Level: Part A: Grades 2-12; Variation 1: Grades 5-8; Variation 2: Grades 6-12; Part B: Grades 6-8
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Language Arts.
Process: By reading fables such as The Lorax, Dr Seuss or The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean Giono, students examine the importance of conserving natural resources.
Objectives: The student will:
Discuss and analyze a fictional story relating to the proper and improper use of natural resources.Timeframe: Preparation: 15 minutes. Activity; Part A: 50 minutes; Part B: 50 minutes; Part C; 2 50-minute periods.
Skills: Analyzing, comparing and contrasting, discussing, evaluating, forming concepts, identifying main ideas, speaking, writing.
Materials: Paper, pencils, The Lorax, Dr Seuss, The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean Giono. (Extensions.- Crayons, markers, posterboard.)
Vocabulary: Deforestation, natural resources.
Overview
A quick look around the home or school reveals how many items are made from wood and other forest resources. Trees are important to us whether they are used for products or left in their natural environment where they provide oxygen, soil protection, beauty, and a habitat for plants and animals.
Humans have always depended on trees for firewood, shelters, tools, paper, and many other needs. In many parts of the world, trees are removed from forested areas without being adequately replanted. This process of deforestation can have severe environmental consequences on a regional and global scale.
PROCEDURE:
Pre-Activity
1. Obtain a copy of The Lorax or The Man Who Planted Trees to read aloud to your students. Motion pictures or videos of both stories are also available.
2. For the Variation in Part A, write each question on an index card. Do the same for the questions in Part B.
Activity Grades: 2-12
Part A: The Lorax1. Read The Lorax aloud or watch the video.
2. Ask students to list what they think are the major ideas of the story.
3. Ask:
Why do you think the Once-ler did what he did?
What patterns of change in the environment did we observe?
What were environmental conditions like before the company started making Thneeds? What were they like afterward?
What was the author's message concerning what one person can do to save or destroy the environment?
Variation: Grades 5-8
1. Read The Lorax aloud or watch the video.
2. Divide the class into six groups. Give each group a card with one of the following questions written on it.
Each group discusses its question, writes down the answers, and prepares to read their answers to the entire group.
How could the Once-ler have managed his company to protect natural resources and not run out of trees to manufacture "Thneeds"? Is it necessary to protect all trees "from axes that hack"?
What did the once-ler mean by "UN-LESS"? What responsibility does he seem to think "someone like you" needs to take? What kinds of things can we do today to ensure that trees will be available for all different purposes in the future?
Compare the Once-ler's attitude toward the environment at the beginning of the story with his attitude at the end.
The Once-ler explains his actions by saying, "If I didn't do it, someone else would." Is this a good excuse for doing what he did?
The Lorax says he speaks for the trees. What does this mean to you? What is the Lorax's attitude at the end of the story?
What seems to be the author's purpose in writing this fable? (A fable is a fictional story that teaches a lesson.)
4. After groups have had time for discussion, each group reads their questions and answers to the class. Students can agree, disagree, or add to the answers given by their classmates.
Variation 2: Grades 9-12
1. Read The Lorax aloud or watch the video. Analyze the story and present oral or written answers to the following questions. Develop each response carefully, sighting specific examples from the story.
What seems to be the author's intent in writing the book? To what age group is It directed? Why?
Are any of the situations presented in the story similar to real situations In present-day society? if so, describe which resources and which groups of people are involved.
What values appear to be important to the characters In the story? Who might these characters represent in real life? Are any of their values in apparent conflict? Which ones? For what reasons?
2. Write and illustrate a children's book on another environmental topic. The text can be in poetry or story form and need not be extremely wordy. Illustrate with drawings, pictures from magazines, etc.
Part B: Grades 6-8 The Man Who Planted Trees
1. Read The Man Who Planted Trees aloud, make copies of the story available for students to read ahead of time, or show the video. Ask students to list what they think are the major ideas. After listing their ideas on the chalkboard, discuss the following questions with the entire group:
Why do you think Elzeard did what he did?
What changes did the narrator notice between his visits?
What were the environmental conditions like before Elzeard planted the trees? What were they like afterward?
What was the author's message about the difference one person can make?
2. Divide the class into six groups. Give each group an index card with one of the following six statements on it. Each group decides if students agree or disagree with the statement. If they agree, they give three reasons why, and then give an example from real life of how this statement is true. If they disagree, they state why and modify it into a statement they agree with.
-The balance of nature is important to all life on Earth and can easily be destroyed.
-Humans cannot place themselves apart from nature in making decisions about natural resources.
-Actions taken without thought or planning can have disastrous consequences.
-Natural resources are not limitless and can be used up if they are not managed carefully for the long run.
-Each person has a responsibility to help conserve resources and protect the environment.
-Consumers should demand that manufacturers produce products in an environmentally sound manner.
3. After students have had time for discussion, have each group read its statement and then present the results of its discussion. The group leading the discussion should encourage classmates to say whether they agree, disagree, or have ideas to add.
Assessment
1. Use students' answers to the questions at the end of each story to assess students' understanding of the environmental messages contained in the stories.
2. Have each student write a summary of the main environmental points in each story.
Extensions
1. Either alone or in small groups, students write and illustrate a sequel to The Lorax. The sequel might explain how the Truffula tree made a come-back through replanting and proper care. The sequel could say what the new managers of the Truffula Tree Company are going to do to maintain environmental quality and at the same time make Thneeds.
After the sequels are finished, ask older students to consider the following questions:
Does either the original Lorax story or your sequel accurately portray industry?
Which version, the original or your sequel, appears to best describe people's attitudes in the region you live?
What social and economic implications will the actions suggested In your sequel have for ensuring a quality environment? For example, who will pay for the environmental protection?
Who will pay for the damage to the environment if these actions prove unsuccessful?
What does the Truffula Tree Company provide to the local economy?
Who will provide Thneeds if the Truffula Tree Company doesn't?
2. Have students prepare a sequence to the key events in The Lorax. Then, have them draw a diagram or flow chart showing the connections between characters in the story (Swomee-Swans, Bar-ba-loots, Lorax) and the natural resources (Truffula trees, clean air, clean water).
Resources
Johnny Appleseed, Steven Kellog, New York, William Morrow and Co., 1988.
Just a Dream, Chris Van Allsburg, Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990.
Kenju's Forest, Jukno Morimoto, Australia, Collins Publishers, 1989.
Song of the Trees, Mildred D. Taylor, Bantam-Skylark.
7be Grandpa Tree, Mike Donahue, Boulder, CO, Robert Rinehart, 1988.
7be Lorax, Dr. Seuss, New York, Random House, 1971 (also available on video tape).
7be Man Who Planted Trees, Jean Giono, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 1985 (also available on video tape).
The Tree in the Moon (and Other Legends of Trees and Plants), Rosalind Kerven, Cambridge, University of Cambridge Press Syndicate, 1989.
Credit: Project Learning Tree.