Be Like a Tree
Videos
Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7Science, English Language Arts
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Green Ninja
What it is
- This resource from Green Ninja includes an animation for a poem in which a building is trying to be more like a tree.
- The teaching guide asks students to analyze this poem for the differences between poetry and prose and to determine how a building uses biomimicry to be more like a tree.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The animation in this video is colorful and engaging.
- Students will love this fun introduction to sustainable buildings!
Prerequisites
- Teachers may want to define the term biomimicry for students before showing the video or analyzing the poem.
- Some of the Additional Resources links may be broken.
Differentiation & Implementation
- As students watch the video, they can write down all of the ways the building is trying to be like a tree.
- Given the transcript of the poem from the video, students can highlight the poetic devices used, such as rhyme, personification, and metaphor. Students can also plot the rhyme scheme of this poem.
- This video can hook students into a dedicated lesson on green roofs and other ways to make buildings more eco-friendly. Teachers can use this resource to find other activities on green roofs.
- Teachers can use this resource to make connections to Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production.
From the scientist review
This video resource explores how the carbon footprint of buildings can be reduced through biomimicry. Poetry is connected seamlessly with sustainability as green building technology is introduced through verse. Numerous additional resources are linked from trusted sources such as the EPA and the Nature Conservancy, though two links are broken. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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