Humans and Environment

Grade Level

2nd Grade (Ages 7-8)

Duration

50 Minutes

Class Size

14 students

IB Curriculum Focus

This lesson aligns with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) transdisciplinary theme “Sharing the Planet”, exploring how humans interact with the environment and the responsibility to care for it.
Relevant PYP Key Concept: Causation – understanding reasons behind events or actions.
Related Concepts: Responsibility, Impact.
Approaches to Learning (ATL): Communication skills (asking questions, expressing disagreements respectfully), Information literacy (using glossaries).

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify multiple reasons Jess French uses to explain human impact on the environment from the text What a Waste.
   (Aligned with IB PYP: Inquiry into causes and effects in our environment; RI.2.8 equivalent: Reading Informational Text - identifying reasons and details)

2. Engage in respectful partner discussions by asking clarifying questions or disagreeing politely to deepen understanding of environmental topics.
   (Aligned with IB PYP Social Skills and Communication ATL, SL.2.3 equivalent: Speaking and Listening)

3. Use a glossary effectively to determine or clarify the meaning of the word “energy” and apply this understanding in context.
   (Aligned with IB PYP ATL: Research skills, Language development)

4. Demonstrate understanding through differentiated activities suited to varying readiness levels.
   (Aligned with IB’s inclusive learning principle and differentiating inquiry.)

---

Materials Needed

• Copies of What a Waste excerpt (excerpt focusing on Jess French’s key reasons about human impact)
• Printed glossary page including the word “energy” and related environmental terms
• Chart paper or whiteboard (for mind map)
• Partner discussion prompt cards
• Differentiated worksheet packets:
  • Level 1 (Support): Sentence starters and word banks
  • Level 2 (On-level): Open-ended questions and space for examples
  • Level 3 (Challenge): Extension questions encouraging inference and cause-effect linking
• Sticky notes
• Colored pencils/crayons

---

Lesson Procedure

1. Invitation to Inquiry (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief tuning-in question:
  “How do humans affect the Earth?”
• Elicit a few responses; record simple ideas on the board.
• Explain that today we will read a text where Jess French explains reasons why humans impact the environment.

2. Guided Reading – Identifying Reasons (15 minutes)

• Distribute the What a Waste excerpt.
• Teacher reads aloud once for fluency and expression while students follow along.
• On the 2nd read, pause to highlight and annotate reasons Jess French provides about human impact (e.g., pollution, waste, energy use).
• Use chart paper to create a mind map together: Center bubble labeled "Human Impact on Environment," branches listing Jess French’s reasons with annotations or pictures.
• IB emphasis: Encourage students to connect ideas and understand cause-effect relationships through multi-modal annotation.

3. Partner Discussion with Sentence Frames (15 minutes)

• Arrange students in pairs.
• Give each pair discussion prompt cards involving clarifying questions and respectful disagreement, e.g.,
  • “Can you explain more about that?”
  • “I see it differently because…”
• Model a short dialogue with one student. Highlight use of clarifying questions and polite disagreement.
• Students engage in paired conversations, using sentence frames for support:
  • “I wonder if…”
  • “Can you tell me more about…”
  • “I think… because…”
• Teacher circulates, listening and providing feedback focused on communication skills aligned with the IB self-management and social skills.

4. Glossary Exploration and Vocabulary Skill (10 minutes)

• Introduce the glossary page containing environmental words, emphasizing “energy.”
• Brief mini-lesson on how to use the glossary.
• Ask students to find “energy” in the glossary and read the definition aloud.
• Discuss what the word means and ask students to give examples of energy in daily life or how it relates to human impact.
• Students complete a quick activity: write or draw one way humans use energy and indicate if it affects the environment positively or negatively.

5. Differentiated Independent Work (5 minutes)

• Distribute differentiated worksheets based on observed student readiness:
  • Support group completes sentence starters identifying reasons Jess French gives.
  • On-level group writes short paragraphs citing reasons and vocabulary from glossary.
  • Challenge group writes cause-effect explanations and suggests alternative actions humans can take to reduce negative impact.
• Use colored pencils/crayons for creative engagement.

6. Reflection and Exit Ticket (Closing, 3 minutes)

• Ask students to write on a sticky note one reason humans impact the environment and one question they still have.
• Students post sticky notes on the “Wonder Wall” (a designated chart or board).
• Briefly review some responses to close the lesson, acknowledging curiosity and learning progress.

---

Assessment

• Formative:

  • Observation during discussion on use of clarifying questions and respectful disagreement.
  • Annotated mind map reflecting student comprehension of human impact reasons.
  • Completion and quality of differentiated worksheet responses.
  • Sticky note exit tickets indicating individual understanding and questions.

• Summative (optional follow-up):

  • Student presentations or illustrated posters explaining human impact, integrating glossary vocabulary.

---

Differentiation Strategies

Group	Support	On-Level	Challenge
Reading	Highlight key sentences in the text; use word banks	Independent reading with guided annotations	Inferential reading; predict additional reasons
Discussion	Sentence frames for questions/disagreements; paired support	Use prompt cards; encourage extended responses	Formulate and pose original clarifying questions
Writing	Sentence starters; drawing responses	Paragraph writing with glossary words	Cause-effect paragraphs with solutions and justifications
Visuals	Picture cues on worksheets and mind map	Mind map with keywords and iconography	Create own visual cause-effect diagrams

---

Resources and Materials IB Considerations

• Text selection (Jess French’s What a Waste) linked to Global Context: Scientific and technical innovation, grounding inquiry in real-world environment issues.
• Emphasizes Action and Reflection cycle: students question, discuss, and consider personal and community responsibility—key IB PYP elements.
• Interactive, collaborative learning enables development of ATL Social skills and Communication skills.
• Use of glossary fosters Language Acquisition and Research skills.
• Differentiated tasks ensure inclusivity per IB learner profile: Caring, Balanced, Knowledgeable.

---

Teacher’s Tips

• Use positive reinforcement to encourage respectful dialogue, modeling patience and curiosity.
• Integrate movement by having students stand and find new partners to share ideas mid-discussion if time allows.
• Consider inviting a local environmental role model or conducting a brief virtual guest talk for extended IB engagement in future lessons.

---

End of Lesson Plan