LEAF 5-8 Urban Guide Lesson 2: Urban Forest Benefits

Provided by: Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education |Published on: February 20, 2024

Lesson Plans

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Synopsis

During this lesson, students identify some of the benefits Wisconsin's urban forests provide.
Students will explore the connection between urban heat islands and urban forests and conduct their own heat island investigation on their school grounds.
To conclude, students participate in a game to help them review urban benefits and write a few paragraphs about their local urban forest.

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Subjects: Science, Social Studies

Authors: LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education

Region: Wisconsin, WI - Driftless (CESA 3, 4), WI - Metro (CESA 1, 6)

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Prerequisites

This lesson is the second of four in the LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide 5th-8th Grade Unit. Students should complete the first lesson before starting this one.
Students should understand the basics of climate change and the water cycle.

Preparation:

Teachers will need to provide infrared thermometers for the experiment in Activity 2.

Interdisciplinary Connections:

Language Arts:
- Analyze the poetic devices the poet in the suggested video uses to illustrate the extreme heat in southern Wisconsin.

Extensions:

The lesson plan details an optional extension activity where students create a thermal map of their school using the data collected in the experiment.
There are three related lessons linked in the resource that teachers can use to modify or expand this lesson.
There is an article linked at the end of the lesson plan about the physical and mental health benefits of trees, which students can read after the introduction activity to further the discussion of the benefits to urban forests.
If desired, students can move on to Lesson 3 of the LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide 5th-8th Grade Unit to learn more about urban forest management and the impact of biodiversity.
Students can learn more about Wisconsin forestry through lessons on the LEAF website. When taught as a unit, these lessons provide students a well-rounded understanding of forestry in Wisconsin, but teachers can also use them individually.

Differentiation:

The lesson uses data and case studies from Wisconsin, making this ideal for classrooms in that state. If teachers outside of Wisconsin want to modify this lesson plan to emphasize their state, they must locate data, maps, and case studies specific to their location.
Teachers choosing to assign the La Crosse case study can utilize the text-to-speech feature at the top of the article for students with low reading stamina or ELL students who may benefit from listening to the article as they follow along.

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LEAF 5-8 Urban Guide Lesson 2: Urban Forest Benefits

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources