Fifth Graders at Laurel School, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, learn about renewable energy sources and human impact on the environment through a project inspired by the work of Ansel Adams who used photography to capture the beauty he saw in nature and to share with the world his environmental concerns. Laurel Fifth Graders do the same!

Human impact on the environment is one of the world’s most important issues today. At the all-girls school, Laurel students take photographs showing the impact humans have on the environment such as air, water and soil pollution. The girls then use photography software to enhance their chosen photographs. The students add to the photographs by using science vocabulary words to create concrete poems expressing their emotions and feelings. Finally, each Fifth Grader’s finished piece is displayed for the entire school to view in the spring.

This environmental science lesson provides connections between art (photography), science (human impact), writing (concrete poetry), technology (enhancing digital photos) and community involvement.