Unit 8 B1 Level: Environment and Sustainability
Environmental Awareness
Objective:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Discuss key environmental issues and sustainability practices.
- Use vocabulary related to environmental conservation and eco-friendly actions.
- Comprehend articles and audio materials about environmental conservation.
- Share opinions and ideas about protecting the environment.
- Write a descriptive plan for a sustainability project or initiative.
Materials Needed:
- Visuals of environmental issues (e.g., pollution, recycling, renewable energy).
- Sample articles about environmental conservation.
- Audio recordings about eco-friendly practices.
- Writing materials for students.
- Digital tools (e.g., collaborative whiteboard, online quizzes).
Duration:
- 90 minutes per week (divided into two 45-minute sessions) over two weeks (total: 4 sessions).
Session 1: Vocabulary & Speaking – Exploring Environmental Issues (45 minutes)
- Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Task: Ask students: “What environmental issues concern you the most? Why?”
- Use visuals (e.g., images of deforestation, pollution, renewable energy) to prompt ideas.
- Interaction: Pair-share, then brief class discussion.
- Vocabulary Focus (15 minutes)
- Introduce key vocabulary: pollution, recycling, renewable energy, carbon footprint, sustainability, waste reduction, eco-friendly, conservation, biodegradable, climate change.
- Show visuals for each term and use example sentences.
- Task: Students match vocabulary with visuals and write one sentence for each word.
- Speaking Practice (15 minutes)
- Task: In pairs, students discuss:
- “What small actions can we take every day to help the environment?”
- “Do you or your family do anything eco-friendly at home?”
- Encourage follow-up questions and sharing examples.
- Task: In pairs, students discuss:
- Writing Task (10 minutes)
- Task: Students write 3-5 eco-friendly actions they can incorporate into their daily lives.
- Sentence Starters: “I can reduce waste by…”, “I can save energy by…”
Session 2: Reading, Listening & Discussion – Environmental Conservation (45 minutes)
- Reading Activity (15 minutes)
- Task: Provide a short, accessible article about environmental conservation (e.g., efforts to reduce plastic waste or protect forests).
- Activity: Students read individually and highlight 3 key facts.
- Follow-Up Question: “What are the main ways the article suggests protecting the environment?”
- Listening Activity (15 minutes)
- Task: Play an audio clip of two people discussing eco-friendly practices.
- Activity: Students take notes on:
- What actions do they suggest?
- What challenges do they mention?
- Discussion (15 minutes)
- Task: Facilitate a class discussion:
- “Which of these eco-friendly actions could you try in your daily life?”
- “What challenges might prevent people from living sustainably?”
- Task: Facilitate a class discussion:
Session 3: Speaking & Vocabulary Review – Sustainability Projects (45 minutes)
- Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Task: Quick brainstorm: “What does ‘sustainability’ mean to you? Can you give an example of a sustainable action?”
- Write answers on the board.
- Speaking Practice (20 minutes)
- Task: Small group discussion:
- “Do you know of any sustainability projects in your school, neighborhood, or city?”
- “If you could start your own sustainability project, what would it be?”
- Extension: Each group briefly shares their ideas with the class.
- Task: Small group discussion:
- Vocabulary Review (10 minutes)
- Task: Quick vocabulary quiz or game (e.g., matching terms with definitions, ‘Who Am I?’ with vocabulary clues).
- Writing Task (10 minutes)
- Task: Students write a short paragraph about a sustainability project they’d like to implement in their school or neighborhood.
- Prompts:
- What is the project about?
- What problem does it solve?
- What are the benefits?
Session 4: Writing & Reflection – Describing a Sustainability Project (45 minutes)
- Writing Task (20 minutes)
- Task: Students expand their sustainability project paragraph into a detailed plan.
- Encourage them to include:
- Goals of the project.
- Steps to implement it.
- Potential challenges and solutions.
- Peer Review (15 minutes)
- Task: Students exchange their written plans with a partner for peer review.
- Provide a simple checklist:
- Is the idea clear and practical?
- Are the steps easy to follow?
- Does the project address an environmental problem?
- Review and Reflection (10 minutes)
- Task: Class reflection discussion:
- “What have you learned about environmental conservation and sustainability during this unit?”
- “What changes can you personally make to help the environment?”
- Review key vocabulary and celebrate student efforts.
- Task: Class reflection discussion:
Homework Assignment:
- Task: Research an environmental organization or initiative and write a short report about:
- Its goals.
- Activities and actions it takes.
- How it impacts the environment.
- Students can present their findings briefly in the next session.
- Task: Research an environmental organization or initiative and write a short report about:
Assessment Criteria:
- Speaking: Participation in group discussions and clarity of ideas.
- Vocabulary: Correct and confident use of new environmental terms.
- Reading & Listening: Ability to identify and understand key information.
- Writing: Clear structure, detail, and creativity in sustainability project plans.
Assessment Tools:
- Observation during speaking tasks.
- Vocabulary quizzes.
- Written assignments (eco-friendly actions, sustainability project plans).