Essential Question: ―What are ways in which people alter the environment?‖
Vocabulary: Urbanization, Desertification, Deforestation, Global Warming
Activating Strategy: Think of three ways that you impact the environment. What are some
negative things that we do? What are some positive things that we do?
Teaching Strategies:
•Read text pages 64-65. Add Air Pollution, Global Warming, Loss of Topsoil, & Deforestation and
pages 171-172 on Urbanization.
•Students will add notes to Graphic Organizer on: Desertification, Air Pollution, Global Warming,
Loss of Topsoil, Deforestation, Urbanization. They will define each and name its cause(s).
• Assessment Prompt 1: Students will list 2 specific examples of any of the impacts on the
environment. Discuss specific examples and add to notes.
•Show United Streaming video, World Geography Asia and the Pacific: China (2:52) Afterwards,
discuss:
• Assessment Prompt 2: What is desertification? What causes desertification? How are the
Chinese fighting desertification?
•Read Jr. Scholastic April 2006, Deforestation article and map. Have students answer questions on
their own.
•Assessment Prompt 3:
Summary: Show slides and have students identify the given alteration.
Homework: 1) Guided Reading Activity 4—Human-Environment Interaction (Students will have to
read p. 66 in text to complete)
2) See Review Urbanization & Effects of Humans Worksheet
3 Ways
• Think of three ways that you impact the
environment.
• What are some negative things that we
do?
• What are some positive things that we do?
What are ways
in which people
alter the
environment?
7.3.spi.18
Desertification
• Definition – When the land loses the ability
to support life.
• Caused by people cutting down trees and
the overgrazing of livestock.
Textbook p. 64-65
•
•
•
•
Air pollution
Global warming
Loss of topsoil
Deforestation
– Add definition and list causes.
Air pollution
• Definition – harmful chemicals that are released
into the air.
• Caused by the burning of fossil fuels, chemicals
in aerosol sprays, industry, and urbanization.
• Smog – a thick haze of _____ and ______
• Acid precipitation – sulfuric acid mixed with
water and returned to the earth in rain, snow,
fog, and any other form of precipitation.
• CFC’s - chloroflurocarbons
Global warming
• Definition – the average temperature of
the Earth increasing.
• Caused by the gases in the atmosphere
trapping the sun’s warmth close to the
surface of the Earth. Because of
urbanization more and more people are
contributing to global warming by burning
fossil fuels.
Loss of topsoil
• The soil on top of the Earth being taken
away by humans and erosion.
• Caused by farming, logging, and mining.
• Ways to help – contour plowing and crop
rotation.
Deforestation
• The cutting down of forests without
replanting them.
• Causes – urbanization and clearing land
for cattle.
Textbook pp. 171-172
• Add a definition and list cause for
urbanization
Urbanization
• Definition - The growth of cities
• Problems are caused by too many people!
• Urban sprawls – Humans spreading in
natural areas causing the loss of
resources, and water shortages.
Play video:
Desertification
• Definition – When the land loses the ability
to support life.
• Caused by people cutting down trees and
the overgrazing of livestock.
Desertification
• What is desertification?
• What causes desertification?
• How are the Chinese fighting
desertification?
―The Expanding Desert‖
• Read together and answer questions on
your own.
What is occurring?
What is occurring?
What is occurring?
What is occurring?
What is occurring?
What is occurring?
Homework
• Guided Reading Activity 4 – Use p. 66 to
complete
What are ways
in which people
alter the
environment?
SS Warm-Up
• Think about a recent choice you had to
make.
– What options did you have?
– Was it a hard decision?
• Write ½ page about your decision.
1. Choice
• Tell me three things that helped you make
your decision.
The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss
3. Problems
• Brainstorm with your partner to come up
with a list of 5 problems that occurred in
the book.
4. Truffula Seed Paper
• Write a one-page paper in which you
decide what to do with the Truffula Seed.
• You must include a drawing.
• If it rhymes, you get extra points.
Summarize
• Tell me 3 ways that we impact the
environment in a negative way.
• Tell me 3 ways that we impact the
environment in a positive way.