Primary School Lesson Plans: Environmental Resources

From the Archives

Posted on September 13, 2006

Previously filed under: North America, Grades K-2

These resources are appropriate for grade levels Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd.

Lesson Plans:

Barbaloot Suits: Preserving Biodiversity
Contemporary curricula strongly emphasize the study of tropical rainforests. However, much of Earth's tropics consists of less familiar habitats such as tropical dry forests, tropical deciduous forests, and spiny desert, all of which differ markedly from the tropical rain forests. Mark Olson, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, is a botanist whose research is focused on the endangered vegetation of the world's dry tropical habitats. In this lesson, students will learn about how and why Olson studies plants. Students will compare a situation in which farmers unknowingly destroyed a plant species with the conservation themes outlined in Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, and then summarize the Seuss work through illustration.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Who Sees the Seas as Important?
The ocean is one of the largest areas of unexplored territory on Earth. Oceanographers, marine biologists, and many others are devoting their careers to exploring the oceans' ecosystems, learning about and preserving the health and inhabitants of these amazing places. In this lesson, students will learn about some people who think the ocean is so important that they have devoted their lives to studying it and its inhabitants. Students will learn about a specific type of fish and compare it to other fish using information gathered by people who are studying these animals.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
No Magic Borders
Governments all over the world have protected natural areas of particular value or beauty. Various regulations determine what is allowed and what is prohibited in these areas. Yet, for a number of reasons, regulations may not be enough to protect wild areas and the resources within them. For example, neither exotic plants entering our communities nor polluted air from industrial areas observe borders. An arbitrary line on a map will not keep wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolves, or birds from leaving a protected area in search of food or force wildlife to follow a traditional migration pattern. In this lesson, students will learn about how important it is to take care of our land and protect it from pollution.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.

To return to the main Global Envision lesson plan page, please click here.

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Keywords: Primary School, lesson plans, global warming, climate, environment, water, oil

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