Lesson 14.4: Living Green

Overview

This lesson focuses on learning how to make a positive impact on the environment by living green and develops the skill to implement environmentally positive behaviors into students’ lives.

Learning Targets

  • Describe what climate change means.
  • Explain the four ways to protect the environment.
  • Provide two examples of commonly recycled products and what they are used for.
  • Explain what it means to live green, and identify four related actions.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 14.4 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 14.4 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 14.4 Living Green Challenge Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: What does it mean to live green? Do you think about the environmental impact of your daily life? Why or why not?
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 14.4 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 14.4 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner, and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 14.4 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 14.4 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Living Green Challenge

  1. Prompt students by telling them they will be participating in a challenge to live green for one week and keep track of their progress.
  2. Provide each student with one copy of the Lesson 14.4 Living Green Challenge Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.
  3. Show students the sample log at the top of the page, and direct students to create their own log to keep track of their environmentally friendly habits for the next seven (or more) days.
  4. Students should spend time each day filling out and updating their log for however many days they are tracking their habits.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Do you think it is appropriate to require individuals to change their behaviors to protect the environment? For example, should people be fined if they don’t properly sort their personal garbage into appropriate recycling bins? Explain your thoughts, and support them with facts when possible.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Describe what climate change means?

    Climate change is any significant change in the measures of climate that last for an extended period of time.

  • Explain the five ways to protect the environment?

    Reduce: Reducing the amount of trash and pollution that is created by buying less, consuming less, and buying only exactly what we need.

    Reuse: Reusing items (plastic bags, water bottles, etc.) to reduce the need for more to be made or sold.

    Recycle: Recycle products so that fewer items go to landfills.

    Treat: Treating the land and water to protect people and animals from the damage that harmful substances can cause.

    Dispose: Dispose properly of materials that can’t be recycled or otherwise treated.

  • Provide two examples of commonly recycled products and what they are used for?

    In most places, plastics, paper products, and glass are commonly recycled.

  • Explain what it means to live green, and identify four related actions?

    Living green means being aware of the affect your lifestyle and choices have on the environment. A complete list of related actions can be found in the textbook under the section header “Tips for Being a Green Student.”

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 14.4 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 14.4 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 14.4 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 14.4 Living Green Challenge Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Practice Healthy Behaviors Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

In what ways does your home environment support or detract from living green? Make a list of the ways your family lives green and the ways it doesn’t.