Climate Action Lesson Plan for 3rd Grade Example Students

Topic: Protecting the environment and taking climate action

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the importance of protecting the environment and taking climate action.

Materials

• Handouts with information on protecting the environment and taking climate action
• Colored pencils or markers
• Large sheets of paper or poster board

Warm-up

• Ask students if they know what climate change is. Write their answers on the board.
• Explain that climate change is when the Earth's climate changes faster than normal and can have a negative impact on our environment.

Direct Instruction

• Show students a picture or video of a natural landscape or natural resource that is threatened by climate change. Ask them what they see and hear in the picture or video.
• Have students brainstorm ways that they can take action to protect the environment and help stop climate change. Encourage them to be creative and include both small actions they can do every day and bigger actions they can take as a community or as a nation.
• Write the students' ideas on the board.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in small groups to create a poster or billboard advertising one of the actions they brainstormed. Encourage them to use colorful and creative images to represent the actions they are promoting.
• Glue or tape the posters or billboards to a large piece of construction paper.
• Hang the construction paper in a prominent place in the classroom or school, so that it can serve as a reminder to students and their classmates of the actions they can take to protect the environment and stop climate change.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the actions they brainstormed to work on as a project. Encourage them to use a variety of materials (such as tissue paper, markers, or paint) to create a representation of their chosen action.
• Allow students to work on their projects in small groups or individually, and provide support as needed.

Closure

• Have students share their completed projects with the class. Ask them to explain the purpose of their chosen action and how they represented it in their project.
• Review the main takeaways from the lesson, such as the importance of taking climate action and the effects of climate change in different regions.

Assessment

• Observe students during the group activity and independent projects to assess their understanding of the topic and their ability to take climate action in their own communities.
• Collect and review the completed independent projects to assess students' ability to conduct research, develop a plan, and represent their chosen action in a creative way.