S3-U4L5 - P3 How do environmental change affect living...

S3-U4L5 - How do environmental change affect living...

Part 3

Ways to Conserve

• If we recycle, we don’t need to use so many materials to make more things such as plastic bottles.

• Every time we need new materials we have to take something from the environment.

• And that can hurt habitats. 

What are some ways you can conserve freshwater?

• You can turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth and take quicker showers.

• Also, you can use detergents that are environmentally friendly so you don’t pollute water habitats.

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Why is planting trees a good way to help habitats?

• Planting trees helps habitats in many ways.

• First, trees give food to some types of animals.

• Second, trees provide shade and shelter to many living things.

• Third, trees clean the air we breathe.  

How can you help?

DEVELOP SCIENCE CONCEPTS

Why should we reuse plastic bottles?

• Reusing plastic bottles means that we don’t make more garbage to go into a landfill.

• It also means that we don’t need to use so many natural resources that come from habitats.

EXTEND AND REFLECT

Why does walking across a sand dune harm the habitat?

• When you walk across parts of sand dunes where grass and plants are growing, you can harm the habitat. You are disturbing the plants and may cause extra erosion. 

DIFFICULT CONCEPTS

How does recycling things such as cans and plastic bottles help conserve habitats? 

• If we recycle these things, they won’t go into a landfill that takes away space from habitats.

• Also, if we recycle, we don’t have to get so much new material to make new cans, bottles, and paper.

• Every time we need new material, we have to take it from areas where there are habitats, and it is harmful to the habitat.

People can cause disasters

EXTEND AND REFLECT

How can people cause wildfires?

• Wildfires can occur when people leave campfires unattended and the fire spreads to nearby grass or overhanging trees.

• If this happens in a dry area, the fire can quickly spread and cause a wildfire.

DIFFICULT CONCEPTS

Can you think of what caused the mudslide in the photo?

• The mudslide was probably caused by too much rain in a short time.

• Sometimes all the rain makes the soil so soggy that it turns into mud. The mud makes the land very unstable, and on steep hillsides like these, an entire area can slide away.

DEVELOP SCIENCE CONCEPTS

What kind of damage can a blizzard cause?

• Blizzards bring high winds, heavy snow, and ice.

• When heavy snow or ice builds up on tree branches, the branches can break.

• Sometimes the entire tree falls, damaging the habitat.

• The same thing can happen to power lines and roofs of buildings during a blizzard.

What can you do to help habitats?

DEVELOP SCIENCE CONCEPTS

Name some other ways that people help the environment.

• People help the environment by conserving resources like water, protecting species, and making products that don’t pollute the environment.

EXTEND AND REFLECT

What do you think happens to habitats such as wetlands if we don’t conserve freshwater?

• The amount of water in the wetland would go down because sometimes we get our freshwater from wetland areas or rivers that are close to wetlands.

• Eventually, there might not be enough water in these areas for the plants and animals to survive.

• This means the animals would move to other areas, and eventually, the habitat would be bare.

DIFFICULT CONCEPTS

How can plants help keep freshwater clean?

• Plants that grow in rivers and wetland areas actually help filter pollutants like mercury from the water.

• These plants are important because they naturally keep freshwater cleaner.  

Essential question review

SYNTHESIS

What is the same about all-natural disasters?

• All-natural disasters harm habitats.

• A natural disaster from a natural event, such as a lightning strike that causes a forest fire, can harm habitats at first.

• With time, the habitats usually grow back, sometimes healthier than before.

• Sometimes habitats are changed forever such as when people pollute the environment or cut down habitats.  

Why should we help conserve habitats?

• Habitats are important to all living things.

• If one living thing is removed or harmed because of damage to the habitat, the entire ecosystem can be harmed.

• For example, if plants are harmed because of damage to habitat, the animals that eat the plants are harmed as well as all the living things that use the plants for shelter.

• If we want to protect an ecosystem, we must conserve its habitats. 

EVALUATE

Why are air, water, and land pollution all equally harmful to habitats?

• Habitats can be in water or on land, so pollution to either of these is harmful to the living things in the habitat.

• Many living things depend on clean air to survive, just like us, so air pollution is just as harmful as water or land pollution.

Lesson Complete

Part 3 ends here