lesson 1:  our ecological footprint

Grade Level:  Kindergarten

STANDARDS:

UW Teacher Education Standards

Standard 1:  Incorporates Understanding of Human Learning and Development

Standard 13:  Is a Reflective Practitioner

MMSD Standards

Geography 5:  Explain how people’s actions can have an effect on the environment.

Behavioral Science 3:  Demonstrates confidence in expressing one’s own beliefs and feelings.

Wisconsin DPI Social Studies Standards

Standard B:  History:  Time, Continuity, and Change

Standard A:  Geography:  People, Places, and Environments

 

Content Objectives:

Students will learn that:

1.  Human activities can affect the environment in negative ways.
2.  An ecological footprint measures how much humans affect the Earth.
3.  “Going Green” focuses on making humans’ ecological footprints smaller.
4.  There are lots of things we can do to “Go Green!”
5.  Human activities can affect the environment in positive ways.
 

Process Objectives:

Students will…
Listen to Where Once There Was A Wood
Brainstorm meanings for the phrase, “Go Green.”
Find out what their ecological footprints are.
Explore whether big/small ecological footprints are better.
Brainstorm ways to make our ecological footprints smaller.
Create a “green” ecological footprint on the world.

 

Psychomotor Objectives:

Students will:
Make footprints on maps of the world.

 

Affective Objectives:

Students will:
Work together to create a picture of Earth with different kinds of footprints
Care about the earth and how humans affect it.
Want to make their ecological footprints smaller.

 

Materials:

Where Once There Was A Wood
Computer with Internet Access
Bobby Bigfoot website
Large pictures of the world (3)
Newspaper
Mud/Black paint
Green Paint
Soap/Water

 

Lesson Context: 

Students are just beginning a unit on “Going Green.”  We will begin the unit with exploring the concept of ecological footprints.  This will serve as a good jumping off point to discuss why it is important to go green, and how we can reduce the size of our ecological footprints. 

 

Procedure:

1.  Read Where Once There Was A Wood.  Talk about what human activities made the events in the book happen (1)

2.  Ask students if they have ever heard the term “Go Green” before.  What do they think it means?       Think:  Pair:  Share

3.  Scientists have found a way to measure how much we are impacting the earth as humans.  It is called an “ecological footprint.”  We can measure it with Bobby Bigfoot!
Why do you think they call it a footprint?  What does a footprint do?  What does it look like?  (it leaves a mark where it was)  So our ecological footprint shows us how much of a mark we are leaving on the earth. (2)

4.  Go through the Bobby Bigfoot questions with the class to find out how big our ecological footprints are. 

5.  Do you think it’s better to have a large or small ecological footprint?  Why? 

6.  Have students step in mud/black paint and step all over a picture of the world.  Then have students just put one footprint on another picture of the world.
Which one looks better?  Why?  More of the original world is showing when we have less/smaller footprints, so smaller ecological footprints are better.

7.  Brainstorm ways we can make our ecological footprints smaller.  Small groups talk over ideas, then share with the whole group. Jigsaw Style We are scientists trying to figure out how to make our earth healthier!  (Reduce, reuse, recycle, buy locally, etc.)

8.  The term “Go Green” refers to making humans’ ecological footprints smaller. (3) Why do you think they chose the color green?  (nature is green, recycle symbol is green, natural, use nature over and over, pollution is black, green is fresh, etc.)  Discuss in small groups again

9.  Make another picture of the world and have students step in GREEN paint and step on the picture, forming a chain of feet.  The title of the picture can be, “Working together to make our ecological footprints greener!” (4)

10.  Why do we want all of our feet to be connected?  Can we make our world healthier by ourselves?  Every one’s efforts matter, but we can’t make our world the best it can be if we don’t work together! (5)  Whole Class Discussion

11.  Have students draw a picture and/or write words of what “Going Green” means to them and why it is important.  Collect drawings/writing.
 

Closure:

For the rest of the week we will be exploring ways to make our ecological footprints smaller.  Keep brainstorming ideas on your own.  If you think of something be sure to share it with the class and we can explore it together.  Hang up the different footprinted Earth pictures in the classroom to remind students what is being studied.

 

Assessment:  

            Lots of observation:  Listen to students’ ideas of what “Going Green” means and why big/small ecological footprints are better.  Pay close attention to their ideas on how to make ecological footprints smaller, and try to address them in later lessons if possible. 

            Make sure students understand the main ideas of what “Going Green” means and why it is important.  If they don’t understand that, they won’t understand the rest of the lesson.  Have students draw a picture of what “Going Green” means to them and why it is important.  Collect them and ask clarifying questions if necessary.  Use these to help clarify the rest of the unit’s lessons.