Students investigate open space and its importance for the well-being of living things. Students first explore what open space looks like and feels like. Then they investigate why plants, animals, and people need open space. Understanding the role of open space in animal survival helps students connect with the natural world and think critically about how humans and animals can coexist.
This sparks wondering about different ways people use open space and how students use open space in their own lives. Students explore an outdoor area to experience the benefits of open space, which sparks curiosity about the people who maintain and protect open space. The unit culminates with students creating action plans to care for open space at school. By identifying the interdependence of living things to healthy open spaces, this unit lays the foundation in later grades to understand how open spaces can combat the effects of climate change.
“My kids have said, ‘Oh good, I like doing this,’ when we were starting the lesson each day. It’s a great topic. I also think it has made them more curious and do their own research.”
“This did a great job of piquing students’ interest and sparking opposing points of view, which created lively discussions on the topic.”
“Students were curious and continue to be curious. They are more aware of their surroundings than before and continue to point out observations daily.”
“The message that there are solutions to help us combat climate change and that people are working together to solve problems helped students stay in a place of curiosity; they didn’t show anxiety over the content.”
“I have learned ways to improve my teaching, and I have been at this for 38 years. The students are gaining a deeper understanding of what climate change is: what causes climate change, and the impact of climate change on crop yield.”
“I heard comments like, ‘I didn’t realize how much climate change affects my community,’ and, ‘This project made me think about what I can do to help.'”
“Students really enjoyed the hands-on activity. They were very interested to learn about the different pollutants that they’ve never heard of. It also developed their curiosity about air quality and pollution. It was an eye-opener for some that they are able to see what is mostly ‘unseen’ by everyone.”
“This is engaging because it uses real data about the state students live in and shows changes within their lifetime, like the rise of warehouses and trucking during the pandemic.”
“Using the maps and seeing things like schools and how close they are to hazards is really cool. They may not be super connected personally, but they can put themselves in the shoes of other kids and try to relate. I know it’s working because I have a kid that just watches Netflix all day, every day and he pulled out his earbud and participated!”
“They’ve never thought about stuff like this before, and now they’re sharing it. One girl said this was the only class that she went home and talked to her parents about.”
“The kids become more engaged because now they are actually actively doing things. They’re really having to look for themselves. It’s not given to them on a platter, but all the resources are right there.”
“When you’re out in the workforce, you’re trying to solve problems that don’t have a clear, immediate answer. So doing stuff like this helps give students practice.”
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