout the unit, including:
    • Team portfolios
    • Completed community art project (from Activity 3)
    • Watershed pamphlets (from Activity 7)
    • Community maps (from Activity 8)
    • Life stories (from Activity 9)
    • Tank designs (from Activity 10)
    • Products from restoration project (from Activity 12)
    • Haiku poems (from Activity 12)
    • Photos of students doing activities and projects
  • Photos and other materials for making “thank-you” cards
  • Celebration food (see Advance Preparation )
  • Napkins, plates, cups, utensils as needed for the food
  • Copies of “Planning a Project ” worksheet, 1 per team (from Activity 12: Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project )
  • Copies of “Reflecting on the Unit ” worksheet, 1 per person
  • Completed copies of the “What I Know and What I Want to Know ” worksheet (from Activity 1)

Advance Preparation

  1. Decide on a suitable location for the celebration, involving participants in the process as much as possible. Depending on the activities your participants plan, you might have the celebration at a picnic area by your local creek, the permanent location of your community art project, the school auditorium, or your meeting room. Make the necessary arrangements for the location you choose. If you will be visiting the creek or other off-site location, follow the suggestions for Planning Field Study Trips under Unit Overview: Tips for Managing the Unit .
  2. Choose a date and time for the celebration and have participants write invitations to community members. Be sure to invite parents, your salmon and steelhead resource professional, the community artist, and anyone else who has helped with the unit. You might also invite local politicians, representatives from local watershed groups, or other community members who would be interested in participants’ work.
  3. As part of the celebration planning, participants may decide what refreshments they would like to have (see Setting the Stage ). About a week before the event, send home a note to some or all of the parents asking for their help in providing food and drink, making clear what to bring, and when and where to bring it. Communicate any food allergies or other restrictions as necessary.

Setting the Stage

  1. Propose to participants that they plan an event to celebrate their hard work and successes throughout the unit and to unveil or display their community art project.
  2. Have teams look at their team portfolios to review what they have learned over the course of the unit. Have them select from their portfolios four or five works that illustrate their accomplishments and learning, and that show the breadth and depth of their understanding.
  3. Explain that participants will be able to share their portfolios at the community celebration. Ask them what else they would want to share with parents and other members of the community about the unit activities. List their ideas on the board. For example, they might:

    • Show a slide presentation of the habitat restoration project.
    • Prepare and deliver an informative presentation on unit activities.
    • Make a bulletin board display of watershed pamphlets (from Activity 7) and tank designs (from Activity 10).
    • Post the community maps (from Activity 8).
    • Read their salmon or steelhead life stories (from Activity 9) or haiku poems (from Activity 12).
    • Lead a shortened version of The Incredible Journey game (from Activity 2).
    • Guide community members on a creek walk.
  4. Ask them what kind of food and drink they would like to have and other activities they would want to include in the celebration. For example, they might want to have salmon and steelhead related decorations, foods, music, or stories (see Advance Preparation from Activity 1: Getting to Know Salmon and Steelhead for suggestions). List their ideas on the board.
  5. If necessary, help participants narrow down the activities to a manageable number. Help each team choose an activity to plan and execute. For example, a team might be in charge of decorations, food, bulletin boards, a slide show presentation, or presenting the community art project.
  6. Give each team a copy of the “Planning a Project ” worksheet from Activity 12: Planning a Restoration Project. The team should list on their worksheet the tasks that would be involved in their activity, and then decide who will be doing what task. Check each team’s worksheet to make sure that participants have thought of every task and have divided up the tasks fairly. If participants plan to give oral presentations, make sure that they include the task of practicing the presentations before the celebration.
  7. Depending on the activities planned, help participants decide on a suitable location for the celebration (see Advance Preparation ).
  8. Allow time for participants to carry out any tasks that must be done before the event.

Conducting the Activity

  1. On the day of the event, help participants set up the event activities they have planned.
  2. Help participants carry out the activities they planned for the event. Be sure to:

    • Unveil the community art project.
    • Have different participants present and/or describe the unit activities and what they learned through them.
    • Give parents time to look at participants’ portfolios and the other work on display (community maps, participant brochures, salmon or steelhead life stories, poetry, and the KWLR chart).
    • Introduce the salmon and steelhead professional, community artist, and any other members of the community who helped participants throughout the unit, and publicly thank them for their participation.
    • Serve food and drink.

Wrap-Up

  1. Have participants look at the KWLR chart and add any final thoughts or questions.
  2. Ask participants to read the “What I Know and What I Want to Learn ” worksheets they filled out at the beginning of the unit (see Activity 1: Getting to Know Salmon and Steelhead ). Have them think about what they knew at the beginning of the unit, what they wanted to learn, and what they did learn. Ask them to complete the “Reflecting on the Unit ” worksheet as a way to self-assess their learning.
  3. Meet with individual teams to review their portfolios. Have them share with you the pieces they have included in their portfolios, why they chose each piece, and how the portfolio as a whole shows what they have learned. You may use the Team Work Rubric and the Process Skills Rubric provided in the Unit Overview: Unit Assessment to assess their work.

Worksheet (click to download PDF)