NJ Forest Habitats: Social Studies Lesson
Lesson Plan
1 hourGrades3Social Studies
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Written by Tina Ezzo, Sustainable Jersey for Schools
About this lesson
In this lesson, students discover how the habitat of New Jersey forests have been impacted by human activity.
Inquire: Students practice nature journaling as a way to acknowledge where nature exists around their school.
Investigate: Students compare and contrast New Jersey forest fragmentation and impervious surfaces from 1986 to 2020, and explore locations in New Jersey using the “Time Machine” simulator to see how the land has changed over time.
Inspire: Students discuss how and why humans impact natural areas, brainstorm restoration ideas, and write a summary of their learning.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- For the NJ Maps: An Interactive Atlas of New Jersey from Rowan University, teachers can use the specific links for Forest Fragmentation and Impervious Surface Changes to go directly to those maps. No further clicks are needed, as the map will automatically cycle through years every few seconds.
- To pause a map on a particular year, use the yellow pause button.
- If the map is paused or stopped (red button), it can be restarted with the green play button. Time will continue from where it was paused. Time will reset to the beginning, if it is stopped.
- If you use the main link to access the site, look in the top bar for the Maps dropdown. Under the heading LAND CHANGE VIEWER, Forest Fragmentation or Impervious Surface Change can be selected.
- NJ Time Machine - 1930 and 2020 Imagery, is a very effective tool to explore.
- The following bullet points provide instructions for the pop ups on the right side:
- Initially a pop up of instructions appears for review.
- To hide these, select >> (the second button). You can return to the instructions by selecting the information ℹ (the second button).
- To search for a specific address, select the magnifying glass 🔍 (the first button) to open the search tool. Type addresses in the bar that opens.
- If you want to Capture an image, select the layered pictures (the third button). Select the blue bar “Set the map area.” Use the crosshairs to drag over the area you want to capture. Enter a title and select download the image. Then select return to map.
- The following bullet points provide instructions for the pop ups on the left side:
- There is a plus and minus for zooming in and out.
- There is a home to reset to the opening site.
- There is a magnifying glass 🔍 which allows you to turn on a hovering magnification tool and zoom in on specific areas of the map.
- The following bullet points provide instructions for the pop ups on the right side:
- Teachers can choose other areas that may be better or well known to students when introducing the NJ Time Machine interactive. Six Flags was chosen because the change is so dramatic, and students may have visited the amusement park.
- Students should be encouraged to speak and write in complete sentences. Scaffolded options are included in the Student Document.
- Teachers can reference the Unit Plan for further guidance on implementation.
Prerequisites
- This lesson is 2 of 3 in our 3rd grade Habitats and Changing Climate unit.
- Teachers should explore the various interactives to familiarize themselves with all features before using them with students.
- Students should have some knowledge of cardinal and intercardinal directions and be able to identify locations based on directions.
- Students should have a basic understanding of the life cycle of an oak tree, and that trees need to grow in soil that absorbs water.
- Students should have a basic understanding that trees provide humans with shade, oxygen, and sometimes food.
- Teachers should be mindful about asking students to use their home address, as some may not know it, face housing insecurity, or live between two parents' homes.
Differentiation
- As an extension, students can explore other types of maps on the NJ Maps site. For example, the Farm Land Loss map may be especially interesting if students are familiar with farms in the surrounding community, or if you discuss farms and food production at any point in the year.
- Different versions in the Student Document provide options for teachers to support students as needed.
- Early finishers could explore the measuring tool in the NJ Maps site found in the bottom right corner of each map. It is the first tool on top.
- When you hover over the icon, a pop up opens that reads, “measure distances and area” in black text, and “create a new measurement” in blue text.
- Click on the blue text and select a point on the map, perhaps the location of your school.
- Click a different location on the map. The longitude and latitude coordinates and the distance of the path are shown in the pop-up window.
- Based on your focus or your students' interests, they could compare the forested areas at New Jersey's latitude to other places at the same latitude worldwide, or compare the straight-line distance to the driving distance on actual roads.
From the scientist review
Students can investigate how land use and ground cover have changed in New Jersey over time, as well as the effects of human activity on the forest and ecosystem services, through this lesson. After reviewing the lesson, it passed our credibility check for science.
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About the teacher writers
Tina Ezzo
Tina's Story
When New Jersey mandated climate education, my supervisor introduced our department to SubjectToClimate. I could have treated it as a mandate and moved on. But as I explored those resources, I realized this was not only a mandate - it was a responsibility I had to my students.... Read More
Tina Ezzo holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Psychology from The College of New Jersey. She has been teaching science for grades 7–8 since 1993.
Tina is the first SubjectToClimate Teacher Fellow. A SubjectToClimate Fellow is an educator who has demonstrated that climate belongs in every learning space and proven it in their own. Selection is based on depth of practice, evidence of student impact, and the power of their story to inspire other educators.
Tina is the first SubjectToClimate Teacher Fellow. A SubjectToClimate Fellow is an educator who has demonstrated that climate belongs in every learning space and proven it in their own. Selection is based on depth of practice, evidence of student impact, and the power of their story to inspire other educators.
Tina's Story
When New Jersey mandated climate education, my supervisor introduced our department to SubjectToClimate. I could have treated it as a mandate and moved on. But as I explored those resources, I realized this was not only a mandate - it was a responsibility I had to my students.... Read More
Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Sustainable Jersey is a network and movement of municipalities, schools and school districts working collectively to bring about a sustainable New Jersey. Acting with state agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, academia and industry, Sustainable Jersey researches best practices for what communities could and should do to contribute to a sustainable future.
