Fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program attended a full-day BUSD Environmental Awareness education session on Friday, March 13. Held at the Burbank Adult School, approximately 245 students from all 11 Burbank Unified elementary schools attended the pull-out day for a series of classes on gardening, composting, food choices and global awareness.
Poetry reading and writing, along with improvisation classes, sparked creative thought and responses.
“I liked writing about the Earth and taking the words from the song and making another poem,” commented Roosevelt fifth-grader Ian Dellosa. Students watched an edited version of the Michael Jackson video “Earth Song” and wrote their own poems using the song lyrics as source material.
“I loved seeing how all these kids were so engaged that day,” commented Roosevelt Elementary Curriculum Specialist Tiffany Kaloustian, who organized the Environmental Awareness pull-out day. “The hands-on activities, the movement/acting, the writing of poetry, the study of our global issues, the YouTube clips, learning about healthy food choices, gardening/composting and so much more was remarkable to witness.”
Enrichment Works began the day with Food for Thought, a play focused on healthy food decisions and ways the different food groups should be incorporated into kids’ daily diet.
Students asked the actors questions after the play.
Catlan Brinsley, a McKinley Elementary parent volunteer and school garden head, and Kreigh Hampel, Recycling Coordinator for the City of Burbank, presented workshops on the importance of gardening, growing food locally and composting.
“They talked about GMO verses Non-GMO foods,” explained Kaloustian. “Students had a chance to tour the Adult School Garden, and learned about pollination and the importance of bees and insects in the growth of our food and crops. They also had hands on experience with soil, worms, insects, and other ‘garden critters.’ They also learned about various ways they can help our earth.”
Bret Harte fifth-grade teacher Mary Edmundson taught Global Awareness to fourth grade students and Roberta Fong, a sixth-grade science teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School, taught fifth-graders Global Awareness.
“Global Awareness talked a lot about the Floating Island of Trash and how we are polluting our earth which is having devastating consequences,” added Kaloustian. “They learned about how we can conserve water, electricity and other natural resources.”
Students viewed a YouTube clip of the Floating Island of Trash and were given a packet of eco-friendly at-home projects they could do with their parents.
Craig Bugbee, Curriculum Specialist at Jefferson Elementary, and Jill Johnson, Curriculum Specialist at Bret Harte Elementary, taught fifth grade poetry. Fourth grade Roosevelt Elementary teacher Nida Ballesteros taught fourth grade poetry.
The Poetry workshop focused on topics connected to nature. Students viewed Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” video clip and talked about ways the Earth is being affected by humans and how it has changed over the years.
That class sparked a lot of dialogue and conversation, according to Kaloustian. Students learned about the components of poetry, as well, and had a chance to write their own poems.
“My favorite part of the day was the poetry class,” said Jefferson Elementary fifth-grader Avery Marsh. “We got to read poetry, talk about it, watch videos about it, then write it. Â I would love to do this every single day! After seeing how cool the composting bin was, I am trying to convince my parents to get one.”
“I like getting to know all the GATE kids that will be with me in Middle School,” she added. “All of the pull-outs this year have given us the chance to learn hands-on and talk about subjects we don’t normally have time for in regular school.”
“I liked Mr. Bugbee and Mrs. Johnson’s class,” said Sona Wyse, a fifth-grader from Jefferson Elementary. “I liked the videos they showed because it made me very aware that the environmental problems are our fault! And I also liked how we got to rearrange Michael Jackson’s Earth poems. I think this pullout has made me very aware of what’s going on around the globe. I knew it was bad but definitely not this bad!”
Retired BUSD teacher Steve Saracino led an improv workshop on the Burbank Adult School auditorium stage.
“They acted out various weather scenarios and had a chance to get a feel for what it means to ‘act in the moment,'” said Kaloustian. “They focused a lot on becoming aware of their surroundings and how actors need one another to convey a story to the audience. Students were given opportunities for their imagination to run wild while incorporating the environmental components into their skits and movements.“
“Mr. Saracino made the improv session very interesting and fun,” commented Roosevelt fifth-grader Eyen Paredes. “I loved it and it was very entertaining.”
“I like when I get to go to the pull-outs. It’s harder than school but it’s fun,” said Jefferson Elementary fourth-grader Alex Barnes. “My favorite parts were improv and poetry.”
“I learned where my dad’s compost bin came from as well as that we should appreciate the people who take the garbage. They don’t have to come and take it, but they do,” said Roosevelt fifth-grader Sydney Bax, who also designed a T-shirt in honor of the BUSD Environmental Awareness event. The artwork was also used for the Poetry class handout.
“I get to spend a whole day learning about one thing instead of jumping around from math to science to language arts,” Anthony Curtis, a Jefferson fifth-grader, also said. “It’s a more efficient way of learning.
“My daughter Avery came home from the pull-out & didn’t stop talking for 45 minutes straight,” commented parent Catherine Marsh. “She was so excited about what she had learned that she told her grandparents about it at dinner, then repeated everything again when her dad got home from work. There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing my daughter’s passion for learning ignited in these pull-outs.”
“It was a pure joy to watch them in action!” Kaloustian added. “Every teacher gave their heart and soul into making every moment meaningful and powerful. Making ‘Environmental Awareness’ real for these kids and inspiring them to make a difference  toward positive change is a lifelong lesson I hope these kids will always remember.”
