Unit: Lesson 2

We began the second lesson with a review of Location and Place from the previous lesson. Some students had been absent, so it was helpful to go over the key terms and write them on the board so they would have something to fill in on their graphic organizer. The students who were absent do have a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to the test, since they weren't here to experience all the activities and engage in the concepts as much in depth as the others. However, hopefully the brief review gave them some general idea of what we covered and did in class.


We began the lesson by asking students what they thought would happen if there were no trees in the world. Student responses varied from silly to insightful, and we were surprised at the depth of knowledge they had. For example, one student said that since trees supply oxygen, we would not be able to survive since we depend on oxygen to breathe and live. Another student mentioned something about animal habitats being destroyed along with plant life, thus limiting our consumption of food derived from animals. From this discussion, we went into the difference between how humans affect the environment (by cutting down trees) to how the environment affects humans (by making us dress warmly for the weather). We practiced by having students put several examples into each category, solidifying their understanding of this concept.

After this, we divided the class into two groups. Kelly worked with half the students on an activity focusing on how we adapt to the environment, with students completing a journal entry describing how they would survive on a desert island. My group had a discussion on how humans affect the environment, from pollution to hunting to animal extinction and endangerment. My first group was very lively and active in discussing these topics; one student shared about how his father owns a tree farm, and it's supposed to be better for the environment than cutting down trees in the forest. I shared with them pictures of endangered species of plants and animals in Virginia, and we discussed why these animals are becoming endangered. Students were much more perceptive than I expected, and were able to come to the conclusion that animals become endangered not only because of hunting, but also because humans destroy their environment, and other animals in their food chain.

The groups rotated after 15 minutes, and the second group of students was not as lively or talkative as the first. It took a lot more probing and questioning to get them to arrive at the same conclusions. For instance, I had to ask them if they knew what a food chain was, and then they were able to understand when one animal in a food chain is hunted, it affects other animals above it. However, they were eventually able to understand all the big ideas of how humans affect and change their environment. Both groups completed the graphic organizer with ideas and examples about how we influence the environment.

Overall, I felt that this was a successful lesson - students were always active and engaged with the material; there was enough movement around the room that students didn't get fidgety or bored with any one activity; and all students seemed to understand and connect with the big ideas. We didn't have a lot of extra time left like with the first lesson, in fact, in the end when we were sharing, we only had time for two or three students to share their journal entries. It was really encouraging to see how excited the students were to share their products. The fact that they were all so eager and begging to be called on shows that they are proud of the work they are producing, and confident enough to share with their peers and teachers. Seeing their enthusiasm motivates us to create more creative writing and other creative activities for them in the future, when we will hopefully have more time for students to share their products with each other.