SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about habitats and how plants, prey, and predators interact based on their needs. Students see how factors like warming temperatures and human interactions can alter habitats and affect wildlife.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson clearly demonstrates the interrelationships existing in an ecosystem. It allows students to identify species and analyze what they need to survive in a given habitat accounting for the impact of human-caused climate change on biodiversity. The games, activities, and all materials featured in the lesson have been reviewed and are suitable to improve students' understanding on the topic. On that account, this lesson has passed our science credibility process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson illustrates the interactions of living things in a habitat through student interactions.
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning to activate interest in the topic.
-In this lesson, students get the chance to receive feedback from peers, reflect on their work, and make changes to their work based on feedback and personal reflection.
-This lesson features speaking and writing practice using academic language.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This lesson is 1 in 3 in our Number Sense & Biodiversity unit.
-A large area is needed for the game. If the classroom is used, you may want to move desks to one side of the room.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-During the Inquire section, students could be given a list of animal names or pictures to check off as they appear in the video.
-Species cards include pictures of animals for students who have more difficulty reading.
-Cause and effect language frames are differentiated.
-Teacher may wish to play a "fishbowl" version of the game and have students watch a few students play to see the interactions.

In this activity, students explore the way that human activities have changed the way that carbon is distributed in Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson connects Indigenous communities with the natural environment.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson explores the relationship between man and nature and how culture influences ecosystem services. It gives a foundation for young people to be change agents in their generation. This lesson has passed our credibility process and is recommended for the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson connects government policy to Indigenous activism.
-Heterogeneous small groups allow for supported learning.
-Excellent social studies and ELA integration.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-If you choose to have the students walking around and writing on posters in the Inspire section, you must have the posters up and ready before the lesson. Students could also write their thoughts on a chalkboard or whiteboard.
-Prior knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and their resistance to colonialism is helpful.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Newsela offers different reading levels and read alouds for students of varying abilities.
-Grouping students by ability may be helpful in the Investigate section if students are reading aloud to each other.

This activity relates water temperature to fishery health within inland freshwater watersheds as a way to explore how environmental factors of an ecosystem affect the organisms that use those ecosystems as important habitat.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores different transit systems around the world and unpacks the decision-making process behind transportation planning.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson has students investigate what transportation planners do and the transportation systems of different countries. All external links are valid, and this lesson has passed our scientific review process.

POSITIVES:
-Students have the opportunity to collaborate and reason with each other.
-Students conduct research and present their findings orally.
-Students are exposed to global connections.
-Students activate creativity and imagination.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-Students should have prior knowledge of accessing information using the Internet.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teacher can modify the Investigate section through the following ways based on students' needs:
-Low Level: Teacher provides students with mostly visuals and/or audio recordings describing the different transportation systems and allows students to write keywords and share.
-On Level: Teacher provides students with a mix of visuals and brief sentences from articles describing the different transportation systems. Students can write 1-4 sentences to share.
-High Level: Teacher provides students with complete articles describing the different transit systems and allows students to highlight in the text. Students then write 5+ complete sentences prior to their sharing with the whole class.
-In the Inspire section, students have the option to work independently or in groups.
-If working in groups, students can choose the specific role that fits their personality the best.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces students to air quality.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson introduces to students to basic knowledge on air quality and how it is interpreted using the AQI. This lesson is void of any scientific misconceptions. Thus, it is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-Journaling is great for students to reflect and explore how they feel about air pollution.
-Why Is Coco Orange? is a great book for students to build empathy for those with underlying health conditions.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-It may be best to split students who read the book and students who watch the read aloud video. Perhaps these two groups can use two separate spaces if possible.
-Students will use these journals throughout this entire unit. Students could create new journals or use journals that they use all year or for different subjects.
-"Air pollution" is kind of a catchall term, referring to things like ozone, particulate matter, and even greenhouse gases. This can be tricky for elementary students to sort out. The purpose of this lesson is for students to learn that breathing in the pollutant ozone is harmful to their health.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You can have students complete the KWL chart in groups instead of a whole class. One student can act as the scribe while the group discusses.
-You can assign students to read the book or watch the read aloud video, depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
-You can provide sentence stems for weaker students when they are journaling. For example, if they select option #1 - written reflection - you can provide them with the following sentence stems:
-Today I learned that...
-I am thinking...
-I am feeling...

SYNOPSIS: Students will learn about renewable and nonrenewable sources, ways they use energy in their everyday lives, and ways to conserve energy.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson allows students to explore the differences between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources and to analyze U.S. energy data to broaden their understanding on carbon footprint from the energy sector. There are no scientific misconceptions in the lesson, and all materials are properly sourced. Thus, this lesson has passed our science credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson on renewable energy may lead to students' first exposure to climate change.
-There is a useful glossary at the end of the slideshow.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Renewable Energy unit.
-Students may have trouble differentiating between coal, natural gas, and petroleum. You can explain that they are all fossil fuels and take a long time to develop underground.
-Students may inquire about nuclear energy, which is not included in the sort. Nuclear energy is nonrenewable because it uses uranium, a finite resource.
-The term "natural gas" is used in this lesson instead of gas, methane, methane gas, fossil gas, or other names because "natural gas" is the most recognizable name for it. The term "gas" is incredibly confusing because it is one of the states of matter and refers to any number of gases. It also is shorthand for the liquid fuel called gasoline that is used in motor vehicles. If you're interested in learning about the problems associated with calling it "natural gas," check out this intriguing data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Before the lesson, you may want to review natural resources with the students, which is typically taught in K-2. Natural resources are anything in nature used by humans.
-You can group students of different abilities together when they are completing the energy sort.
-You can share the energy sort with your students on paper or in digital form.
-Students can complete the energy audit on paper or in digital form.

This activity has students use an Earth Systems perspective to identify the various causes associated with changes to Earth's forests as they review Landsat imagery of site locations from around the world.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn how cultural practices can spread not only ideas and traditions, but also invasive species into new areas.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson gives students the go-ahead to explore the underlying cultural practices that could spread invasive species and ways to reduce the spread to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. All materials embedded in the lesson are factual and accurate. That being so, this lesson has passed our science credibility review process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning as students play Three Steps Forward, One Step Back.
-Students will develop a strong connection to self and community through learning about invasive species in their community.
-This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.
-Students learn through multiple games.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-One-to-one technology or cardstock with art supplies are required for poster creation.
-Students need access to research materials such as the Internet and/or books about invasive species.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their educational posters.
-Possible Extension: Do a campus tour and have students take notes on species that could be invasive.

Students create a model of sea level rise based on the melting of land ice, sea ice, or grounded ice. Student predictions are recorded and models are run. Making explanations based on data, cause and effect, and asking questions are emphasized in this activity.

In this lesson, students will learn about how volcanoes are created. Includes video links, discussion, and activity instructions.

NGSS: 2-ESS1-1

Time: 50 minutes

Materials: bucket of clay and toothpicks

In a column devoted to interactive resoures for the K-5 classroom, this article features Recycle City, an EPA-produced, student-friendly web site designed to teach students about actions that create a sustainable community. Students will learn about recycling, reducing waste, and using less energy. The column regularly appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which focuses on the essential principles of climate literacy.

Students collect various types of evidence showing that the world climate has been changing over the last decades (global warming, sea level rise, the melting of glaciers, droughts, extreme events, etc.).

Students build a greenhouse model as an analogy to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

This activity explores the greenhouse gases in both their natural and enhanced state and the effect they have on the Earth’s climate. Students make a presentation about the gases.

Students discover how different types of soil affect the natural ecosystems living within them, and how land is important for the planet and human communities.

Students conduct experiments to study the properties of different soils, to find ways to prevent their degradation. They also study their biodiversity and the role of this biodiversity.

On a field trip, students learn about the important role of trees and forests for living beings and the link with climate change.

Students explore the link between food security and climate change by playing a multimedia animation game or a card game.

The students use a carbon footprint calculator to assess their carbon footprint and discuss what they can do to reduce it.