Sustainable Land Use

Overview

In this fifth-unit sequence, students examine how land is used in ways that maintain ecosystem health over time. In today’s lesson, they analyse scenarios and, in groups, begin designing a sustainable land use plan that incorporates Indigenous practices and respect for land.

Learning intentions

• Students will explain why land-use choices affect living things and ecosystem services.
• Students will compare several sustainable land use practices using ecological criteria.
• Students will identify how Indigenous knowledge can guide caring for ecosystems and resources.
• Students will draft a sustainable land use plan section for a given area, with reasons and trade-offs.

Success criteria

• I can describe at least two ecosystem impacts of unsustainable land use (e.g., soil, water, habitat).
• I can justify sustainable land use practices using ecological effects (not just personal opinions).
• I can incorporate Indigenous practices respectfully and explain their purpose.
• I can present a clear plan with a few measurable or observable actions for the area.

Curriculum links

• Competency: Solve science and technology problems using scientific knowledge and reasoning.
• Competency: Carry out scientific inquiries (informally through discussion, scenario analysis, and evidence-based arguments).
• Competency: Communicate using science language (oral and written explanations).
• Learning in Quebec’s Science program: Interactions among living organisms and their environment; human actions and sustainability; responsible resource use.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min: Engage with a “land-use moment”

• Display a short description of a changing landscape (e.g., increased runoff after clearing, declining species after repeated harvesting).
• Students do a quick think-pair-share: “What land-use change caused this, and what ecosystem changes might follow?”

2. 5–12 min: Mini-lesson—sustainable vs. unsustainable

• Teacher models a cause-effect chain: land use → change to habitat/soil/water → effects on organisms → longer-term ecosystem health.
• Introduce the working criteria students will use today: protecting soil, protecting water, maintaining habitat/connectivity, and allowing regeneration over time.

3. 12–25 min: Scenario analysis in groups

• In small groups, students receive one of two short scenarios (same area type, different decisions). Example contrasts: clear-cut vs. selective harvesting; building drainage vs. creating buffer vegetation.
• Students complete a quick “evidence grid” in their notes: practice chosen, expected ecosystem benefits, possible risks, and who might be affected.
• Teacher circulates, prompting with sentence starters: “This practice helps because…”, “A risk could be…”, “We would monitor…”

4. 25–40 min: Indigenous practices—purpose and respect

• Whole-class discussion using a respectful, practical lens: Indigenous practices as guidance for caring for land and resources, informed by long-term observation and relationship with the environment.
• Students map “what the practice is” to “why it works ecologically” (e.g., protecting regeneration areas, maintaining water quality, seasonal timing, stewardship responsibilities).
• Teacher clarifies boundaries: students are not asked to invent sacred or cultural details; they focus on land-care purposes and ecosystem effects.

5. 40–55 min: Begin the sustainable land use plan

• Each group receives a simplified “given area” (e.g., a forest-edge zone near a creek, a community garden region with nearby woodland, or a mixed-use area).
• Groups draft a plan section including:
• 2–3 land use actions
• how each action supports at least one sustainability criterion
• a short monitoring idea (what could be observed over weeks/months)
• Teacher provides a template on the board and checks that claims link back to ecological effects.

6. 55–60 min: Exit ticket—one improvement and one question

• Students submit:
• One change they would make to improve ecological outcomes (with a reason).
• One question they still have about sustainable land use or how to monitor it.

Resources

• Scenario cards (2 versions) with clear, age-appropriate land-use decisions and ecosystem outcomes.
• “Evidence grid” handout or printable template (practice, benefits, risks, monitoring).
• Simple plan template for the sustainable land use section (actions, criteria, monitoring).
• Board/markers or digital slides for cause-effect chain and criteria list.
• Student notebooks and coloured pencils for organizing plan ideas.
• Photos or illustrated diagrams of land features (soil erosion, waterways, habitat edges) if available.
• Rubric checklist (teacher-made) aligned to success criteria.

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observations during group scenario discussions using prompting questions and the evidence grid.
• Formative: review of plan drafts for ecological reasoning and respectful inclusion of Indigenous land-care purposes.
• Summative-in-mini: exit ticket assessing ability to justify a sustainability improvement and ask a relevant science question.

Differentiation

• Support for learners who need structure:
• Provide sentence starters for justification and risk statements.
• Offer a partially completed evidence grid and plan template.
• Assign rotating roles in groups (reader, recorder, evidence-checker, presenter).
• Support for English as an additional language learners:
• Use visuals (icons) for criteria: soil, water, habitat, regeneration.
• Provide a bilingual glossary for key terms (teacher-selected, class-appropriate) and allow vocabulary cards.
• Extension for advanced learners:
• Require an additional action that addresses a second sustainability criterion and a trade-off explanation.
• Ask groups to propose a monitoring method using observable indicators (e.g., water clarity, presence of ground cover).
• For students needing extra challenge or pacing:
• Offer a “minimum plan” target (2 actions + 1 monitoring idea) and a “stretch” target (3 actions + monitoring + risk).