Understanding human impact on the environment: A G4 explanation.

📚 Understanding Human Impact on the Environment: A G4 Explanation

This lesson helps students understand how people affect the Earth and what we can do to help.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• 🌍 Students will be able to define 'environment'.
• 🌱 Students will be able to identify at least three ways humans impact the environment.
• ♻️ Students will be able to suggest at least two actions to reduce negative environmental impact.

📝 Materials

• 🖼️ Pictures or videos showing examples of environmental impact (e.g., deforestation, pollution).
• 🖍️ Markers, crayons, or colored pencils.
• 📃 Paper or notebooks.

☀️ Warm-up (5 mins)

What is the Environment?

• 🗣️ Ask students: "What things are around you right now?" (e.g., trees, air, water, animals)
• 🤝 Explain: Everything around us – the air, water, land, plants, and animals – is called the environment.

✍️ Main Instruction

How Humans Impact the Environment:

1. 🌲 Deforestation

   • 🪓 Explain: Cutting down trees (deforestation) removes habitats for animals and reduces the amount of oxygen in the air.
   • 📸 Show pictures of forests being cut down.

2. 🏭 Pollution

   • 💨 Explain: Pollution is when we add harmful things to the environment, like trash in the ocean or smoke in the air.
   • 🌊 Show pictures of polluted rivers or smog in cities.
   • ⚗️ Explain: Pollution can come from cars, factories, and even our homes.

3. 🗑️ Waste

   • 🧸 Explain: When we throw things away, they often end up in landfills, taking up space and sometimes polluting the ground.
   • ⛰️ Show pictures of landfills.
   • ⏱️ Explain: Some waste takes a very long time to break down.

What Can We Do?

• ♻️ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

  • 📉 Explain: Use less, use things again, and recycle materials like paper, plastic, and glass.
  • ✅ Give examples: Use a reusable water bottle, donate old toys and clothes, recycle paper and cans.

• 🪴 Plant Trees

  • 🌳 Explain: Planting trees helps clean the air and provides habitats for animals.
  • 🌱 Encourage students to plant a tree or help in a garden.

• 💧 Save Water

  • 🚿 Explain: Use less water by taking shorter showers and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth.
  • 🚰 Emphasize the importance of water conservation.

📝 Assessment

Class Discussion:

• 🙋 Ask students to share one thing they learned about human impact on the environment.
• 🗣️ Ask students to share one thing they can do to help the environment.

🎨 Activity

• 🖍️ Have students draw a picture of the environment and show either a positive or negative human impact.