LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The garden

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/14/g35/garden.html

A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies

Learn more

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the virtual exhibit, “The Garden”. After the teacher explains that students will learn about the impact human actions have on a variety of areas in the world, they navigate their way through the exhibit in small groups. This lesson also provides opportunities for independent practice and whole class interaction.

Students will:

  • evaluate the information in Xpedition Hall’s virtual exhibit;
  • discuss ways to get an audience’s attention;
  • write a brief teaser for a news story about one of the six topics presented in the exhibit; and
  • complete additional research online, if needed.

Xpeditions provides detailed instructions for completing the lesson, links to the online exhibit, and suggestions for assessment and extension activities.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal narrative, short report, friendly letter, directions and instructions).

Grade 4

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative, research reports, learning logs, letters of request, letters of complaint).

Grade 5

  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., clarification, essay, feature story, business letter).

Science (2005)

Grade 5

  • Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.
    • Objective 1.06: Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems.
      • Habitat reduction due to development.
      • Pollutants.
      • Increased nutrients.
  • Goal 2: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of landforms.
    • Objective 2.07: Discuss and analyze how humans influence erosion and deposition in local communities, including school grounds, as a result of:
      • Clearing land.
      • Planting vegetation.
      • Building dams.

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 3

  • Goal 4: The learner will explain geographic concepts and the relationship between people and geography in real life situations.
    • Objective 4.04: Compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment to meet their needs.

Grade 5

  • Goal 1: The learner will apply key geographic concepts to the United States and other countries of North America.
    • Objective 1.06: Explain how people of the United States and other countries of North America adapt to, modify, and use their physical environment.