In classrooms all over the world, students young and old are using this opportunity to explore some key components of the science curriculum. One of the important things that all students need to understand is how interdependent all the humans, animals, organisms, really are. It is important to help them see how different facets of nature need one and other to thrive and to survive.
The TumbeBookLibrary selection, Trout are Made of Trees is an excellent place to start. Though the text is quite simple, the ideas are quite sophisticated and important.
Lesson Plan
1. Before you read the book, how about challenging the class to think first. (Hypothesizing) What does the title of the book mean? Does it make sense? Take a poll of whether students agree or disagree with the statement made in the title.
2. Now share this book with your whole class. When completed re-ask the question and re-take the poll. Did students change their opinions?
3. After completing the book, make a chain that starts with the leaf and ends with the trout and includes all the various stages and transformations that occur in nature that actually do help a leaf turn into a trout.
4. Watch the ECOLOGY video easily accessed on the Tumble Book Library. Next, ask children to hypothesize how other things in the environment may be linked to one and other. For example, how does a lightening bolt starting forest fire impart on the homes of deer? How does throwing garbage on the playground hurt birds? By providing students with this chart (below) they will be able to create many chains of impact that individuals can have on the world around them.
5. Ask the class to brainstorm how individuals can HELP repair the planet.
6. Commit to make changes in your classroom and put them into action. (recycle, reduce, reuse, noise reduction etc.)
The CHAIN of ______