Lesson Plan

Students:
Twenty 4th grade students; Mostly English speakers with the exception of one Spanish speaking student.
Most students are at grade level.

Time:
60 minutes
Materials: Construction paper, staples, scissors(optional), crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.

Concept/skills:
SC.4.L.17.In.4 Students will observe the negative effects humans have on our planet and develop
possible solutions to reduce our impact.

Standard-based Objectives:
Without reference material students will create flap books that include written explanation and
illustrations on how they can improve their impact on the environment covering five different areas of
environmental influence.
Open: (Time: 10 minutes)
For this lesson the teacher should start out by reading the book Looking After Our Planet by Katie
Daynes. Here is a link that briefly goes over the book if you cannot obtain a hard copy.

Body: (Time: 45 minutes)

After reading the book Looking After Our Planet, there should be an open discussion about ways we can
make a positive impact on our planet. Students will then be given 3 pieces of paper each to create their
own flap book. Once folded the three pieces of paper will turn into 6 flaps. The front of the flap book
should be titled, Looking After MY Planet. This project will give students the opportunity to exhibit what
that have learned and make a personal promise on how they plan to execute change for our
environment. Students will decorate the title page however they please with crayons, markers, etc. The
following 5 pages of the flap books should be subtitled as:

1. Plants and Animals, where each student will express how they plan to support and protect plants
and animals.
2. Food and Water, where each student will describe how they plan to make environmentally
conscious decisions regarding their food choices and water consumption.
3. Reduce Reuse Repair Recycle, where students will indicate how they plan to reduce their waste.
4. Carbon Footprint, where students will demonstrate ways they will reduce their carbon footprint.
5. Lastly the fifth page will be a free page, with an original title, where students can add anything
else they’d like to do to help our planet.

Students are to get creative by adding illustrations and may cut pages in half to have multiple flaps or
page shapes, although this is optional. This is THEIR promise to our planet on what they will do to help
lessen their environmental impact.

Closing: (Time: 5 minutes)

As a class we will go around sharing some of our ideas and reflecting on what we have learned.
Assessment:
To assess each students understanding of the lesson I will have them turn in their flap books for a grade.
They will be graded on their overall understanding of all 5 given subtitles.
Differentiation:
For any struggling students as well as my ELL student I will work closely to interpret the material as well
as re read any information from the book as needed. I will also allow struggling students to watch this
video on reducing our impact on the Earth. This 11-minute video may provide a further understanding
for those struggling with this lesson. I will also allow students to take home their flap books to finish as
homework if necessary. Alternatively, I may allow students to access this BrainPOP activity which
includes short videos, games, and quizzes all about our environmental impact.