"What Happened When We All Stopped"

• This animated poem, read by Jane Goodall, shows what happened when people slowed down during the Covid-19 pandemic and began to notice nature. 
• Students will learn that people have damaged the environment and that people can work together to rebuild it. 

Positives

• This video will remind students that humans are responsible for taking care of the natural world.
• The gentle animation style pairs well with Jane Goodall's calming voice.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the following terms: tenacious, prevail, rebirth, and renewed.
  

Differentiation

• English language arts classes could annotate the poem, noting the rhyme scheme, meter, figurative language, and literary devices.
• Younger students could draw before and after pictures to show what changed from the beginning of the poem to the end.
• Writing classes could write personal reflections about a natural place that feels peaceful. Students could incorporate sensory images to help the reader understand what it feels like to be there.
• Other resources on this topic include this animated video on the importance of biodiversity, this video that takes students to a silent rainforest in Washington, and this interactive map that shows the restoration potential of land in different parts of the world.
  

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