Lesson Plan of Deforestation and Our Environment
General Science Grade VIII
Students’ Learning Outcomes
· Define deforestation.
· State the effects of deforestation on the environment.
Information for Teachers
· Deforestation means the cutting of trees. it is done for various purpose, like urban development, cultivation, grazing, and combustion s and to get timber and fiber.
· Deforestation is one of the ways, though which human beings destroy the natural habituates for their own purpose.
· The total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million hectares which is 4.8% of the total
Concept Map
Material / Resources
Board, chalk/marker, colored cards, scissors, white sheets, gum, charts, flash cards
Worm up activity
· Conduct a brainstorming session with the students. the following questions may be asked in this session:
o What are the benefits of trees?
o Each year the government and non-government organization conduct awareness and practical campaigns of tree plantation. What is the purpose of this activity?
o Whenever roads or huge buildings are constructed, the environment protection department doesn’t allow any cutting of trees that may be on the way of construction. Why is it done so?
· Now, summarize the benefits of trees and forests and introduce the today’s topic.
Development
Activity 1
· Enlist the benefits of trees/forests (from students ‘response in the brainstorming session). Discuss the benefits which students have missed and add these to the list.
· Inform the students about the rate of deforestation in the world and in Pakistan.
Activity 2
· Divide the students into groups.
· Give the following cards to each group, and ask them to sequence the cards in a logical relationship i.e. how the process are linked. The difficulty in the task is that an effect of one process is often the cause of another.
· Work out the causal relationship in the first effect “destruction of natural habitats”.
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Loss of home for wildlife
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Cutting down of trees
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Extinction of wildlife species in forest
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Destruction of natural habitats
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· Work out the causal relationship in the second effect “increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere”.
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Less carbon dioxide is absorbed
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Cutting down of trees
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Fewer plants carry out photosynthesis
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Rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide in atmosphere
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· work out the causal relationship in
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Cutting down of trees
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Flooding
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Soil erosion
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Top soil is washed away to rivers by rain
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Removal of protection
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Soil is blow away by wind
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Land may become a desert
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Loss of agricultural land
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· Discuss the other effects in the same way.
Sum up / Conclusion
· Tell the students that today we have learnt about deforestation and effects of deforestation on the environment.
· Deforestation is the cutting of trees for various purposes and is one of the ways through which human beings destroy the natural habitats for their own purposes. Soil erosion, flooding, deforestation, climate change, loss of habitat and valuable species are the effects of deforestation.
Assessment
Activity 1:
· The chart below shows the effects of deforestation for agriculture. Ask students to fill in each blank box in this chart with the most appropriate phrase given in ‘A’ to ‘F’.
A: Decrease in rainfall.
B: Pollution problems
C: Silting of streams
D: Depletion of soil nutrients
E: loss of natural habitat
F: Soil erosion
Activity 2
· Draw a simple line diagram on the board showing the effects of deforestation and label it as given in the diagram.
· Ask students to:
o Name the harmful effect of deforestation shown in diagram. (B to D)
o Describe the effects of this activity on plant and animal species.
o Explain the effect on the local human population.
o
Follow up
· Have students pick a forest animal. Ask them to write a journal as if they were that animal living in the forest. How it spends its days and nights? Students can work independently or in groups.
· Arrange a poster competition among students on the topic “Deforestation and its effects on our Environment”.
