Lesson 4: How Humans Change the Environment
Time: 35 Minutes
Essential Question for the Unit:
In what ways do human characteristics alter the physical characteristics of land and impact the environment?
Essential Question:
In what ways do humans change the environment to meet their wants and needs?
Guiding Questions:
Standards:
Objectives:
Lesson:
Introduction: Begin by having students reflect on ways people who inhabited their created community from the previous lesson changed it. Allow students to use their social studies journals and collages to reflect. Ask them what human characteristics the people would add, and how those characteristics would change the environment. Explain that like the community the students have created, we have also changed the physical environment to create our community.
Lesson: Read students the story The Little House by Virginia Burton. After reading the story, ask students how the community around the house changed due to human characteristics. Have students create a timeline of the changes from the book. Pull up Google Earth. Show students Raleigh, NC today. Then use the timeline feature to show how the area has changed throughout time. Ask students to explain the differences they see. Ask if the differences are the impacts of human or physical characteristics. Ask what impact means. If students cannot provide a meaning, provide them with a definition. Ask the students to describe any similarities or differences in the changes in Raleigh and the town from the story. After discussing the differences, have students work in table groups to discuss how the human characteristics have affected the land, resources, and animals in the area. After discussion at their table groups, the students will share how their thoughts with the whole class. Once the class has shared, have students individually think of ways that we can decrease the impact of human characteristics. Students will work in heterogeneous pairs to complete the “Community Reflection” handout. The students may use their “Needs of a Community” handout if they cannot think of any needs. Once they complete the handout, they will pair up with another set of partners and share how they think they can do to decrease the amount of human impact on the environment. The teacher will then conclude by explaining the importance of being aware of how human characteristics impact the environment, and being aware of how we can decrease our impact by pointing out student examples.
Vocabulary (most vocabulary is for review):
Materials:
Assessment:
The teacher will informally assess student learning during the whole class instruction, and Google Earth activity. The teacher will then use the “Community Reflection” handout to assess student understanding of physical characteristics, human characteristics, the impact of human characteristics, and how to decrease the impact of human characteristics.
Adapted from Teachers Pay Teachers "Communities Unit" by Teacher Trap.
Time: 35 Minutes
Essential Question for the Unit:
In what ways do human characteristics alter the physical characteristics of land and impact the environment?
Essential Question:
In what ways do humans change the environment to meet their wants and needs?
Guiding Questions:
- How did the community around the house change?
- What human characteristics did the people who came to your created community add?
- How did their added characteristics change the physical environment?
- What does impact mean?
- What differences do you see in Raleigh today and Raleigh many years ago?
- Are the differences you see the effects of human or physical characteristics?
- What similarities or differences do you see in Raleigh and the town from the story?
- How have the human characteristics impacted the land, resources, and animals in the area?
Standards:
- 3.G.1.3 Exemplify how people adapt to, change and protect the environment to meet their needs
- 3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places.
- 3.H.2.1 Explain change over time through historical narratives. (events, people and places)
Objectives:
- Students will identify the impact that human characteristics have on land, resources, and animals within a community.
- Students will identify the changes over time provided from a historical narrative.
- Students will identify the human characteristics that have altered their community over time.
- Students will identify ways to decrease the impact of human characteristics on the environment.
Lesson:
Introduction: Begin by having students reflect on ways people who inhabited their created community from the previous lesson changed it. Allow students to use their social studies journals and collages to reflect. Ask them what human characteristics the people would add, and how those characteristics would change the environment. Explain that like the community the students have created, we have also changed the physical environment to create our community.
Lesson: Read students the story The Little House by Virginia Burton. After reading the story, ask students how the community around the house changed due to human characteristics. Have students create a timeline of the changes from the book. Pull up Google Earth. Show students Raleigh, NC today. Then use the timeline feature to show how the area has changed throughout time. Ask students to explain the differences they see. Ask if the differences are the impacts of human or physical characteristics. Ask what impact means. If students cannot provide a meaning, provide them with a definition. Ask the students to describe any similarities or differences in the changes in Raleigh and the town from the story. After discussing the differences, have students work in table groups to discuss how the human characteristics have affected the land, resources, and animals in the area. After discussion at their table groups, the students will share how their thoughts with the whole class. Once the class has shared, have students individually think of ways that we can decrease the impact of human characteristics. Students will work in heterogeneous pairs to complete the “Community Reflection” handout. The students may use their “Needs of a Community” handout if they cannot think of any needs. Once they complete the handout, they will pair up with another set of partners and share how they think they can do to decrease the amount of human impact on the environment. The teacher will then conclude by explaining the importance of being aware of how human characteristics impact the environment, and being aware of how we can decrease our impact by pointing out student examples.
Vocabulary (most vocabulary is for review):
- Impact means having an effect on.
- Human Characteristics are the features that are present in a community because of human presence.
- Physical Characteristics are natural features within the community.
Materials:
- The Little House by Virginia Burton
- Google Earth
- Computer
- Smartboard/Projector
- Social Studies Journal
- Pencil
- “Community Reflection” Handout
Assessment:
The teacher will informally assess student learning during the whole class instruction, and Google Earth activity. The teacher will then use the “Community Reflection” handout to assess student understanding of physical characteristics, human characteristics, the impact of human characteristics, and how to decrease the impact of human characteristics.
Adapted from Teachers Pay Teachers "Communities Unit" by Teacher Trap.
Handouts | |
File Size: | 286 kb |
File Type: |
Heading image courtesy of Wikipedia.