Green School Badge

I can make healthy choices

Objectives: Based on Maryland Environmental Literacy
Standards and differentiated for our Pre-Kindergarten to 2nd
grade learners
Standard 6- Environment and Health
Topic A- Natural changes and human health
The student will identify and describe natural changes in the
environment that may affect the health of human population and
individuals.
Topic B- Human induced changes and human health
The student will describe and explain that many changes int eh
environment designed by humans bring benefits to society as well as
cause risks.
http://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Environmental/MDEnvironmentalLitStandards.pdf
Objective: Students will

1. Choose a book or video based on Green School Badge objective.

• Adapt the activity to meet the needs of your students.

2. Choose an activity.
• Adapt the activity as needed to follow your students’ interests.
• Activity can be completed as a whole group, small group or
individually.

3. Provide evidence of activity completion to Green Committee

member
• Collect your students’ work and turn it in
• Email pictures of students participating in activity or their work
• Click here for link to Reflection Form options

4. Earn your Green School Badge!

Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables
from A to Z
by Lois Ehlert
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1oKUf_7BJ0

(Lesson plan adapted from wasatch range writing project)

1.Begin by telling students, “As a class, we will be making
an alphabet book using fruits and vegetables. Together
we will explore the book Eating the Alphabet. As we see and talk about various
fruits and vegetables, choose 3 that are your favorite.”

2.Read the book to the students. Take time to explore the pictures, letters and
words. Some of these foods will be new to students, teach and talk about foods
the students aren’t familiar with.

3.After the reading, discuss with students some of their favorites. As a class discuss
what information would be important to make a good description of your fruit or
vegetable.

Make a list of these ideas on chart paper of various fruits and vegetables. Help
students dig beyond the obvious for things that will make their food stand out. For
example: What color is it? Where are the seeds located? How does it taste? How
does it feel? What part of the plant is it? What does it sound like when being
eaten? Reserve this list for another day.

Extensions: •1st grade students could have a brief paragraph accompany their
picture with more specific answers to their questions. •Assign older students to
search given websites or recipes books and find a recipe using their particular
food. •The back of the book has historical information about each fruit and
vegetable in the book. Give this information to students and help them learn how
to incorporate it appropriately in a short-written paragraph. •Use their art work to
have students complete a sorting activity exploring the differences between fruits
and vegetables and what makes each group unique.

Follow up Activity: Scavenger hunt using grocery ads or magazines

We searched the local grocery store ads for fruits and vegetables,
decided their initial sounds, and glued them in the correct letter space.
He loved it! You can get a copy of this little activity here.
Listening to my Body
by Gabi Garcia
Youtube Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B6Rik-
TA-Q

Found online at
https://gabigarciabooks.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/08/LTMBody-activity-
guide.pdf
Some great follow up posters and worksheets
free to download!

A DISCUSSSION AND ACTIVITY GUIDE

Whether you are a parent, teacher or counselor, my hope is that you will find Listening to My
Body and the accompanying resources to be useful tools for your child. Helping children
identify and bring mindful awareness to their sensory experiences (are they tired, hungry,
thirsty, squirmy,etc.?) is the foundation for self-regulation. Learning to pay attention to their
sensations, helps children to be better able to identify what they need (rest, food, water,
etc.), so that they can better care for themselves. A hungry child may also be a grumpy or
cranky child. A tired child may be squirmy and unfocused. A nervous child may feel their
belly tighten or have shortness of breath. As the responsive parent, teacher, or counselor,
you may often be the one to notice what is happening and proceed to help your child slow
down, identify what they are experiencing, and help them figure out what they need. But
through practice, children can also learn to move through this process. It is equally important
for children to learn to tune in when their bodies feel relaxed, calm, safe, etc., so that they
can also begin to figure out what it is that helps them feel this way. Additionally, an angry,
frustrated or upset child can begin internalizing and understanding that sensations and
feelings are always changing and they won’t feel upset forever (or even that long). The
practice of “listening” to their bodies will empower children to respond with care and
kindness for themselves, even when they are experiencing difficult emotions.
There are many ways to help your child continue to pay attention to sensations that they
notice in their bodies. You can:
• Build a sensation vocabulary. Start with the list of sensations found in the book and build
from there.
• Help them further connect their sensations and feelings. When they are able to identify
how they are feeling, you can ask questions like: How does your body tell you that you are
happy, excited, angry, etc.? Where in your body do you notice the calm, nervous, sad,
etc., feelings?
• Model the process of “listening” to your body and showing care and kindness for yourself.
• Use and discuss the worksheets included below.
Mindfulness Walking
Cosmic Kids Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P3Deuv8tbc&t=270s

Mindfulness Walk Worksheet-

Link to download free resource on TeachersPayTeachers https://livecarrollk12-
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Earthdance
by Joanne Ryder
Questions:
Before reading: Discuss: Do you like to dance? If so, what types of
dance do you like? Read the title and look at the cover illustration.
Discuss: What might an Earthdance look like? Ask students to stand
up and demonstrate their ideas.

Before reading: In this book, you are going to imagine that you are
the Earth. Think, Pair, Share: What might it feel like to be the Earth?
What would you like? Any dislikes?

After reading: Discuss: Did you feel like getting up and dancing or moving while the book
was being read?

Opinion: “May they hear your whispers.” What is the Earth trying to tell us? Imagine that you
are the Earth. What would you try to tell people?

Discuss: What is treasure? What does it mean to treasure the Earth? What does precious
mean? How is the Earth precious? Discuss: Our badge this month is I make my community
greener. How do you treasure the Earth? How can you help others treasure it as well? What
action can you take?
Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney
Youtube link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxh8ZPU_HfY

Questions:
Before reading, review prior knowledge and experience:
Discuss: What is beauty? What things are beautiful to
you? How do beautiful things make you feel? Do
people have different ideas about beauty?

Before reading, look at the jacket illustrations, front and back: What is the setting of the
story? How would you describe the place? Is the place beautiful? Text-to-self: Have you
ever been to a place like this?

After reading: What three things did Alice want to do? (Travel to faraway places, live by the
sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful.)

Did Alice’s grandfather also do the three things? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Was Alice (Miss Rumphius) kind? Did she like people? Provide evidence to support your
answers. What words (adjectives) would you use to describe her?

(Depending on your students) Discuss: Why do you think that doing something to make the
world more beautiful is “the most difficult thing of all”?

In your opinion, what is the moral (or main idea) of the story?
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good
Morning Message
by Chief Jake Swamp

Questions: (Adapted from the Reading Rainbow Teacher’s Guide,

2005)
Before reading: Read the title and look at the cover illustration: What
is the setting of the story? What details do you notice in the cover
illustration?

Before reading, review prior knowledge and experience: Discuss: This good morning
message is taught to Mohawk children as a way to start each day; it is known as the
Thanksgiving Address. What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Do you celebrate the
Thanksgiving holiday? If so, what traditions do you have?

After reading: In the Mohawk tradition, people receive gifts from the natural world. Can you
name/list some of the gifts highlighted in the book? (Water takes thirst away; grass gives
pleasure and beauty; food sustains life and makes us happy when we are hungry; fruits and
berries give us color and sweetness; herbs heal us; animals keep the forests clean; trees
provide shade and warmth; birds sing beautiful songs for us to enjoy; winds clean the air,
etc.) Is there a particular gift that has special meaning for you? If so, which gift? What
special meaning does it have?

Text-to-self: When you receive a gift, do you say “Thank you”? What other ways do you
have of showing appreciation?

Discuss: In the Thanksgiving Address, the earth, the thunder, the sun, and the moon are part
of a big family. What family role does each play? (The earth is Mother Earth; the thunder is
Grandfather Thunder; the sun is Oldest Brother Sun; and the moon is Grandmother Moon.)
Think, Pair, Share: Why might the earth be called Mother Earth?

People have different ways of showing appreciation for nature’s gifts, but one of the best
ways is to take care of the earth. Our badge this month is I make my community greener.
What can you do to say “thank you” to the earth? What action can you take?
Giving Thanks
by Jonathan London
Questions:
Before reading, Think, Pair, Share: What things (and/or people) are
you thankful for? When do you give thanks? (When do you say,
“thank you”?)

Before reading: Read the title and look at the cover illustration: Predict: What is the setting of
the story? Who are the main characters? What are the main characters going to do?

After reading: Were your predictions correct (about the setting, the main characters, and
the plot)? Have you ever walked/hiked in a similar setting? Opinion: How does it feel to
spend time in nature?

In the Native American tradition, the boy’s father refers to the earth, the sky, the sun, and the
moon as family. What family role does each play? (The earth is Mother Earth; the sky is
Father Sky; the sun is Grandfather Sun; and the moon is Grandmother Moon.)
Text-to-self: The boy’s father says “thank you” to frogs and crickets, mushrooms, trees, a fox,
etc. The boy says, “To me, it’s a little embarrassing to say thanks to trees and things.” Do you
agree? Does this seem strange to you? Have you ever been embarrassed to say “thank
you” out loud?

In your opinion, what is the moral (or main idea) of the story?

Our badge this month is I make my community greener. How can being thankful for nature
help our community? How can it help the earth? What action can you take?
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