My Green Space
Lesson Plans
GradesK, 1, 2Science, English Language Arts, Health
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 Guardians
What it is
- This engaging lesson plan uses storytelling to teach about green and blue spaces, how they impact our mental health, and what we can do to protect nature and interact with nature more often.
- Students will learn through reading a digital story, playing games, and designing their own green space.
Teaching tips
Positives
- There are many points in the lesson for interactive class discussions on the topics from the story.
- Interactive media and read-aloud functions make this lesson something older students may be able to do independently, if needed for virtual learning.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be introduced to the terms green space, blue space, environment, restless, pollen, woodpecker, observations, grim, and surroundings prior to reading the story.
- Students should be aware of the concept of mental health and that our environment can impact how we feel.
Differentiation
- Teachers can use this lesson to supplement a unit on mental health, social emotional well-being, or reducing pollution. They can also keep a "feelings and spaces" journal to document their surroundings and how they feel at different times and locations.
- After this lesson, have students learn about how trees, forests, and other natural environments reduce greenhouse gases and fight climate change.
- Students in writing classes can go for a nature walk and write poetry about how it feels to be in a green space.
- Following this lesson, students can make a classroom poster about protecting and interacting with nature and have students identify how protecting nature is a climate solution.
- Teachers can assign students to interact with or protect nature at home and then write a journal entry about it.
- ELLs may need to slow the pace of the video, as there are no subtitles.
From the scientist review
This resource from Green Guardians is a lesson that teaches students how their surroundings impact their mental health. A thorough lesson plan for teachers is included that highlights main discussion points and important vocabulary. The main resource is a story with an embedded video that guides students through a story where an entire class’s mood and behavior is improved by a short journey into a butterfly garden. This resource also features several activities including an interactive word search, a green space game, and a design-your-own green space worksheet. Throughout this resource, the way that green and blue spaces positively affect the way we feel is highlighted, and there are numerous points for classroom discussion built into the lesson. This resource is engaging, attractive, and is recommended for teaching.
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