Lesson 2: Informational Writing: How to Lessen Human Impact on the Environment

Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Science

Grade(s)

Overview

This lesson may be taught as part of the Unit Plan - Solutions to Lessen Human Impact on the Environment. In this lesson, the solutions to lessen the human impact on the environment will be explored. Students will communicate their plan during journal writing by producing an informational writing piece that uses the conventions of Standard English such as capitalization and punctuation. At the end of the lesson, the students will peer edit their writing using the provided writing anchor chart.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

SC15.K.6
Identify and plan possible solutions (e.g., reducing, reusing, recycling) to lessen the human impact on the local environment.*

Vocabulary

Identify
Plan
Solution
Human impact
Local
Environment
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Causes
Create
Ask
Imagine
Improve

Knowledge

Students know:

Human impact can have both positive and negative impact on the environment.
We can create possible solutions to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.

Skills

Students are able to:

Identify possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.
Plan possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.

Understanding

Students understand that:

Human impact has a positive and negative effect on the local environment.
There are solutions that can lessen the negative impacts on a local environment.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

ELA21.K.33

ELA21.K.36

ELA21.K.36b

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

-apply their knowledge on lessening the human impact on the environment through the production of an informational writing piece describing possible solutions to this problem.

-capitalize the first word in a sentence.

-end a sentence with the appropriate punctuation.

-use spaces between words in writing.

-sound out and spell words to produce a readable sentence.

Additional Learning Objective(s)

Learning Targets

I can:

begin my sentence with an uppercase letter.
sound out and spell words.
use the correct punctuation at the end of a sentence.
produce a sentence that is readable.
use spaces between words when writing a sentence.

Procedures/Activities

Before Strategy/Engage (10 minutes)

Pose the following question to the students: What must a sentence contain in order for it to meet our writing targets?

Instruct students that they will turn and talk to their neighbor about the things that a sentence needs in order to meet learning targets.

After the partner discussion, discuss the question as a whole group referring to the writing target anchor chart.

During Strategy/Explore and Explain (40 minutes)

1. On chart paper show and read the first sentence to the class (the example sentences are found in the background/preparation section).

Ask the students if it is a sentence based on the writing learning targets anchor chart.

Have the students go through the anchor statements to check off the target requirements: uppercase letter at the beginning of a sentence, appropriate punctuation at the end, spacing between, sentence readability, and correct spelling.

Once the students recognize that it is a complete sentence, move on to the next example. Once the students identify that the sentence is incorrect, make the corrections as a whole group on the chart paper. Continue with the previous steps on sentences three and four.

2. As a whole group, review with the students ways we can protect and lessen the human impact on the environment discussed in previous lessons (information found in background/preparation).

3. Instruct the students that they will create an informational writing piece using the information discussed on lessening the human impact on the environment and incorporating the correct structure of a sentence.

4. The students will write one way they can help protect the environment on paper or in their journals.

5. Next, they will create a collage of the Earth using tissue paper and the provided Earth template that can be found using this link http://www.clipartbest.com/earth-template. The students will tear the blue tissue paper into pieces. Then, glue the pieces of blue tissue paper onto the water of the Earth template. Next, the students will tear the green tissue paper into pieces and glue the pieces of green tissue paper onto the land of the Earth template.

6. Once the tissue paper collage is complete, the Earth will be glued at the top of the 12 in. X 18 in. black construction paper with their writing piece glued underneath.

After Strategy/Explain & Elaborate (10 minutes)

Students will share their writing sample with a partner. Students will critique their partner's writing sample for meeting the writing learning targets listed on the anchor chart and the appropriateness of the response to the posed question.

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment: Students will be assessed informally through observation and questioning throughout the entire lesson. Examples sentences will be used to check students' understanding of the structure of sentence during instruction. The teacher will monitor writing through observation and conferencing.

Summative Assessment: The students' writing piece will be assessed based the writing rubric in 6 areas: begins sentence with upper case letter, uses spaces between words, sounds out and spells words, sentence is readable, use appropriate punctuation at the end of a sentence, and response is on topic. See rubric.

Acceleration

-During journal writing, students can write more than one solution to lessening the human impact on the environment. The solutions can be turned into posters to hang around the school to promote environmental friendliness on campus.

Intervention

A prompt can be provided to help the students begin their writing. (For example: I can.....)

Total Duration

31 to 60 Minutes

Background/Preparation

Student Background Information:

Students will need to know information that was taught in previous lessons in this unit, such as:

-Reduce, reuse, recycle can lessen human impact on the environment.

-Other ways to lessen human impact on the Earth can be to pick up trash, turn off lights when leaving the room, plants trees, save water, walk, ride bikes, etc.

Students should be able to identify land and water on a map of the Earth.

Students will also need to know that a sentence is a complete thought that contains a subject (noun), action (verb), uppercase letter at the beginning of a sentence, and punctuation.

Teacher Preparation:

The teacher should have a chart with four example sentences pre-written on the chart paper.

Note: The answers are provided in parenthesis following the example sentences listed below.

Example sentences are to be written as follows:

The cat jumped over the fence. (Sentence is correct.)
the dog barked loudly (Sentence is incorrect. The "t" in the should be uppercase, and the sentence needs a period.)
The girl ran to her sister. (The sentence is correct.)
the class had fun at school? (The sentence is incorrect. The "t" in the should be uppercase, and the sentence should end in a period instead of a question mark.)

The teacher should make all required copies prior to teaching this lesson.

Materials and Resources

Student Materials (per student)

-writing journals or lined paper

-pencils

-blue and green tissue paper (2 pieces of each color)

-black construction paper (12 in. X 18 in.)

-Earth template

-glue

Teacher Materials

-chart paper

-markers

-writing rubric

-example sentences (see teacher background information for preparation)

-Earth template http://www.clipartbest.com/earth-template

-writing target anchor chart

Approved Date

2017-04-05

Owner2

shasandy