Green Campus Initiative by I-Ling Hsu

created on Aug 09, 2017 modified on Oct 31, 2017 07:52

description:

The American and Chinese college students will collaborate and generate ideas to meet the goal of green campus announced by the Chinese government in 2013. The goal of green campus can be achieved in three ways, socially (awareness and advocacy), ecologically (creating a green environment), and economically (cultivating entrepreneurial spirit).

From: http://www.greenthecampus.org/plan/

This 8-week project was designed for Chinese 305 learners with Intermediate-Mid to High proficiency. The learners are enrolled in a regular Chinese program at University of Rhode Island in a suburban setting. The course meets 3 times per week for 50 minutes each class period.

Learners will create an action plan in collaboration with  an environmentally-focused student club at the Honghe University located in  Yunnan, China in order to create an eco-friendly college campus.

Academically, learners will engage in sustained inquiry about  environmental sustainability in three ways (socially, ecologically, and economically) in  college campus in China and the U.S. based on data and the learners’ interests. As the project unfolds, learners will use the target language to collaborate and find creative ways to generate ideas about creating a healthier, more fertile, and happier community using an action plan.

Culturally, learners will engage in:

  • observing campuses in China and the U.S. and examples of green campuses while interacting with the students at the Honghe University (partner university in Yunnan, China) and members of an student club (named West Oasis) focusing on environmental protection at the Honghe University,  

  • comparing and contrasting the differences between the home campus (U.S.) and the foreign campus (China) and a traditional campus and an eco-friendly campus, and critically interpreting how to achieve the goal of green campus in three ways, socially (awareness and advocacy), ecologically (creating a green environment), and economically (cultivating entrepreneurial spirit).

  • Major activities include:

    • Research and reading reports (what’s a green campus? what makes a green campus? why is a green campus), survey on carbon footprint,

    • Interviews with the President of West Oasis, advisor, and members of the club

    • Write up an action plan and present to the partner university to be considered

  • The outcome of the project will be an action plan, which will be shared with students at the Honghe University through a website to fulfill the goal of building a green campus.

publisher:
National Foreign Language Resource Center
publish_date:
Oct. 31, 2017
contributors:
copyright:
None
uri:
None

Language: Chinese

Subject Area(s): science, communities, creativity, design, education, food, geography, global challenges, lifestyles, nature, society, sustainability, technology, the environment

Instructional Context

Product Description:
An action plan published on a website

Product Target Culture:
Chinese Culture

Heritage Learners:
mixed

Audience Location:
China

Target Audience Description:
All the members at an student club (named West Oasis) focusing on environmental protection at the Honghe University (partner university in Yunnan, China) University administration in either the university in China or in the U.S.

Audience Role:
Interviewees and Collaborators

Language Proficiency

ILR Scale Reading:
1

ILR Scale Speaking:
1 2

ILR Scale Reading:
2

ACTFL Scale:
7

ILR Scale Writing:
1 2

ILR Scale Listening:
2 1

ACTFL Scale:
6

World Readiness Standards

Comparisons
Cultural comparisons
Language comparisons

Connections
Making Connections
Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives

Communities
Lifelong Learning
School and Global

Cultures
Relating Cultural Products to Perspectives
Relating Cultural Practices to Perspectives

Communication
Interpersonal
Interpretive
Presentational

21st Century Skills

Interdisciplinary Themes
Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Global Awareness

Information, Media, and Technology Skills
Media Literacy

Life and Career Skills
Flexibility and adaptability
Initiative and Self-Direction
Social and Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and Accountability
Leadership and responsibility

Information, Media, and Technology Skills
Technology Literacy
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity and Innovation
Information Literacy

Project Sequence Overview

Preparing for the Project

1. Participate on a campus event: Jane Goodall's Talk "Origins: Life, Universe, and Everything" - Realize the origins of life and understand the importance of protecting the environment we live in. more detail

Launching the Project

1. Carbon Footprint Interview with the members of the "West Oasis" club - Learn new vocabulary related to environmental protection and compare and analyze the results of the American and Chinese students. more detail

Managing the Project

1. Interview with the President of "West Oasis" - Understand what the president will share regarding the questions you asked and improve your listening. more detail

2. Team Roles and Their Performance Criteria - Performing in teams and within a community more detail

Assessment

1. Final Product Presentation - Present the website content more detail