Students will:

• Understand what sustainability and environmental care mean.

• Identify a problem in their environment (e.g., littering, water use).

• Suggest a solution.

• Write and present a short persuasive message.

✓ I can plan and share a short speech

✓ Write persuasive texts about sustainability

English (Year 3)

• ACELY1682: Plan, draft, and publish persuasive texts, demonstrating understanding of text structure and language features.

• ACELY1687: Plan, rehearse, and deliver short presentations on familiar and new topics.

HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) (Year 3)

• ACHASSK075: The significance of natural environments and how people interact with them.

• ACHASSI060: Pose questions about people’s actions, and evaluate their impact on the environment.

General Capabilities

• Critical and Creative Thinking: Pose questions and seek solutions.

• Ethical Understanding: Understand rights and responsibilities.

• Literacy: Use language features to persuade.

• Personal and Social Capability: Build teamwork and communication skills.

Cross-Curriculum Priority

• Sustainability: Systems, world views, and future actions.

- Group discussion contributions.

• Students will understand the concept of sustainability and why it’s important for the Earth’s future.

• Students will identify human actions that harm the Earth and begin to think about how they can make a positive difference.

• Students will participate in discussions and contribute to the creation of class charts.

• Class discussion “What do we love about the Earth?”
  Prompt questions:
  

  • What things do we enjoy doing on Earth? (e.g., walking in nature, playing outside, enjoying animals, eating fruits from trees, etc.)

  • What are some special things we want to protect on Earth? (e.g., forests, oceans, animals)

    
    

• Write their answers on the board to get them thinking about the positive aspects of Earth and their personal connection to it.
  (For example: “The ocean,” “The trees,” “Animals,” “The sky,” “Clean air”).

• Watch the video “what is sustainability?”

• Have a class discussion on thoughts of the definition and how similar they were to their initial thoughts.

Some starter questions could be:

1. Why do you think the Once-ler says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better”? What do you think this means for the Earth?
   

   • Encourage students to reflect on the idea that individual actions can have a big impact on the environment.

2. How does the Once-ler’s message to Ted show that it’s important for everyone to care about nature?
   

   • This question prompts students to consider the responsibility each person has to protect the Earth, as the Once-ler urges Ted to take action.

     
     

3. What do you think Ted can do with the last Truffula seed, and how does that connect to the idea of caring for the Earth?
   

   • This question encourages students to think about the power of one person (like Ted) to make a difference, symbolized by the seed, and how caring for the Earth starts with small actions.

Example :

• Reduce Waste:
  

  • I will bring my lunch in a reusable container to avoid using plastic bags.

  • I will use both sides of paper before recycling it.

  
  

  Save Water:
  

  • I will turn off the tap while brushing my teeth.

  • I will take shorter showers to save water.

  
  

  Recycle:
  

  • I will separate paper, plastic, and cans in the recycling bin at school and at home.

  • I will encourage my family to recycle more often.

  
  

  Save Energy:
  

  • I will turn off lights when I leave a room.

  • I will unplug electronics when I’m not using them to save energy.

• Students will identify environmental problems that affect our local area and the planet.

• Students will brainstorm possible solutions to these environmental problems.

• Students will design a mini-poster to present a solution for an environmental issue, demonstrating their understanding of how we can care for the Earth.

Start with a class discussion about environmental problems:

• Prompt: “Can anyone think of a problem that hurts the Earth?”
  Write down student ideas on the board (e.g., littering, pollution, deforestation, waste of water, endangered animals).

Introduce the concept of solutions:

• Prompt: “Now, how can we fix these problems? What can we do to help the Earth?”
  Share some possible solutions (e.g., recycling, using reusable bags, saving water) and add them to the list. Make it clear that solutions should be realistic and something we can start doing right now.

After have a class discussion about each groups findings and solutions or improvements for the practices.

Modeling: Write a simple persuasive sentence on the board, such as “We should plant more trees at school.” Highlight the persuasive words and discuss their impact.

Encourage students to refer to this wall during writing activities to enhance their persuasive language skills.

Example:

“If we continue to pollute our oceans, countless marine animals will suffer and die, and future generations will inherit a planet devoid of the beauty and resources our seas once provided.”

Share with the class and highlight the persuasive words in the sentence.

• Identify a sustainability issue or environmental problem they care about.

• Use a graphic organizer to logically develop their argument.

• Draft a clear, persuasive speech that calls their audience to action.

• Practice giving and receiving feedback through peer-sharing.

Guidance:

• Start strong: Hook the audience with a startling fact, a short story, or a bold statement.

• Explain clearly: Why is this issue urgent and personal?

• Offer hope: Show that their solution can make a real difference.

• End powerfully: Use emotional, confident language to push for action.

Reminders:

• Keep it about 130–150 words (around 1 minute of speaking).

• Stay passionate and convincing, but also respectful and realistic.

“Plastic is hurting our oceans and animals. If we don’t help, there could be more plastic than fish! We can fix it by using reusable bags and saying no to plastic straws. Let’s start today and keep our oceans clean!”

• Did they say what the problem is?

• Did they give a good idea to fix the problem?

• Did they tell you something you can do to help?

• Did they sound excited and make you want to help too?

Students will refer to this checklist to ensure all requirements are met.

Instructions for Feedback:
After each student presents, the teacher and classmates will give two stars (two things that went well) and one wish (one idea to make it even better).

• Example feedback:
  

  • “Two Stars”:

    “You spoke clearly and made good eye contact!”

    “I liked how you used your voice to sound excited.”

  • “One Wish”:
    “Next time, try not to rush through your words so we can hear every part.”

    “Maybe take a little pause after your opening to let the audience think about it.”

    
    

Reflection rubric

Students highlight how they felt they succeeded throughout the 5 weeks.

Reflection questions

• What is one important thing you learned about helping the Earth?

• What part of your speech are you most proud of?

• What is one thing you would do even better next time?

• How will you keep caring for the Earth in your own life?