Unit Plan

Environmental Health

  • Grades: 1–2

Overview

Planetary environmental health is examined by investigating the causes and effects of over-consumption and pollution of our natural resources by humans and how to better care for our air, land and water so that human health and our planet benefits. Students are asked: What can you do to take better care of the earth so it takes better care of you?


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Objective

Texas State Science Standards state that first grade children will learn about:
  • Scientific Investigations
  • Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
  • Properties, Patterns, and Systems
  • Change
  • Living Organisms and Non-Living Objects
  • Basic Needs of Organisms
  • Processes of the Natural World

Students will:

  • Identify examples of and uses for natural resources such as air, land and water.
  • Understand factors that influence the health of an individual.
  • Describe ways in which a person's health may be affected by pollution.
  • Obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual resources such as pictures, graphics, television, maps, computer images and literature.
  • Identify main ideas from oral, visual, and print sources.
  • Express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences.
  • Use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of a solution.

Lesson Plans for this Unit

Culminating Activity

  • Create a list of words that remind you of pollution and words that remind you of a clean environment. Sort the words.
  • Students are asked to brainstorm one way they can help to keep the air, water and land clean. Then illustrate and write a sentence with each idea on one picture or on three separate pictures. Display under the title "What is Your Pollution Solution?"
  • Ask students to contribute to a class book "Protecting our Natural Resources". A few ideas to get you started: Take a short shower instead of a bath, Turn off lights when you are not in the room. Turn off water while you brush your teeth. Use both sides of your paper. Keep the heater low in the winter and wear a sweater if you are chilly. Pick up litter from the ground. Purchase items that do not have excess packaging.
  • Hang up a large piece of butcher paper and label sections animals, birds, fish, flowers, forests, water, air etc. Students cut out pictures from magazines and glue in the appropriate section. Title the project "We Love Our Earth!"

Supporting Books

Lesson One: Earth Day, Every Day
Where Does The Garbage Go? By Paul Showers
Recycle by Gail Gibbons
Recycle Every Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Our Earth by Anne Rockwell

Lesson Two: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Water Pollution: Earth's Conditions Series
Noise Pollution: Earth's Conditions Series
Alternative Energy by Christine Petersen

Lesson Three: Pollution Solutions
On The Day You Were Born by Debra Fraiser
The Earth and I by Frank Asch

  • Part of Collection:
    Exploring Health Sciences
  • Subjects:
    Listening and Speaking, Research Skills, Basic Needs of Living Things, Health and Safety, Pollution, Earth Day
  • Skills:
    Main Idea and Details, Problem and Solution, Online Sources, Primary Sources, Research Skills
  • Duration:
    2 Weeks
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