eeef-htl-5 | EcoUniv

How to learn the EEEF Way: Fifth Grade

We can think of the following 5 main clusters for Fifth Grade.

Teachers and parent volunteers should meet at the beginning of the year and plan an activity schedule, based on community resources, school calendar, community calendar and events, and seasons.

These are just guiding examples. Teachers/parents/schools should feel free to modify these as desired or create new grade-appropriate activities.

Cluster 1: The Story of Earth and Life

A timeline for earth: The class creates a long paper or cloth mural representing a timeline of Earth's history. This will include formation of earth and moon, key geological periods (e.g., Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic) and the representative life forms from each era across various classes. It should visualize the vast history of Earth and the evolution of life in a collaborative, creative way.
How we came to be – A timeline of Homo Sapiens: The class creates a long paper or cloth mural representing a timeline of evolution of man including examples of closely related hominids and hominins. Similar to the above exercise, but a more detailed timelines leading to Homo Sapiens. Emphasize the simultaneous existence of us and some other hominins.
A play on Darwin and Wallace (if not done in Grade 3): This should ideally be written by students after listening to /reading the life stories and an introduction to the work of Darwin and Wallace. It could include Darwin’s time on the Beagle and Wallace’s time in Asia as they made their discoveries and them communicating each other via letters, presenting their work to other scientists and the people, etc.
"Geology and Me" Rock Collection: This activity will help connect the abstract concept of geology to a concrete, hands-on activity that leverages their interest in collecting. Students are encouraged to start a small collection of rocks. In class, they will learn to identify basic rock types and landforms (e.g., mountains, plains). Using their collections, they will create a small "museum" or guidebook, labeling each rock and explaining how it might have been formed.
Biomes in a Box: This activity will help understand the concept of biomes and how climate impacts ecosystems through a hands-on 3D model. Groups of students will research a specific biome (e.g., a rainforest, grassland, a desert) and build a shoebox-sized 3D model. This will include the typical flora and fauna, as well as a brief description of the climate and how species share resources.

Cluster 2: Human-Nature Relationship Through Time

"From Stone Tools to Modern Tech" Timeline: This activity will help students understand how human societies and their relationship with nature have evolved through history. In groups, students will create a timeline that compares the three Stone Age periods, the Copper/Bronze Age, Iron Age, Agriculture, and the Industrial Ages (pre-1950 and post-1950). For each era, they will research and draw examples of food and water, tools, housing, settlements, and energy sources, discussing how these changes impacted the environment and human needs. A spatial perspective about how these changes happened across various places on Earth can be brought it in by the teacher.
"The Journey of My Plate" - A Historical Comparison: This activity will facilitate a comparison ancient and modern food production, highlighting the complexity and resource intensity of today's systems. Students will choose a common food item (e.g., any type of bread or rice or vegetable in their locality). They will research how a hunter-gatherer or early farmer would have acquired it versus how we get it today. They will create a flow chart or a presentation comparing the technology, materials, energy, and land use involved in each method.
"Washing Our Clothes" - Past vs. Present: This activity will allow them to explore the evolution of human needs like clothing and their associated environmental impact. Students will research how people washed clothes in the past (e.g., using river water, soap made from ash) and compare it to today's methods (washing machines, detergents). They will discuss the technology, energy, and water use involved and the impact of modern detergents on nature, linking back to the curriculum on "washing of clothes" and its impact. If possible, arrange a trip to rivers/streams where clothes are being washed in the traditional way.
Our houses - A Historical Comparison: Students could hold an exhibition and develop picture posters of houses starting with caves, huts and their various types and evolution, village communities with housing having brick/mortar/wooden elements, and finally modern housing made from concrete, metal, and glass. They could collect information about each type of housing and it’s environmental impact and provide it to the visitors.

Cluster 3: Our Country’s Networks and Resources

"Our Country’s Natural Systems Map": This activity is to appreciate the diversity of natural systems and resources within the country. Students will draw or use a large physical map of the country. They will use symbols and color-coding to highlight major natural systems like rivers, forests, deserts, and mountain ranges. They will then mark where important natural resources like minerals, coal, or specific agricultural crops are found, linking to map-drawing techniques and national resources.
Visit to habitats - forest : Visit a local forest, and generally understand it’s structure, year round climate and the several habitats within it. Identify the local species dependent on unique habitats. Identify foods chains and species interdependence. If possible, understand the dimensions and scale of the ecosystem you are observing, draw a rough map, and show these habitats in it.
Understanding habitats – rivers or wetlands : Visit a local river and/or wetland, and generally understand it’s structure, year round climate and the several habitats within it. Identify the local species dependent on unique habitats. Identify foods chains and species interdependence. If possible, understand the dimensions and scale of the ecosystem you are observing, draw a rough map, and show these habitats in it.
Understanding habitats – grasslands : Visit a local grassland, and generally understand it’s structure, year round climate and the several habitats within it. Identify the local species dependent on unique habitats. Identify foods chains and species interdependence. If possible, understand the dimensions and scale of the ecosystem you are observing, draw a rough map, and show these habitats in it.
Understanding habitats – deserts : Visit a desert, if available, and generally understand it’s structure, year round climate and the several habitats within it. Identify the local species dependent on unique habitats. Identify foods chains and species interdependence. If possible, understand the dimensions and scale of the ecosystem you are observing, draw a rough map, and show these habitats in it.
Understanding habitats – ocean and coast : Visit a coastline, if available, and generally understand it’s structure, year round climate and the several habitats within it. Identify the local species dependent on unique habitats. Identify foods chains and species interdependence. If possible, understand the dimensions and scale of the ecosystem you are observing, draw a rough map, and show these habitats in it.
"Species-Habitat Matchup": This activity is to appreciate the interdependence of local species and their unique habitats. Each student will choose a local species from one of the habitats being studied and visited. They will create a report or a fact sheet that includes a drawing of the animal, its habitat, its involvement in food chains and interdependence, and how it is adapted to that environment. They will also discuss any threats to its habitat, connecting to the curriculum's local species and habitat loss learnings.
Tracing a "Human Network": The objective here is to understand the scale and environmental impact of human-made infrastructure. In small groups, students will choose a human network to study (e.g., highways, railways, an irrigation network, water supply, electricity generation and distribution, or the local waste disposal system). Using maps, they will trace its path and research the materials and energy required to build and maintain it. They will also discuss its impact on common resources and land use.

Cluster 4: Our Environmental Challenges and Our Responsibility

School’s Waste Audit and Action Plan: Here students will learn about waste creation and recycling by conducting a basic waste audit and proposing solutions. For one week or longer, students will be responsible for sorting and weighing the school's waste into categories (e.g., paper, plastic, organic). They will create a chart of their findings and present it to the class or assembly of all students. As a culminating activity, they will work together to create a plan to reduce, reuse, and recycle more effectively as per their current knowledge.

"Pollution Detectives": Simple, supervised experiments will help students understand the basics of pollution. E.g. Students can perform a simple experiment to test for air, water, noise pollution. For example, they can place sticky cards in different locations around the school to collect dust and compare the results, or they can use simple test kits to check for pollutants in a local water source. This hands-on activity makes the abstract concept of pollution tangible. Teachers should engage with science resource persons in the community to decide what kind of tools or experiments will be appropriate at this level. Noise pollution – Sound decibel level could be measured with an app on an adult’s mobile phone and compared with government’s permitted levels.
“What was here before?” : An investigation into land use change in their surroundings. Students will visit the land around their home, school, farm and other surroundings with interview questions to elders – what was here earlier? This should provide them evidence of how land use changes over time, generally in favour of man and away from nature.
"Conservation Heroes" Research Project: Students will learn about the efforts being made to preserve environmental balance and to identify positive human role models. These could be Protected Areas, Pollution measurement and control by NGOs, Waste collection, treatment, and recycling by NGOs and individuals, environmental protection work by departments in local/state/central government, etc. Each student will research a different aspect of conservation, such as a national or state park, a tribal community's conservation method (e.g., a devrai or sacred grove), an NGO’s work, or a government institution. They will present their findings in the form of a poster, a presentation, or a short report, highlighting the history, the individuals or teams involved, their methods, their work, and impact of these efforts.

Cluster 5: Art and Experiencing the Beauty in Nature

"Nature's Patterns" Sketchbook: At this age, students will start to appreciate the mathematical and aesthetic beauty of nature through close observation and drawing. They should get a small sketchbook and try to fill it with drawings of natural patterns. They could observe things like the veins on a leaf, the symmetry of a flower, the spiral of a snail shell, or the intricate design of a spiderweb. This activity helps them see the beauty in small, often-overlooked details of nature.
"The Sound of an Ecosystem" Composition: Students can use their sense of hearing to appreciate an ecosystem and convert that experience into a creative composition. E.g. The class can visit a natural area (e.g., a hill, a forest, a grassland or lake) and sit in silence for five minutes. They will then create a "sound map," drawing symbols to represent the sounds they heard (e.g., a bird chirp, rustling leaves, a buzzing bee). Somone can help them record these sounds, if possible. Back in the classroom, they can use this sound map to compose a short musical piece or write a descriptive story or poem weaving these sounds.
"My State/Country's Landscapes" Art Gallery: This activity will help appreciate the beauty of our state or country’s diverse natural systems through artistic expression. Students will choose one of the natural systems they studied (e.g., local mountain ranges, rivers, forests, grasslands, desert, the coastline and the ocean) and create an artistic representation of it. They can use any medium (painting, collage, sculpture from natural materials), but the goal is to capture the beauty, colour, and texture of that specific landscape in their own style.
“Nature in Literature” : Students should be given a large number of age-appropriate books – novels, short stories, plays, poems, comics. Try to find in these, connections with the curriculum content this year – habitats, Local species dependent on unique habitats, natural systems, man-nature relationship, human-made networks, our food/housing/clothing/water and it’s relationship with nature, and so on. Highlight the parts that you like. Then have a session with all the students and parents to read that portion, and why you liked it.
“Nature in paintings” : Visit a museum which has a good number of landscape paintings depicting nature. Also hold in a class a slide show of miniature paintings with nature in them. Have a class discussion to relate these to curriculum content like unique species, man-nature relationship, habitats, and ecosystems.

Also at the end of the year, have a consolidating activity. It should emphasize that Earth is a unique planet supporting life and we know of no other such planet so far. What should be our responsibility? This could be in the form of a play written and presented by students, a project, or a series of speeches by students with their own ideas. Optionally, this could also include a visit by/to a senior environmentalist in the area to understand their perspective.