Go Green! Clean Air
Rationale
Non-fiction books provide a great deal of information beyond the actual text (i.e., illustrations, chapter titles, headings, key vocabulary words, etc.). The Go Green! series provides excellent opportunities for teachers and librarians to Identify parts of the book that set the stage for learning essential science content.
learning essential science content.
Objectives
- Students will identify parts of nonfiction books that provide information.
- Students will make predictions about the content based upon illustrations, chapter titles, etc.
- Students will make real-world connections to nonfiction text.
- Students will understand the impact that human actions have on the earth.
- Students will identify ways to protect our environment.
Lesson
Build Framework for Learning
Select Clean Air to share with students. Show them the cover and guide them in discussion with questions such as:
What do you think this book is about?
What do you know about the air?
Why do you think the author wrote this book? What do you think the author is like?
What do you think we might learn from this book?
Next, take the students on a “book walk” pointing out features of the book such as the table of contents, the glossary, the index, etc. Ask the students to write the title of the book that interests them the most and jot down two questions that they hope the book will answer for them. You can also create a class list of questions on butcher paper or the whiteboard. Either way, engage discussion by allowing students to share why they have chosen the books. Talk about how prior experiences, movies, and other books shape the things in which we show interest.
Read and Reflect
Ask students to either work independently or with a partner to select and read the book that interests them the most. Provide each student with the Go Green handout to take notes as they read. The last box asks students to write a personal opinion statement. Prompt students to think about the most important thing that they learned from the book and how this new knowledge might impact their awareness of the environment.
Take Action
On page 30 of each book, there are suggestions for “More Ways to Go Green.” Ask each pair of students to read the suggestions provided and create an action plan that they can implement at home, in school, or in their community. Provide students with the Go Green Action Plan worksheet to identify their plan.
Go Green Crossword
After students have had ample time to explore the books in the Go Green! series, share the Go Green Crossword with them and test their knowledge.
Is It Biodegradable?
Write the word "biodegradable" on the board or chart paper. Explain that something that is biodegradable breaks down easily — it the becomes part of nature again. Things like paper, food, and grass clippings are biodegradable. Things like aluminum and plastic are not. Discuss the impact that non-biodegradable items have on our environment. Provide each student with a Biodegradable worksheet. Ask students to define the word at the top of the page and then list as many things they can think of that are biodegradable, Then see how many words the students can create out of the letters in the word biodegradable.