Jessica Best- Kindergarten Social Studies

Learning About the Environment through Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax 

Grade: Kindergarten 

Subject: Social Studies 

I have adjusted this lesson to accommodate all of the students in my class, including two students with ADHD.  In order to make this lesson accessible to all students I had to incorporate some physical movement into the listening portion of the story as sitting still and listening for a long period of time is challenging for all kindergarten students, especially a student with ADHD.

Rationale: This lesson helps students understand that they are a part of a larger community.  It also introduces the idea that our environment is important to not only humans, but plants, and animals as well.

Prescribed Learning Outcome(s):  

• Students will learn that their choices can impact others, in the same way The Once-ler’s and The Lorax’s decisions impacted others in the story.
• Students will begin to understand that the environment is important to everyone, and begin to take interest in the larger environment, not just the environment around them.
• Students will begin to recognize that the environment impacts daily life.

Instructional Objective(s): 

• Students should be able to identify positive and negative things done to the environment and animals in the story.
• Students should be able to identify things they can do to better their environment.
• Students will develop a deeper understanding of terms previously covered in class.  (Refer to Prerequisite Concepts and Skills) 

Prerequisite Concepts and Skills:  

• Students should be familiar with terms previously covered in class in regards to environmentalism.  Terms include environment, earth, recycling, garbage, and pollution.  

Materials and Resources:

Teacher	Students
Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax White Board  White Board Markers	One sheet of blank white paper Crayons Pencil

Lesson Activities:

Teacher Activities	Student Activities	Time
Before beginning the story, the teacher will explain to students that when something bad happens to animals or the earth, they will give a thumbs down, and when something good happens to the earth or the animals, they will give a thumbs up.  Give an example. Teacher will read The Lorax to the students, being sure to stop occasionally to ask questions, assuring that children are understanding and following the story line.  Teacher will also guide children through the thumbs up, thumbs down portion of the story.   Talk about what The Lorax does for the environment and the animals, in comparison to what The Once-ler does for the environment and the animals.  Make a T-Chart comparing the two characters actions.  Ask students if our actions should look like The Lorax’s or The Once-ler’s.   **When making the T-Chart use pictures and symbols so children understand  Brain Storm ways that we can make our environment better.  Guide children through the possibilities. Ask Children to stand up and ‘shake out’ their legs and arms.  To calm them down speak in a whispering voice and guide them through being quiet with their bodies and voices.  Assign students to table groups. Have Children draw a picture of something we brain stormed or their own idea of what they can do to make our earth a better place.	Students will listen and follow along with the example. Students will sit and listen to the story, while giving their thumbs up or thumbs down. Students will name the things The Lorax did, and the things that The Onceler did in the story, remembering their thumbs up and thumbs down.  In the end students will conclude that The Lorax made better choices for the animals and the environment with the guidance of the teacher.   Brain storm ways that we can make our environment better.   Students will stand up and ‘shake out’ their arms and legs, then quiet down and ‘calm their bodies’.  Once assigned to tables, students will go and sit down. Draw a picture of something they can do to make our earth a better place.	1 minute    10 minutes 4-5 minutes 5 minutes 2-3 minutes 10-15 minutes

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI):

• Actions to the story help keep students with ADHD focussed and interested.  Actions also help all students become engaged and develop a better understanding of the book.
• Table groups will be organized in a way that all students benefit as they will be heterogeneous. 
• The two students who have ADHD will be seated in chairs that rock when they are seated at the table to draw.  This will help them release some of their energy after sitting on the carpet for a long period of time, allowing them to focus on the task.

Organizational Strategies:

• The classrooms two EA’s will be situated at different tables, each with a student with ADHD, as previously discussed.
• Each student with ADHD will have two predetermined spots on the carpet that they understand are their spots. The child has a choice between the two spots when they go to the carpet.
• Use one of the predetermined table groups for more efficient transition.  This also ensures that table groups will be productive so you do not have to keep track of who is sitting at what table while telling children where to sit.

Behavioural Management Strategies:

• Two students with ADHD have spots situated either near the teacher or the EA, for easier access to calm the child and regain focus.  
• Predetermined table groups allow for the teacher to carefully decide what students work best together and what students do not.  There is more than one table group arrangement to allow for variation and differentiation. 

Assessment and Evaluation:  

• Assessment for this assignment will be formative rather than summative.  If a student is struggling or not grasping the concept, the teacher or an EA will redirect the students ideas and assist them in getting on the right track, however, students should be encouraged throughout the process.

Extensions: 

• Extend the things you learned about in class to the physical world.  Have students physically better their environment as a class.  If possible, plant a tree in the school yard or depending on the location of the school, do a school yard clean up.  Other possibilities include planting a small garden either outside, or a box garden for the window sills.  

Reflections: 

• Reflect upon the effectiveness of using the thumbs up and thumbs down actions throughout the story.  Does it make a significant difference in students understanding of the book, so much so that I would use it again?   Also, take notice while reading the book whether students appear to be listening more intently now that they have a responsibility to do throughout the book.