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.

Students learn about the importance of bees and how humans can impact their survival.

Inquire: Students watch a video to learn about the mason bee and work together to match new vocabulary words about bees.

Investigate: Students read about the importance of bees and the threats they face.

Inspire: Students solve story math problems, create a mason bee house, and use vocabulary words to write a “Grand Opening” sign inviting local bees to stay.

Students learn about the importance of bats and the threats they face.

Inquire: Students recall what they know about bats and learn more about them through a read aloud of Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynold.

Investigate: Students research bats and threats to their survival by participating in a read and write the room activity.

Inspire: Students make bat boxes to display and teach others about bats.

Students learn about the problems caused by clothing waste and then repurpose an item of clothing.

Inquire: Students do an open-ended picture sort to explore how t-shirts are made.

Investigate: Students learn about the problems of clothing overproduction and certain types of consumer behavior as they act out how a t-shirt is made.

Inspire: Students consider ways of addressing the problem and experiment with repurposing an item of clothing.

In this lesson, students test water absorption to model runoff in urban areas, then imagine being a landscape architect and design a rain garden to mitigate flooding.

Inquire: Students share what they know about rainwater and where it goes after it rains.

Investigate: Students test the absorption of water on everyday surfaces and discuss how this relates to the problem of rainwater runoff.

Inspire: Students design a rain garden using geometric shapes and write about what they learned.

In this activity, students explore how farming has evolved and why it needs to continue changing to meet global food demands. They watch a video and discuss modern farming practices and the role of technology in making agriculture more sustainable. Through guided questions, they reflect on innovations like precision farming, water conservation, and soil health improvements. Students then complete the Farming Geometry worksheet to reinforce their learning.

In this activity, students learn about the impact of food waste on climate change by watching Food Waste Causes Climate Change, Here’s How We Stop It. They reflect on their own household food waste habits through guided discussion questions, considering why waste occurs and how they might reduce it. Students then complete the Food Waste Ratios worksheet to deepen their understanding. This activity encourages critical thinking about sustainability and practical solutions to a global issue.