Global Environmental and Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC) - Teach Your Grade 1 Curriculum Using Environmental Themes

Teach Your Curriculum Using Environmental Themes

Grade 1

The GEOEC is pleased to provide the following integrated themes that you can use to teach your curriculum in an environmental context. The documents are provided “as is” in Microsoft Word format to facilitate their use by teachers. These unit plans are living documents – please send your feedback to info@geoec.org.

Theme 1 - Making Connections

Understanding how humans and other living things meet the same basic needs

Curriculum links for this unit:
Science Topic E: Needs of Animals and Plants
1-11 Describe some common living things, and identify needs of those living things.
Social Studies Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community
Language Arts: communicate clearly
See also:
www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/
for more information.
Activities

Basic Needs
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Environmental Lap Sit
Belonging to a community
Concluding activity: Memory Review

Download this unit plan:
grade1-theme1.doc
(3 pages, ~240K)

Theme 2 - Wonderful World

Awakening a natural sense of wonder

Curriculum links for this unit:
Science Unit B: Seasonal Changes
1-6 Describe seasonal changes and interpret the effect of seasonal changes on living things
Science Unit D: Senses
1-5 Recognize that other living things have senses and identify ways that other animals use their senses (i.e. sensing danger, finding food, recognizing their young…)
Social Studies Citizenship: Belonging and Connecting
1.1 My World: Home, School, and Community 1.1.4 determine what makes their communities thrive by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions for inquiry: (points 1 - 5)
Language Arts
Communicate clearly
See also:
www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/
for more information.
Activities

Colourful animals
Camouflage
Animal senses
Silent nature walk or Un-Nature Trail
Senses

Download this unit plan:
grade1-theme2.doc
(3 pages, ~245K)

Theme 3 - Change

Occurs in nature, families, and communities

Curriculum links for this unit:
Science Unit B: Seasonal Changes
1-6 Describe seasonal changes and interpret the effects of seasonal changes on living things
Science Unit E: Needs of Animals and Plants
1-9 Recognize that some plants and animals must adapt to extreme conditions to meet their basic needs (i.e. arctic and desert plants and animals)
Social Studies Citizenship: Belonging and Connecting
1.2 Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History and My Community
Language Arts Make observations about activities and experiences depicted in text
See also:
www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/
for more information.
Activities

Natural change in the schoolyard
Four seasons of a tree
We're all Passengers
Seasonal Changes
Changes from past to present
Concluding Activity: Change

Download this unit plan:
grade1-theme3.doc
(3 pages, ~240K)

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