LEAF 5-8 Urban Guide Lesson 3: Management Decisions and Biodiversity
Provided by: Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education |Published on: February 20, 2024
Lesson Plans
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Synopsis
In this lesson, students learn about urban forest management, the impact of biodiversity in urban forests, and the importance of urban forests as a climate change solution.
Students will discuss an analogy to understand forest management, collect and analyze data from an urban forest, calculate the carbon sequestration potential, identify and map invasive species in Wisconsin, and write about managing Wisconsin's urban forests in a changing climate.
This lesson is the third of four in the LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide 5th-8th Grade Unit. The first lesson introduces Urban Forests, and the second lesson explores their benefits.
If skipping the first two lessons, teachers must explain Urban Forests before beginning.
Differentiation:
There are three options for Activity 1 to accommodate different classroom situations. The first option allows students to collect data outdoors, the second option uses an interactive web-based tool to collect data, and the third option is a worksheet with provided data that classes can use if time is limited.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Math:
Make connections in the calculations part of Activity 1
English Language Arts:
Emphasize concepts of writing in the writing portion of the conclusion.
Extensions:
If desired, move on to Lesson 4 of the LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide 5th-8th Grade Unit to research various groups that manage urban forests.
Extend this lesson with the idea that, in addition to urban forests, all Wisconsin forests are a climate solution. The LEAF website has more lessons teachers can use individually or as a unit to help students understand forestry in Wisconsin.
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