In this final lesson in the green spaces unit, students will use their knowledge to take action.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students brainstorm how to incorporate green spaces in their classrooms, school, and community.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students think about which ideas they would like to pursue. Students see an example of one possible action - writing a letter to a government official advocating for more green spaces.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students take action! Students pursue any of their own ideas or collaborate with the teacher to create a classroom or community garden.

Positives

• Students have great agency and control over their projects. 
• Students can have a direct and positive impact on their classroom space.

Additional Prerequisites

• This is lesson 6 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
• Students should be familiar with green spaces by completing the previous lessons in this unit plan.
• Following up with all the students and their projects will most likely take a lot of time. For example, writing a short letter to the principal is very different from planning and executing a school garden. Make sure to provide reasonable guidelines for how much extra class time can be spent on the projects.

Differentiation

• Students can pursue their projects individually or in groups.
• Weaker students may need more support than others, depending on which project they choose to pursue.
• Some students may have difficulty choosing a topic. Finding them a good partner or partners might help them fully engage in this project.
  

The lesson emphasizes ways to create awareness to localize green spaces in classroom or community. This technique is suitable for students to adopt. This lesson has no scientific misconceptions and is recommended for use in the classroom.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

Supporting Standards

• English Language Arts
  • Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
    • RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
  • Writing (K-12)
    • W.3.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
    • W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.