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Protect the Land, They Aren't Making it Anymore

Lesson Overview

This lesson introduces the ways in which humans’ manipulation of the environment impacts the survival of plants and animals and well as their own. Resources such as Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter and an NC State video “Going Native” provide information about deforestation and habitat loss in our local area and what measures we can take to counteract it. By the lesson’s end, students will be able to recognize native species and exotic species of plants in their local area and express their understanding of deforestation globally and locally to a friend or family member about the importance of building a sustainable environment.


 

Students will:

  • Research global deforestation using the padlet link that will be written on the board. The padlet has 13 different articles from Help Save Nature that they students can explore using ipads, and laptops, They are to identify the top 2 issues they find most important to address and write a reflection on how those issues relate to our local area.  

  • Sort pictures of Native vs Non Native Plants that can be found in North Carolina (sorting cards)

  • Write an informative letter to a friend,family member, business, school, community center, church or other organization that has an area that could potentially be converted to a native habitat. They must write and explain the process of building a natural habitat,why it matters and how it relates to sustainability. (Summative assessment piece)

  • Participate in a chalk-n-talk

  • Complete and Exit Ticket for “What I Used to Know & What I Know Now”

  • Draw a picture to to demonstrate their understanding of deforestation. They will write a 1-2 sentence description of what their drawing is about on the back on the page.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Explain how humans’ interactions with the environment, both positive and negative, necessitate other species to adapt.

  • Explain how environmental conditions determine how well plants grow and survive

  • Analyze the impact that advancements in technology had on the farming industry and population growth.

Generalizations

Students will understand that:

  • Changes in the environment affect the survival of the wildlife, thereby affecting humans’ survival.

  • Culture and environment dictate what resources are accessible to specific communities.

  • Human choices and manipulation of the environment directly and indirectly affect natural habitats.

Standards

5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.

5.L.2.3 Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem

4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.

4.L.1.1 Give examples of changes in an organism’s environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful.

4.L.1.2 Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.

4.L1.3 Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats (e.g., recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting trees and shrubs to prevent flooding and erosion).

(3.C&G.2.2) Exemplify how citizens contribute to the well-being of the community’s natural environment

(4.G.1) Understand how human, environmental and technological factors affect the growth and development of North Carolina

(4.G.1.1) Summarize changes that have occurred in North Carolina since statehood (population growth, transportation, communication, landscape)

(4.G.1.2) Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in North Carolina.

(4.G.1.3) Exemplify the interactions of various peoples, places, and cultures in terms of adaptation and modification of environment.

Guiding Questions

  • How does the environment influence/affect a community’s natural resources? (conceptual)

  • What is an ecosystem? (Factual)

  • In what ways can we make our community a more sustainable environment for native plants and animals? (Provocative)

Assessment

Summative Assessment- Write a letter to someone you know about deforestation in North  Carolina and what actions they can take to make a positive impact by planting local plant species in their yards, businesses, etc. Give examples of native species, exotic and invasive species and how they influence sustainability of our natural environment.

 

Formative Assessment-

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  • (7 minutes)Round Robin charts:

    • Pass charts among groups to assess understanding. Each group of 4 or 5 students begins with a chart and some markers. The group records an answer to an open-ended question. They can also share knowledge they have on a topic covered in class. Once the students finish with the chart, they pass it on to the next group. Once every group has worked on every chart, responses are discussed as a class.

    • What are resources that humans get from the rainforest/ forests?

    • What are the essential things all living things need to survive?

    • What drives deforestation?

    • What do you think it means to be endangered?  

    •  

  • Research Notes and Reflection:

    • Students will conduct 20-25 minutes of research on global deforestation using the padlet link: https://padlet.com/meghan_cdeck/lf7d40ptg0z5

    • The padlet has 13 articles from  Help Save Nature for the students to explore using ipads, and laptops, They are to identify the top 2 issues they find most important to address and write a reflection on how those issues relate to our local area.

    •  

    • The resources include:

    • Deforestation Solutions

    • Global Warming and Deforestation

    • How to Prevent Deforestation

    • How is Deforestation Related to Population Growth?

    • Deforestation Statistics

    • Why does Deforestation Happen?

    • Facts About Deforestation

    • List of Natural Resources

    • Conserving Natural Resources

    • Importance of Biodiversity

    • Threats to Biodiversity

    • Preserving Biodiversity

    •  

    • Have the children,individually, pick 2 topics from their research that they find most important to address in relation to deforestation.

    • Have the children write a reflection on why they chose those topics and how they think it relates to our local area (15-20 minutes).

Differentiation

In order to accommodate every child:

 

  • Read aloud  Wangari’s Trees’ of Peace to the whole class, for those who have trouble reading and those who are auditory learners.

  • The sorting activity of native and non-native plants is a hands on task for the tactile and visual learners.

  • The letter (writing assessment) is for those who find writing an easier way to communicate their thoughts and ideas.

  • The videos are for the students who need audio and visual and representation to make clear connections to content.

  • Children will be randomly assigned (4th-6th) to complete the sorting task. This allows for teamwork and the opportunity to have multiple perspectives on the task.

  • Illustration Party- Children that are visual and kinesthetic learners have the opportunity to communicate their knowledge in a creative and open ended approach.

  • Chalk-n-Talk- For students that struggle with vocally explaining their thoughts or feel uncomfortable doing so.

Vocabulary

  • Biodiversity-biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals

  • Fragmentation- Forest fragmentation is the breaking of large, contiguous, forested areas into smaller pieces of forest; typically these pieces are separated by roads, agriculture, utility corridors, subdivisions, or other human development.

  • Invasive- tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner: such as a of a nonnative organism : growing and dispersing easily usually to the detriment of native species and ecosystems.

  • Native-living or growing naturally in a particular region.

  • Ecosystem- the complex of a community of organisms and its environment functioning as an ecological unit.

  • Interdependent- dependent upon one another : mutually dependent.

  • Sustainable- the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.

  • Natural Resources- all the land, forests, energy sources, and minerals existing naturally in a place that can be used by people.

  • Adapt- to make fit (as for a new use) often by modification.

  • Deforestation- Clearing of virgin forests, or intentional destruction or removal of trees and other vegetation for agricultural, commercial, housing, or firewood use without replanting (reforesting) and without allowing time for the forest to regenerate itself.

  • Scarce- deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand : not plentiful or abundant.

Introduction

Begin the lesson with a thinking map. Ask the students What do we already know about sustainability and the environment? (review prior learning from lessons 1-2). Tell the students to keep the thinking map because they will be adding to it throughout the lesson.

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Draw on large sheet of paper at the front of the classroom. Have the children make a think map of their own as you go through it together as a group.

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  • Ideas may include….

  • Recycling

  • Deforestation

  • Trash

  • Farming

  • Animals (endangered)

  • Other Countries

 

Hook: Yesterday we talked about how our choices affect the world around us. Do you think one person’s choices or actions can make a difference? Why or Why not?

Instructions and Guided Practice

1. Introduce Wangari Maathai and read Wangari’s Trees’ Of Peace by Jeanette Winter

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2. Ask Questions about the book.

  • Can you think of any obstacles Wangari faced while she was planting trees?

  • Why were the trees being cut down in Wangari’s community? Can you think of any other reasons people would cut down trees?

  • What are some examples from the book that showed Wangari helping the people, animals, and environment? (re-visit the meaning of sustainability.)

  • What is your take away from this story?

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3. The Green Belt Movement began in Kenya. Where else do you think deforestation takes place?

  • Show a few pictures of deforestation around the world.

  • Show a picture of deforestation in North Carolina and discuss how much of the long leaf pine forest we have left (4%).

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4. Sorting Activity- Sort invasive vs Non invasive plants based off of previous knowledge or knowledge gained from the information on the back of the card. This can be done in groups of 2 or 3.

 

5. Going Native Video

Come together and watch Going Native as a group. Followed by a group discussion.

Prompt the Video by saying: “While watching the video pay attention to...”

  • New vocab words to add to our Thinking map

  • Interesting facts you would like to share with the class

  • Questions you have.

  • Possible Solutions

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6.  Discussion

  • How do invasive species interact with the local environment?

  • Why do you think it is important to build a native habitat?

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7. Research Project- Research Notes and Reflection:

Students will conduct 25-30 minutes of research on global deforestation using the Help Save Nature Link. On the website there are other connection tab on the right side on the page for them to explore, that will be uploaded to a padlet. The resources include:

  • Deforestation Solutions

  • Global Warming and Deforestation

  • How to Prevent Deforestation

  • How is Deforestation Related to Population Growth?

  • Deforestation Statistics

  • Why does Deforestation Happen?

  • Facts About Deforestation

  • List of Natural Resources

 

  1. Have the children,individually, pick 2 topics from their research that they find most important to address in relation to deforestation. Remind them to add any new ideas and information to their thinking map.

  2. Have the children write a reflection on why they chose those topics and how they think it relates to our local area (10-15 minutes).

 

(Brain Break) Can’t Stop the Feeling  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfkYzUwYFk


 

8. Chalk-n-Talk

Come together as a group for a Chalk-n-Talk. There will be 4 large sheets of paper around the room for the children to share their knowledge from their research. Instruct the students to do this quietly and to write on each of the 4 sheets of paper. The 4 topics will be:

  1. What causes deforestation?

  2. What are the effects of deforestation?

  3. How do we prevent deforestation?

  4. How does it make you feel?

 

9. Illustration Party- Give the children about 10-15 minutes to draw an illustration about what they have learned about deforestation and a 2-3 sentence description. This can be done in their choice spot in the classroom with snacks and talk social time. The illustrations will be made into a Deforestation Book that will be put in our classroom library.


 

Exit Ticket (Handout)- “I Used to Think… But Now I Know.” Each child will get a handout to fill out at the end of class. The T-chart will allow them to compare and contrast what they use to think, and what they think now based off of the lesson. The question box at the bottom leaves room for children to record things they are curious about or want to learn more about.

Closure & Summary

Today we set out to learn how humans influence the sustainability of the environment, through focusing on deforestation, globally and locally. So to finish up our lesson please fill out this exit ticket. On the left you will write something you used to think, before the lesson, about sustainability and the environment, and on the right you will write what you know now. At the bottom of the page is a space to write any questions you still have or something you want to learn more about.

Please see PDF to view Exit Tick Handout and Download.

Work Samples

Resources & Materials

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