Nature in Cities: Design Thinking Lesson
Lesson Plan
2 hours 15 minutesGradesK, 1, 2Engineering
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Written by Lisa Greenwood
About this lesson
In this lesson, students learn about the benefits of having nature in cities and design a nature city of their own.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students listen and respond to the picture book The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students investigate the problem of heat islands in cities and learn about the benefits of having nature in cities.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students design their own nature cities to prevent heat islands and share their ideas about including nature in their own classroom and school.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Positives
- Students learn about heat islands in a relatable way.
- Students share their thoughts on the benefits of nature in cities and expand their understanding of the subject.
- Students think about ways they can improve their classroom, school, and community at large and have the opportunity to put their ideas into action.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teacher will need to obtain a copy of the book The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton.
- For the outdoor experiment, you will need an infrared thermometer set to check surface temperatures.
- Teachers can have students sketch their designs on the templates provided in the Student Document and then have students transfer their designs to larger pieces of paper. Students can use additional art materials such as markers and colored pencils to complete their nature city drawings.
Differentiation
- This lesson was designed for grades K-2. Please check the differentiation written within the lesson and the accompanying documents to modify it to the needs of your students.
- In order to accommodate different schedules, this lesson can also be split into five shorter sessions. Please see the Alternative Pacing Suggestion in the Teacher Slideshow.
- When responding to the interactive read aloud of The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton, student responses can be shared verbally or written down.
- Differentiated worksheets can be found in the Student Document. On the right-hand side, you will see a pencil ✎ symbol. One pencil means the worksheet is for students who write less and need more room for drawing pictures, and two pencils means there is space to write more.
- Teacher can substitute The Extraordinary Gardener with Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed A Neighborhood by Tony Hillery. This book tells the real-life story of how a school community worked together to transform an urban wasteland into a community garden.
From the scientist review
This thorough lesson will give students a basic grasp of the value of preserving green spaces in urban areas to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands and climate change. In this lesson, students will research cities throughout the world that contain natural areas and discuss the advantages of greening our built environment. After reviewing all the lesson resources, the lesson passed our science review.
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About the teacher writer
Lisa Greenwood
K-2 Teacher
Lisa Greenwood holds a Master's Degree in Childhood Education from CUNY Hunter College. She has nine years of experience teaching all subjects, including STEM, for grades K–5. Lisa holds New York State Professional Certificates in Childhood Education and Special Education.
Reviews
Emmanual Collins
I hope that someday, we can ALL live in nature cities! Connecting people with their natural environment is so important!! Thanks for the lesson!
3 years ago
