Discovering how to take care of our natural resources

This lesson focuses on our natural resources and the effect our actions have on them. Students explore this concept through discussion, matching, literature, cause and effect, and writing.

A lesson plan for grade 2 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Social Studies

By Jennifer Hicks and Alison Short

About the authors

Alison Short teaches at L.B. Yancey School in Vance County Schools. She is a National Board Certified second grade teacher with twelve years of teaching experience.

Jennifer Hicks teaches at L.B. Yancey School in Vance County Schools. She is a K–12 ESL Teacher with three years of teaching experience.

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Related topics

• Learn more about Dr. Seuss, English language learners, cause and effect, conservation, environment, language arts, literature, natural resources, reading, social studies, stories, and writing.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• identify natural resources and learn how they meet our needs.
• explore how our actions affect natural resources.
• explore conservation and replenishing our natural resources.
• comprehend oral text.
• communicate verbally and in written form.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

4 hours

Materials/resources

• Chart paper for recorded information to post around the room.
• Pictures of natural resources as well as their uses and products. They can be from magazines, books, websites, your own photographs, etc.
• Literature: Choose one of the following books or a similar resource:
  • The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
  • The Wump World by Bill Pete
• Puppets from chosen story and setting posters. Children can create these or they can be created by the teacher in order to save time. Settings would include the different places that were affected by pollution, etc. in the story. (Construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, yarn, craft sticks).
• Magazines to be used for students to find examples of natural resources.
• Notecards, pencils, writing paper.

Technology resources

Tape recorder with headphones for LEP students to preview story.

Pre-activities

It would be helpful to do other cause and effect activities prior to this lesson.

To activate prior knowledge have the children brainstorm a list of things that are found in nature as teacher writes them on chart paper. This could include plants, animals, air, water, etc. This should be a familiar area for the students to begin with.

Activities

Introduction:

From the generated list of things found in nature in the pre-activity introduce natural resources (our available supply of things we use from the earth). On a notecard have each student draw or write one thing they think is a natural resource. Have them share their answers. With discussion guide the students into understanding why natural resources are important to our lives and how we might use each of them. Create a chart of identified natural resources. Natural resources could include sheep, cows, trees, cotton, water, air, pigs, chickens, etc. Have them individually look through magazines and show examples of natural resources. Add any new ones to the chart.

Guided Practice:

Group students into pairs taking into account their ability levels. Have each pair match labeled pictures of natural resources to uses and products of these resources. See this list of natural resources with uses and products. Monitor students’ progress with the observation checklist. Have each group share one or more of their answers and put a picture beside its matching natural resource on the chart created in the introduction.

Read aloud one of the following choices or a similar book.

• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• The Wump World by Bill Peet

The book you choose should deal with the environment and how our actions affect it. It could address issues such as pollution, cutting down trees, building factories, etc.

Discuss the natural resources found in the story having children cite examples of how the resources were affected by the actions of the characters. Discuss ways to keep these actions from happening. List them on a chart. Examples: Don’t throw trash on the ground, don’t put waste in the water, or don’t chop down too many trees. Introduce the words “conservation” (protecting our natural resources) and “replenish” (to make full or complete again). As a group decide which word (conservation or replenish) applies to each idea recorded on the list created above. Add other ideas that are generated from the discusion of conservation and replenish.

Have students retell the story with their previous partner using puppets and a background of the settings. Teacher uses the retell record sheet to record parts of the retell as teacher observes pairs.

Follow-up activites:

Read the story aloud again having students recall the information discussed the previous two days. Guide them to discuss the events relating to natural resources and how people affect them.

Review the meaning of cause and effect. Cause: why something happened, “because.” Effect: the what happened. The “cause” is the reason why the “effect” happened.

As a class brainstorm a list of what happened (the effects) in the story guiding them toward the way the world looked as the natural resources were affected. Working individually have the students come up with causes for each effect (the reason why). Have the students to turn this in as a way to assess the knowledge aquired.

Have students individually write an alternate ending to the story incorporating the new information learned in this lesson. Have them concentrate on using conservation and replenishing ideas. Use the story writing rubric.

Assessment

• Observation checklist for pairs matching natural resources to uses and products. Make notes of children having difficulty.
• Observe each pair retelling the story. Use the record sheet to check off each part of the retell.
• Cause and effect answers. This could be used as a daily grade for language arts.
• Writing rubric for alternate story ending.

Supplemental information

Modifications

• Put critical vocabulary on a posted chart and add to it as the new words are introduced.
• Have students listen to the chosen piece of literature on tape prior to the lesson in order to become familiar with it.
• For writing activity have students use student dictionaries, word bank, and vocabulary chart.
• Pair students for individual activities as needed.

Alternative assessments

Student retells eighty percent of the story.

When using writing rubric adapt it so that a three is considered proficient.

Critical vocabulary

natural resources, conservation, replenish, cause, effect

Comments

This lesson plan was developed during the English Language Development Standard Course of Study lesson planning institutes hosted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and LEARN NC, June and July, 2004. It includes specific strategies, instructional modifications, and alternative assessments which make this lesson accessible to limited English proficient students. Please note that this lesson has been aligned with the goals and objectives of the N.C. English Language Development standards.