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Summary of the Week: Students will discover how people use the land and its  resources to make decisions about where to live.  

Teacher Background Knowledge: Human-environment interaction is the study of how  the geography of a place affects the way people live and the way people use the  land. Students will also investigate how natural hazards affect where people choose  to live. Human-environment interaction discusses how we adapt and modify the  environment and the positive and negative ways we affect the environment.  

Enduring Understandings:   1. Geography and economics drive the actions of governments and people.  2. People and events are interconnected over time and space.  3. Movement and settlement are a result of geographic, government, religious,  

cultural and economic factors.  4. The purpose of the United States government is to protect the rights of the  

people.   5. When authority becomes destructive to people's liberty and freedom it is the  

right of the people to alter or abolish that authority.  

Essential Questions:  1. How do geography and climate affect the way people live?  2. Why do people choose to live where they do?  3. What natural resources do people use? How and why do they use them?  4. How do people change their environment?  

Vocabulary:   human-environment interaction: how people use the environment to meet their basic  needs  adapt: people change how they live depending on their environment  modify: to make a change to the environment  

suburban: a community of neighborhoods near a big city with space for homes and  businesses  rural: a community where there are not many people or buildings and lots of space  

Notes for Teacher:  ● The article “Adapting to the Environment” uses the same images of houses that  

were in week 13.   ● This is a good week to make the connection between culture and environment.   ● For the article “Modifying the Environment,” there is an optional activity where  

students create a bridge. Consider gathering construction materials in advance  or borrow some LEGOS for a few days.   

Think Deeply: The environment affects how and where people live. People who live  near the ocean often eat fish. They use the wind to power sailboats. They use wood  from trees to build homes to protect themselves from stormy weather. How does the  environment affect where you live? How does it impact the kinds of jobs people do in  your area?   

Well-Being Questions:   ● Which of the human characteristics in your community could be used for  

self-care activities as well?  ● What characteristics of your community make you feel a part of the  

community?  

Let’s Write:   ● What kind of adaptations would you have to make if you suddenly lived in a  

snowy, cold environment? Or if you suddenly lived in a dry, hot climate?  ● What are some negative interactions you have with your environment? Pick  

one of them, and make a plan to change it.  ● What kind of community do you live in? If you could move and live anywhere,  

what kind of community would you want to live in? Why?  

Weekly Assessment Questions:  1. What is it called when people change how they live depending on their  

environment?  a. location  b. adapt  c. community  d. resources  

2. What word do we use to describe a busy city?  a. suburban  b. rural  c. urban  

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d. culture  3. Open response: Which is an example of modifying the environment?   4. True or false: A suburban community has neighborhoods near a big city and  

more space for homes and businesses.   5. What is an example of a positive interaction with our environment? Mark all that  

apply.  a. leaving garbage on the ground   b. recycling plastic bottles  c. reducing trash  d. not turning off the lights  

6. Open response: How do people adapt to the natural hazards that might  happen where they live?  

7. Human-environment interaction is how people use the ________________ to  meet their basic needs.    

a. car  b. environment  c. house   d. wallet  

8. Match the image of the natural disaster to its name.    (tornado, earthquake, flood, hurricane)  

   

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Student Edition Week 20  

 

 

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Article 1: Human-Environment Interaction   Lexile: 300-400L  Word Count: 42   Lesson Plan:  

1. Have the students look at the images on page 1 and then read the article.  What are the three basic needs you can see in these pictures? (food, shelter,  clothing)   

2. Talk about the image of the trees and the image of the house and how they  are connected; the trees may have helped build that house. Have the students  circle the title of the article and, with a partner, define what the title means.  (Human-environment interaction is how people use their resources to meet their  needs.)  

3. Have a few students model the following actions:   a. stand up behind their chair and push it in (safety)  b. turn off and on the classroom lights (being able to see)  c. get a drink of water (thirsty)  d. sharpen a pencil (do our work)  e. put their coat on (cold)  f. raise their hand (need help)  

4. These are all ways that we interact with our environment and use our resources  to meet our needs. Have the students tell you what needs are being met after  each interaction.   

5. Have students divide a page in their interactive notebooks into three large  rows.   

a. In row #1, create a list of foods that help you meet your needs.  b. In row #2, describe how your house helps you meet your needs.  c. In row #3, describe the clothes that help you meet your needs.  

 Article Assessment Questions:  

1. All humans have basic _____________.  a. wishes  b. wants  c. needs  d. resources  

2. Which is a word that means a place to live?  a. shelter  b. food  c. clothing  d. culture  

 

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Materials Needed: N/A   

  Article 2: Adapting to the Environment   Lexile: 500-600L  Word Count: 41   Lesson Plan:  

1. Have students look at the pictures in the article. Ask them how the houses and  the clothing in the pictures relate to the environment where they are found.   

2. Read the article together in class. Have the students circle the word “adapt” in  red and highlight the definition in yellow. Reread the sentence, and circle the  word “people” in blue. Ask students the following questions:  

a. Why did we highlight the word “people”? (because people are the ones  who change)  

b. Can you change the way your environment is? (No.)  c. Can you move the mountains or change the weather? (No.)  d. What changes when you adapt? (Answers will vary.)  

3. Use the images of the house in related media. Tell the students that they’re  going to try an experiment in problem-solving.   

4. Give students these instructions: “Your house has suddenly found itself in a new  environment. What adaptations will you have to make so that you can live in  your new environment? Draw an image of your house on a large sheet of  butcher paper, and add your ideas around the picture of the house.” Provide a  different environment for each group that is different from the image of the  house.   

5. Let students do a museum walk to see the other projects after they are finished.   Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What is it called when people change how they live depending on their  environment?  

a. location  b. adapt  c. community  d. resources  

2. What kind of clothing would you wear if you lived near a beach where the  temperature is hot?  

a. mittens  b. coat  c. shorts  d. snow boots  

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Materials Needed:  Large butcher paper   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Images of the house  

  Article 3: Modifying the Environment   Lexile: 500-600L  Word Count: 55   Lesson Plan:  

1. Read the article together in class.  2. Have a discussion with the students. Ask the following:  

a. What does it mean to modify the environment? (make a change)  b. What are some examples found in the article? Have the students  

highlight the examples they find in different colors.  c. Forestry, mining, and drilling are examples of jobs that were created  

based on the natural resources of a place. What can you tell about the  environment from the images?  

3. Have students look at the images in the article. Ask them the following:  a. Which images show ways we are protecting our environment?   b. Which images show ways we are hurting our environment?  c. Do you think it is a positive or a negative thing when we modify our  

environment?  4. Take the students on a walk around the school grounds. Talk about what it may  

have looked like before the school was built.   a. What things do they notice around the school? (roads, buildings, fields,  

etc.)  b. How has the environment been modified around the school?   c. Have the students write their findings in their interactive notebooks.  

5. Invite the students to complete the Human-Environment Interaction graphic  organizer.  

6. Let the students put the organizer in their interactive notebooks.  7. Optional: Have the students draw a river on a sheet of chart paper. The river  

should be fairly wide. Draw the boundaries of the river for students if needed.  Encourage them to add details like flowers, animals, and rocks. Next, tell them  that they have to create a bridge that will go across the widest part of the river.  The bridge must be able to hold a matchbox car driving across it, and the  water still has to be able to go under it. LEGOS make a great tool for this  activity, but other construction materials will work as well.  

 

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Article Assessment Questions:  1. What is it called when you make a change to the environment?  

a. location  b. adapt  c. modify  d. community  

2. How are the children in the image modifying their environment?  a. They are riding their bikes.  b. They are planting new plants.   c. They are building a road.  d. They are reading books.  

 Materials Needed:   Graphic organizer Human-Environment Interaction

  Article 4: Urban, Suburban, and Rural   Lexile: 600-700L  Word Count: 90   Lesson Plan:  

1. Read the article together in class. Show students the image in related media.  2. Read the article again, and underline the words “urban,” “suburban,” and  

“rural.”   3. Read the article again, and allow the students to complete the graphic  

organizer Urban, Rural, and Suburban Communities with details for each  community. Use the images to add any more ideas not mentioned in the  article. Have them glue the graphic organizer into their interactive notebooks.  

4. Invite the students to watch the video “Where You Live Impacts How You Live.”  5. Have the students create a triarama for each type of community and label it.  

Have them glue the three triaramas together to create a pyramid.    Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What word do we use to describe a busy city?  a. suburban  b. rural  c. urban  d. culture  

2. What do we call a community that does not have many buildings or people but  has farms and open land?  

a. suburban  b. rural  

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c. urban  d. culture  

 Materials Needed:  Construction paper   Graphic organizer Urban, Rural, and Suburban Communities   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “Where You Live Impacts How You Live”   

  Article 5: Positive and Negative Interactions   Lexile: 400-500L  Word Count: 49   Lesson Plan:  

1. Invite the students to watch the video “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”  2. Read the article together in class.  3. Look at the pictures. They show ways that people have changed the  

environment.  a. Which images show ways we are protecting our environment?   b. Which images show ways we are hurting our environment?  

4. Brainstorm examples of positive and negative changes we make to our  environment with the students. Have them give thumbs-up if it is a positive  example and a thumbs-down if it is a negative example.   

5. Invite the students to brainstorm other examples to illustrate. Fold a sheet of  paper in half to illustrate one positive and one negative example.   

6. After the students have shared their examples in class, have them glue their  paper in their interactive notebooks.   

 Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What is an example of a negative interaction with our environment?  a. planting trees  b. recycling plastic  c. polluting lakes and rivers  d. turning off the water faucet when you brush your teeth  

2. What is a positive thing the boy in the image can do with the plastic bottle?  a. throw it on the ground  b. recycle it  c. leave it in the water  d. throw it at a fish  

 

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Materials Needed:  One sheet of copy paper per student   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”   

  Article 6: Natural Hazards   Lexile: 600-700L  Word Count: 57   Lesson Plan:  

1. Read the article together in class and show the students the map of the natural  disasters for the world. Ask the students the following questions:  

a. What does the legend tell us about this map?  b. What do you notice about the dots?  c. Are there many places without dots?  d. Do people live in the places where there are dots?  e. What happens to the communities where those dots are?  

2. Show the students images of earthquake damage, hurricane damage, tornado  damage, and flooding from the related materials.   

3. What did the article say people had to do who lived where there are natural  hazards? (adapt)   

4. Tell students they are going to think like scientists. Divide the class into four  groups. Each group will be given a natural disaster to think about (flooding,  hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes). If needed, you can create more than one  group for each hazard.  

5. Tell students that for this experiment, your school needs to adapt to each of  these natural hazards. The students’ job is to come up with an adaptation for  the school based on the hazard assigned to them. Ask them to create plans on  large sheets of butcher paper. Remind them to use drawings and labels.  

6. Consider bringing in a panel of parents to hear the presentations.   

Article Assessment Questions:  1. What kind of houses could you find in an area that might flood often?  

a. houses built on high stilts  b. houses built out of tree branches  c. houses built out of rocks  d. houses built on flat ground  

2. What kind of weather do you see in the image with the tornado?  a. sunny skies  

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b. snow  c. dark clouds  d. ice  

 Materials Needed: N/A   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Map of the natural disasters for the world  Images of earthquake damage, hurricane damage, tornado damage, and flooding  

   

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Name ___________________________________________________________   Date _____________  

Connecting Communities Studies Weekly – Expansive Horizons     

 Human-Environment Interaction  

 Week 20 Assessment  

 

 

1. What is it called when people change how they live depending on their environment?  

A. location  

B. adapt  

C. community  

D. resources  

 

2. What word do we use to describe a busy city?  

A. suburban  

B. rural  

C. urban  

D. culture  

 

3. Which is an example of modifying the environment?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4. A suburban community has neighborhoods near a big city and has more space for  

homes and businesses.  

 

True False  

 

5. What is an example of a positive interaction with our environment? Mark all that  

apply.  

A. leaving garbage on the ground   

B. recycling plastic bottles  

C. reducing trash  

D. not turning off the lights  

 

6. How do people adapt to the natural hazards that might happen where they live?  

 

 

 

 

7. Human-environment interaction is how people use the ________________ to meet their  

basic needs.    

A. car  

B. environment  

C. house   

D. wallet  

 

 

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8. Match the image of the natural disaster to its name.   

tornado earthquake flood hurricane  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Human Environment Interaction

Name: Date:

Adapt to Environment

Depend on Environment Modify Environment

Nam

e:

Urban, Rural, and Suburban C

ommunities

Directions: D

raw a p

icture of each com

munity then describe

what they

look like

at the b

ottom of the

draw

ing.

Urban

Suburban

Rural

Urban com

munities have:

Suburban com

munities have:

Rural com

munities have: