You and the Environment

Today in Social Studies, we are going to learn about You and the Environment. By the end of our lesson, you will be able to identify ways that the environment influences or effects people. 

When we talk about our environment, we mean everything in the World around us, which can affect our lives.

Human beings have 5 basic needs:

-        Oxygen

o   Oxygen is one of the gases found in air and every single cell inside you needs the oxygen you inhale for energy!

-        Water

-        Food

-        Shelter

-        Warmth

These needs are fulfilled from the Planet on which we live. And everybody, what is the name of the planet we live on? That’s right, we live on Earth. Earth is the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest planet in the Solar System. As human beings, we have 5 basic needs. Our first need is Oxygen. We breathe Oxygen from the air. Remember, when we breathe in Oxygen, our body uses it for energy!

We get water from the rain, which fills our lakes, rivers, and creeks. We store the water in reservoirs and water tanks or water towers. A reservoir is a fake or man made lake where water is collected and kept for later use. Here is a picture of rain. Show me a link if you have seen or played in rain before. This here is a water tower. Show me a link if you have ever seen a water tower.

We get food from the plants and animals here on Earth. Some of us eat meat like Bacon and this comes from a Pig. Salmon comes from a Fish. Fruits and vegetables like Strawberries, Tomatoes, and Carrots are grown.

We get shelter from the materials we take out of the Earth and from the trees that grown to make our homes. A hut is house built by Native Americans and it is made from straw. Other houses are made from wood or rocks.

We get warmth from the sun, fire, power (gas, electricity) and our clothing.

As you saw throughout the PowerPoint, the environment has a big affect on our lives. Without oxygen, water, food, shelter or warmth, we would not be able to live. We are going to switch gears a little bit and learn how we can help the environment. I have created a little book I would like to read with you so lets all come down to the floor where you will be able to see better. 

After reading the book I made, we made a class book. Students were to write one sentence and a draw a picture to go with it showing how they will help our environment. 

Title page

This was my example.

 I was observed during this lesson. My observer wrote:
- GREAT LESSON PLANS!!!
- Social Studies- Environment
- Class book!!! Concrete example of using group work
- Thanks for sharing the PowerPoint with me! So often when speaking about the environment teachers tone it down too much or the material is way over the student's heads but you have it right at their level. 
- I liked the usefulness/application to your lesson.
- Very clear directions as you taught
- Providing feedback and assessing as students worked