In this 9-lesson Seeds to Solutions unit from Ten Strands, students will understand the importance of open spaces, what they provide, and why their protection is important.
Students will see examples of open space in Marin County, CA, explore why pollinators, plants, and animals need open space, examine different habitats in California, and analyze the impact of human-made infrastructure on animals.
Students will also evaluate the use of wildlife crossings, discuss how being in open spaces makes them feel, and plan a project to improve and protect local open spaces.
Each lesson has multiple sessions and will require multiple class periods.
Students will love participating in activities like Reader's Theater.
This lesson will equip students with social-emotional skills that they can carry with them beyond the classroom.
Prerequisites
Students may need to be familiar with maps.
Teachers will need the book Milkweed for Monarchsby Christine Van Zandt.
Teachers should note that while the header for the Teacher Guide in the Lesson 8 folder may say Lesson 9, this is the correct teacher guide for this lesson.
Differentiation & Implementation
To make language arts connections, students can write brief, grade-appropriate poems or narratives to describe what it feels like in their favorite open space.
In Lesson 2, teachers can play up the clues analogy for the open spaces criteria and invite students to act as detectives. Teachers can create case files for each of the school's potential open spaces, including a checklist of the clues.
The Alternate Directions in the right sidebar of the lessons give options for teachers with limited space, lack of materials, and other differing needs.
Teachers can extend the use of the Climate Emotions Wheel, introduced in Lesson 6, into other activities and discussions following this unit. This can be a helpful tool for many climate-related topics. Additional resources for the Climate Emotions Wheel, including translations for 15 different languages, can be found here.
To make connections to the community, teachers can invite local park rangers, volunteers, beekeepers, and other heroes to talk with the class while teaching Lesson 7.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Related Teaching Resources
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.