Lesson 135: Caring for our planet

Objective

I can tell simple ways to care for our planet. I can say why we should not drop litter, why we should save water and electricity, and how reusing and recycling can help the Earth.

Materials

• Clean, empty packages (for example, a paper box, plastic bottle, tin can)
• Pictures of nature: trees, rivers, animals, parks
• Pictures or symbols for bins and recycling
• Pencil and notebook or scrap paper

Mini-lesson — How can we care for our planet?

Guided Practice — Planet helper walk

You will look around your home or classroom and think about ways to care for our planet. Use simple words to say what you see and what you could do.

1. Look for litter: With an adult, look around one room or a small outdoor area. Do you see any rubbish that should go in the bin?
2. Check lights and taps: Are any lights on in empty rooms? Are any taps dripping for no reason?
3. Notice reusable things: Look for boxes, jars, or bags that could be used again instead of thrown away.
4. Talk with an adult: Ask, "What can we do to use less water?" and "How can we save electricity?"
5. Draw two pictures: On your paper, draw a messy place with litter, and then the same place clean after you tidy it. Add short labels like "before" and "after".
6. Use the tracing pad: Choose words like Earth, litter, recycle, or water from the dropdown and trace them slowly. Say the word as you write.
7. Finish with a sentence: Write one sentence such as "I put rubbish in the bin" or "I turn off the tap to save water".

Tracing Pad

Lines Primary lines Baseline only Grid Blank Trace (none) Earth planet litter bin recycle reuse water tap electricity light trees clean

Pen Clear

Tip: As you trace the words, talk about one small thing you can do every day to help our planet.

Practice 1 — Planet helper choices

Think about different actions children can take. Decide which ones help the planet and which ones hurt it.

1. Draw two headings on your paper: "Helps the planet" and "Hurts the planet".
2. Under "Helps the planet" you might write: turn off lights, put rubbish in the bin, walk or cycle for short trips, use both sides of paper.
3. Under "Hurts the planet" you might write: drop litter, leave tap on, leave lights on all day, break plants.
4. Circle one action from each list that you want to remember for today.

Practice 2 — Water and electricity check

Think about how your family or class uses water and electricity. Look for easy ways to save both.

• Make four small boxes on your page and label them: "Lights", "Taps", "Screens", and "Other".
• With an adult, walk around your home or classroom. In each box, draw or write one thing that uses electricity or water.
• Add a small tick ✔ next to things that are already used carefully, like lights that are off in empty rooms.
• Add a small star ★ next to one thing you could change, like turning off a screen when you are finished.

Practice 3 — Our clean planet poster

Create a simple poster to remind people to care for our planet.

1. Draw a big circle for the Earth. Add some blue for water and green for land.
2. Around the Earth, draw or write three actions that help our planet, such as "save water", "put litter in the bin", or "plant a tree".
3. Add a short title at the top like "We care for our planet".
4. Share your poster with someone and explain each action you chose.

Quick Check — Caring for our planet

Answer each question about caring for our planet. Think about litter, water, electricity, and recycling.

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Exit ticket (student)