Overview
People Impact Environments
Author(s) :
Liz Lewis
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grade(s) : 5
Suggested Amount of Time : Two 40-55 minute lessons
Curriculum Themes:
- History
- Cultural Strengths
- Law/Government
- Relationship to Place
- Cross Curricular Integration
Learning Goals
Students will:
Identify and engage with a theme
Draw on information from multiple sources on the same topic in order to write or speak on the topic
Form and express an opinion using text based evidence
Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment
Lesson Overview
This lesson introduces students to environmental protection and social issues related to the removal of dams. The lesson supports student reading skills as they pertain to understanding and identifying a theme and writing skills related to forming and communicating an opinion based on evidence.
Essential questions:
How can we uncover and explore themes from a story?
How do people impact the environment?
The teacher must:
Understand that watersheds can be impacted by people, which can lead to positive or negative change for the plants, animals and people who rely on resources in the environment to survive.
Be prepared to actively engage students to respect the natural environment and indigenous people who are culturally connected to natural resources.
Actively engage students to respectfully state their opinions and discuss topics through academic argument based on strong research.
Teacher Background
For the Hoopa, Yurok and Karuk people of Northern California (Humboldt and Trinity counties), as well as other indigenous peoples along the Klamath river, the health of the river is essential for the health of the people and is an essential element of their culture. Through colonization, the river has been exploited for its power and resources by non-indigenous people. The rights to this water have been limited at times by the US government and the people have had to fight for the right to access and protect this fundamental cultural resource. Through protest, participation in politics, scientific study and community support, the indigenous people have won their case in court and the dams have been taken down (as of Summer 2024). The fight to protect the land and river from environmental exploitation continues as the people continue to maintain a resilient culture that is inherently connected to the lands and rivers they have lived on since time immemorial.