Green School Badge

I can conserve water

Objectives: Based on Maryland Environmental Literacy
Standards and differentiated for our Pre-Kindergarten to 2nd
grade learners
Standard 8- Sustainability
Topic A- Intergenerational responsibility
The student will understand and apply the basic concepts of sustainability to
natural and human communities.
Topic B- Interconnectedness of systems
The student will recognize the concept of sustainability as a dynamic
condition characterized by the interdependency among ecological,
economic and social systems and how these interconnected systems effect
individual and socially wellbeing.
http://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Environmental/MDEnvironmentalLitStandards.pdf

1. Choose a book or video based on Green School Badge objective.

• Adapt the activity to meet the needs of your students.

2. Choose an activity.
• Adapt the activity as needed to follow your students’ interests.
• Activity can be completed as a whole group, small group or
individually.

3. Provide evidence of activity completion to Green Committee

member
• Collect your students’ work and turn it in
• Email pictures of students participating in activity or their work
• Click here for link to Reflection Form options

4. Earn your Green School Badge!

Online resources

Water and It’s Uses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV-z9KAqn9k

Save Water to Help the Earth Video Clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl0YiZjTqpw

Sesame Street Water Conservation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtcZbN0Z08c

How to conserve Water Booklet-

free resource on Teachers Pay Teachers
https://livecarrollk12-
my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/aesealf_carrollk12_org/ERcNriG7iQZInLtjODYUVXwBlkIAjZH
bXgsc0bUPlBGSbw?e=nxgg4R

10 Interesting things about water

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/10-things-water/
Water Conservation Song- Poster with lyrics
https://livecarrollk12-
my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/aesealf_carrollk12_org/EX3Nizta76VPoo6vyvYhukYBGEeY
c_hxKvCviN2Y093wVQ?e=RsO4Zt
Water Spill!
by Melvin Berger
Youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2FwiDINAUQ
Free lesson plan found here
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/K-1-Water-
Pollution-Lessons-3499713

K-1 Lesson Day 1

1. Create a KWL chart with the students about water pollution to see what the students
already know (K), what they want to learn (W), and what they learned (L). Ask them, ¨How
would water pollution affect plants or animals living in rivers, lakes, or oceans?¨ Fill in the ¨K¨
and then ¨W¨ columns of the chart.

2. Read the book ¨Oil Spill!¨ by Melvin Berger. Use the following discussion questions during
and/or after the book:
- Look at the cover. What do you see? What do you think happened to the
otter?
- What are some of the animals that were affected by the oil spill?
- What are ways that oil gets spilled into water?
- What are some of the methods scientists use to clean up oil spills?
- What are some ways humans can decrease the amount of oil we need?
3. Fill in any new information in the ¨L¨ column.
*Keep this chart posted throughout the unit and add to it when needed.

K-1: Lesson Two

Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to give a demonstration of just how dirty and polluted water
can become. By showing the kids first hand how bad water can become, a lasting impact
can be made on the students and they can take water pollution more seriously after
witnessing how bad it can get.
Materials:
● large tub of clean water
● cotton balls
● dirt
● vegetable oil (or other available type of oil)
● fishing line
● raisins
● any other pollutant that you can find for your classroom
Directions:
1. From yesterday, review the idea of pollution (dirt or waste that causes harm to the natural
environment).
2. Introduce the lesson by telling the students you will be reading the story of “Freddie the
Fish” and will be using the students to help understand the story. Assign the roles to the
students to either read parts of the story or add pollution to the water.
3. Fill a large tub with clean water, and tell the students that this is Freddie’s home, the river.
Tell the students that you will be going on a journey with Freddie and will be able to see his
home throughout the story.
4. Start reading the story. As the story goes on, more pollution will be added to the water
(following along with the story), making the water dirtier and harder to live in. As the
adventure with Freddie goes on, the water keeps getting worse.
5. After finishing the story, give each student a cotton ball; this will be their own “Freddie.” Tell
the students that their cotton ball could represent any plant or animal living in Freddie’s
river.
6. Have the kids come up to the tub a few at a time and run “Freddie” through the water.
After every kid has done this, ask them to look at “Freddie” and notice what happened to
him (he went from clean to really dirty).
7. Ask the students how this would affect Freddie (it will be harder to breathe, live, and swim
around in such bad water). Point out to the kids that we are polluting the oceans and
water and are doing this to the things that live there.
8. Ask the kids to think about ways pollution is happening here at school. Create a list of
these ideas to be used in lesson 3.
9. Finally, ask the students to look for ways pollution is happening at home tonight. This
homework assignment will be used in lesson 3, so ask everyone to remember these ways
for the next day in class.

Grades K-1: Lesson Three

Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is for students to realize that there is pollution found everywhere,
even in their homes and schools. The kids will be compiling a list of ways that pollution is
occurring at home and school. Each group of kids will pick a way of pollution and create a
poster of the type of pollution they noticed, as well as come up with some solutions that
kids can take to fix this problem.
Materials:
● homework (ideas)
● paper
● crayons, colored pencils, or markers
Directions
1. Review the list of pollution students see at school. Collect homework ideas (types of
pollution that kids see at home) and add them to the list from yesterday.
2. Tell the students that today they will be creating a poster of themselves trying to help
address one of these sources of pollution. They are to pick only one problem, and then
think of a way they could help reduce that pollution. The poster should show each student
in action trying to solve their problem.
3. Review all of the items on the list and tell students to think about which one they want to
draw. Also, inform the class that at the end everyone will share their posters.
4. Tell the students to take out their supplies to draw and color a picture. Give every student
some paper to use for their poster. Give them a time limit to complete their poster so that
there is enough time to for all to share.
5. After students are finished, have each person present their poster to the class. This can be
done a few different ways. Some suggestions would be for everyone to stand in a circle
and hold their posters in front of their chest, and then go around and let everyone explain
what they drew. Another way is for everyone to hang their posters around the room and
have the students do a “gallery walk” to see their peers’ work. Do what makes the most
sense for your group of students.
6. After all are done, remind the students why you have been discussing and learning about
pollution, and challenge them to be mindful of theirs and others actions even after the
lesson is over.
Why Should I Save Water?
By Jen Green
Youtube link: https://vimeo.com/104578621

Follow the “Notes for Parents and Teachers suggestions at the back
of the book

Choose one of the “suggestions for follow up activities in the back

of the book

Lesson Plan shared with permission with TeachersPayTeachers Author

Danielle@onekreativekindergarten.com
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/One-Kreative-Kindergarten

https://livecarrollk12-
my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/aesealf_carrollk12_org/EQLWB60EMPJFtFk7oz4giFABuuhB
w8EEiqnr5kxaGs_DQA?e=vE9czo
Water Pollution Powerpoint and Follow Up Worksheet
Used with permission from TeachersPayTeachers Author Heather Anderson
Her TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Heather-Anderson-
2364

Powerpoint link: https://livecarrollk12-

my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/aesealf_carrollk12_org/EU8oIlywv5FOjcLlRy6
1liQBacjjGN7a6mjqYSSDAPrgbw?e=a10DSw

Worksheet link: https://livecarrollk12-

my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/aesealf_carrollk12_org/EReb0JRG2JhMjh7Q
_WGLB18BcTHPy0R2nA5W5ndCI-t-cw?e=OJT0qn
Why Should I Turn off the Tap?
By MJ Knight

Watch Over the Water

By by Lisa Bullard, Xiao Xin
(Amazon summary)
Earth has a water problem. People need water to live. But only a
little of Earth's water is usable. How can you help? Join Trina to find
out how to care for Earth’s water. Do your part to be a planet
protector! Discover how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and more with
Tyler and Trina in the Planet Protectors series, part of the Cloverleaf
Books™ collection. These nonfiction picture books feature kid-
friendly text and illustrations to make learning fun!