Lesson Plan OverviewsEekoWorld features fifteen lesson plans. There are three lessons for each grade level from kindergarten through grade four. The lesson plans contain the following components: overviews, grade level, learning objectives, building background activities, learning activities, extension activities, and standards. The educational standards for all the lessons are compiled by grade ranges from K-2 and 3-5. Therefore, you may wish to explore lessons other than those specific to the grade level class you teach. The following section describes the lesson plans for each of the grade levels.
Kindergarten Lessons
DRAMATIC LEARNING : REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE
In this lesson students will be introduced to the concepts of reducing, reusing and recycling. They will learn new vocabulary, read labels, and connect environmental concepts to their everyday experiences. Students will perform a skit highlighting what they have learned about taking action to conserve the earth's resources.
WHAT DID WE SEE?
In this lesson students will be introduced to the world's ecosystems. They will create a class book about an ecosystem based on the patterned rhyming and repetitive text of Bill Martin Jr.'s book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
HOME SWEET HOME
In this lesson students will learn how people and animals need food, water and shelter in order to survive. Students will read Eric Carle's books A House for Hermit Crab and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to explore reasons why animals need food and shelter. They will create a schoolyard habitat for birds.
Grade One Lessons
CLEAN AIR DETECTIVE: Investigating Air Pollution
In this lesson students will participate in a scientific inquiry activity regarding the air they breathe inside and around their house. They will plan and conduct a simple investigation to gather information on air quality. Students will also help to reduce air pollution by shutting off lights, toys, machines and appliances and by reducing their travel in cars.
WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
In this lesson students will learn about the food chain. They will examine how animals depend on plants and other animals for food, and the importance of maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Students will make plant and animal headbands and recreate a food chain to analyze the ways plants and animals depend on each other. They will sing a food chain poem/song and make a class food chain book based on the poem.
TRASH, TRASH, AND MORE TRASH
In this lesson students will investigate a bag of trash to find out how
much of the contents of the bag actually needs to go to the landfill. Students will create two class posters that show which items are recyclable and which ones are not. They will complete a math activity to determine how many bags of trash their families generate.
Grade Two Lessons
TREE BRANCH POEMS: Exploring Endangered Species Around the Globe
In this lesson students will use the resources of EekoWorld as they read stories, collect facts, and learn about endangered species around the globe. They will conduct Internet research, compile a graphic organizer, and create original cinquain poems and illustrations highlighting what they have learned. Students will create poetry tree branches to showcase their work.
TELLING TALES: Eeko Adventures
In this lesson students will explore five major ecosystems: the aquatic ecosystem, the tundra, the grasslands, the desert and the forest. They will use the resources of EekoWorld as they read stories, collect facts, and view images that highlight varied aspects of these ecosystems. They will organize what they have learned using story maps, and create oral retellings to share information with their classmates.
THE SAME OLD WATER
In this lesson students will plan and conduct a simple investigation to gather information on ways to clean dirty water. Students will create Save Water Reminders to teach or remind family members to conserve water.
Grade Three Lessons
SPLASHING FISH, SINGING WHALES & RAINFOREST TRAILS: The Wonder of Nature in Our World
In this lesson students will explore nature through photography, painting, and sounds. They will explore nature in their everyday experiences, listen to the rhythm of nature sounds, examine photographs, painting and sculpture with nature themes, and create an audiotape that highlights the diversity and beauty of nature.
THE AIR AROUND US
In this lesson students will learn how using electricity causes air pollution. Students will examine ways to save electricity and create a Save Electricity Tips sheet. They will initiate the energy saving tips at home and compare two electric bills to determine how much energy they saved.
JUNK MAIL
In this lesson students will consider the impact of junk mail on our natural resources and landfills. The class will collect their families' junk mail for a week and learn about ways to reduce junk mail. Students will write a book that explains the importance of trees in our daily lives. They will create the illustrations for the book using the junk mail they collected.
Grade Four Lessons
BUY GREEN: Being an Eco-Friendly Consumer
In this lesson students will explore environmentally friendly products. They will use the resources of EekoWorld as they learn about air pollution, water pollution, and how their actions can have an impact on the earth. They will conduct Internet research, create an advertisement for an eco-friendly consumer product, and stage a class presentation.
EEKO TRAVELERS: Exploring Diversity
In this lesson students will explore the diversity of five distinct ecosystems. They will use the resources of EekoWorld as they learn about plants and wildlife, threats to different ecosystems, and different ways that people have made positive changes in the environment. They will conduct Internet research, create a travel brochure that highlights what they have learned about varied ecosystems, and stage a class presentation.
Lunchtime Investigations
In this lesson, students will create a mini landfill and fill it with items
from their school lunch remains. They will investigate what items from their school lunch are sent to the landfill and learn how these items decompose. They will brainstorm ways to reduce and reuse the contents of their lunches, repeat the lunchtime investigation and compare the results.
