Act For Our Environment

Overview

This is the third lesson in the “Our Living World” unit. Students apply their understanding of relationships within ecosystems to identify an environmental issue and design a realistic school-based action that could reduce its impact on living things.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify an environmental issue using observations or evidence.
• WALT suggest a practical action that may reduce environmental impact.
• WALT explain how our action could help living things.
• WALT communicate a scientific idea clearly, respectfully, and responsibly.

Success criteria

• I can identify an environmental issue.
• I can propose a realistic action.
• I can explain how the action may help living things.
• I can communicate my idea clearly and respectfully.

Curriculum links

• Biological Science — Ecosystems: identifying interdependence and relationships between species in an ecosystem.
• Geography — Temperate and tropical rainforest biomes: recognising that plant adaptations match environmental conditions.
• Nature of Science — communicating in science using evidence, explanations, and appropriate formats.
• Key Competencies — thinking; participating and contributing; and using language, symbols, and texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Movement review: Four Corners. Display the four corners labelled “Helpful”, “Harmful”, “Both”, and “Unsure” using the four-corners review slides; read statements such as “Removing trees”, “Planting native flowers”, and “Using lots of water”. Students move to a corner, discuss their reasoning with someone nearby, and share one explanation. Emphasise that “both” may be appropriate when effects depend on how an action is carried out.

2. 5–13 min · Supporting video and discussion. Play a suitable short section of the National Geographic Kids video “How to Help the Environment” from the prepared video link in the teacher’s browser, using the video discussion slide to pause for the questions: “What problem is shown?”, “What action is suggested?”, and “How could it help people, plants, animals, or habitats?” Students record or orally share one action and one possible benefit. Clarify that evidence may include an observation, information from a trusted source, or a reasoned explanation based on what students know about living things.

3. 13–20 min · Model an action plan. Think aloud using the example: “Our school has too much food waste. We could measure food scraps for one week, then introduce a food-scraps collection station.” Complete the environmental action planning sheet on the board, modelling the sections: issue, evidence, action, living things helped, materials or people needed, and how we could tell whether it worked. Highlight a realistic action rather than a very broad promise such as “save the whole planet”.

4. 20–38 min · Team design challenge. Place students in seven mixed-ability teams of three and offer the topic choices: reducing waste, protecting habitats, saving water, or planting for native species. Teams may choose a poster, labelled model, or short presentation. Distribute the environmental action planning sheet and, if useful, the local community scenario cards to help teams select and discuss a school-based issue. Students use the slides’ success checklist, assign flexible roles such as facilitator, recorder, designer, materials manager, or speaker, and create an action plan that includes evidence, a practical action, an explanation of how it helps living things, and a respectful message for the school community. Circulate and ask: “What makes this action possible at our school?” and “What evidence supports your idea?”

5. 38–43 min · Gallery walk and feedback. Display the gallery-walk feedback slide with the prompts “I notice…”, “This could help living things by…”, and “One question I have is…”. Students move quietly around the room, leaving one positive, specific comment for at least two teams or giving oral feedback to groups presenting models. Reinforce honesty, responsible choices, positive attitudes, good manners, and respectful communication.

6. 43–45 min · Individual commitment and close. Students complete the final section of the environmental action planning sheet: “One responsible action I can take at school or home is… It may help living things because…”. Invite two or three volunteers to share. Collect the sheets to assess individual understanding and explain that good ideas should be followed by careful observation of whether they work.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the environmental action planning sheet
• the local community scenario cards
• Prepared National Geographic Kids video
• Four corner signs: Helpful, Harmful, Both, Unsure
• A3 or large poster paper
• Coloured pencils, felt-tip pens, rulers, and sticky notes
• Recycled materials for labelled models
• Timer and display screen

Assessment

• During Four Corners, listen for students distinguishing helpful, harmful, and mixed environmental effects, and question ideas that are not supported by a reason.
• During team planning, check that each group identifies a specific issue, proposes a realistic action, and links the action to effects on plants, animals, people, or habitats.
• Use the completed individual commitment to assess whether each student can explain an environmental action and its likely benefit.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-supported topic choices, model examples, coloured planning sections, sentence starters such as “The problem is…” and “This may help…” and a picture word bank. Pair students strategically and allow discussion before writing.
• Reduce writing demands for dyslexic learners: use an accessible sans-serif font, short instructions, text-to-speech or speech-to-text, drawing, labelled models, oral recording, or an oral presentation instead of extended writing.
• Rehearse presentations in teams, provide role cards, and accept pointing, drawing, gesture, or home-language planning for students with limited English. Explicitly teach key words through the images and examples.
• Extend advanced learners by adding evidence, predicting an unintended effect, comparing two solutions, or designing a simple measure to test whether the action works.

Extension

• Teams create a one-week monitoring plan, such as counting rubbish items, measuring food scraps, checking water use, or recording visits to planted native species.
• Students compare two possible solutions and justify which is more practical, fair, and likely to help living things.