Grade by Grade
B. People and Environments · The Local Community

People and the Environment Affect Each Other

B1 B2.5About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe how people change the natural environment.
  • I can describe how the natural environment affects what people do.
  • I can tell the difference between short-term and long-term effects.
  • I can suggest ways to take care of my community's environment.

Words to know

environment
Everything around us: land, water, air, plants, animals and the things people build.
effect
What happens because of something. If you drop a glass, the effect is that it breaks.
short-term
Happens right away or lasts a short time.
long-term
Happens later or lasts a long time.
reduce, reuse, recycle
Make less garbage, use things again, and turn old things into new things.

A two-way street

People change the land around them. And the land and weather change what people do. They affect each other, back and forth, like a two-way street.

PeopleEnvironmentPeople change the land:build roads, plant trees, make parksThe land and weather change people:snow means snowsuits; a river means bridges
People and the environment affect each other, back and forth, like a two-way street.
People affect the environmentThe environment affects people
We build houses and roads, and trees are cut down.Snow means we wear snowsuits, shovel and drive snowplows.
We plant trees and gardens.A river means we build bridges to cross it.
Litter can hurt animals and dirty the water.Hills mean we can go tobogganing!
We make parks and trails.Hot summer days mean we go to the beach or splash pad.
Cars and factories can make the air dirty.Good soil means farmers can grow food.
People and the environment affect each other

Short-term and long-term effects

Some effects happen right away. These are short-term effects. Some happen later or last a long time. These are long-term effects.

  • You drop a juice box at the park. Short-term: the park looks messy. Long-term: the box could blow into the pond and harm fish and birds for a long time.
  • A class plants a maple tree. Short-term: a small tree in the schoolyard. Long-term: many years later, a big tree gives shade, a home for birds and cleaner air.
  • A new road is built. Short-term: noisy trucks and some trees cut down. Long-term: people can get places faster, but more cars use the road.
A young tree newly planted in a schoolyard next to a big shady tree.
A newly planted tree is small today. Many years from now it could grow as big as the tree behind it and give shade and homes for birds. AI-generated image
Short-termright awayLong-termmany years latera small treeshade, bird homesyears
The class plants a maple tree. The short-term effect is a small tree. The long-term effect is shade, homes for birds and cleaner air.
Worked example

Example: What are the effects?

A new shopping mall is built on a field where people used to fly kites and where rabbits lived. What are some effects?

  1. Think about people: now there are stores close by, and new jobs. But there is no field for kites.
  2. Think about nature: the rabbits lost their home and had to move. Fewer plants and trees.
  3. Sort into short-term (building noise, trucks) and long-term (stores and jobs for many years; the field and rabbit homes are gone for good).
  4. Think of a solution: plant trees and leave a green space beside the mall.

Some effects help people (stores, jobs), and some hurt nature (lost animal homes). Good planning can balance both.

Worked example

Example: Can we fix it?

The garbage cans at the park are always overflowing, and wrappers blow into the creek. What could the community do?

  1. Find the problem: too much garbage, and it reaches the water.
  2. Think of who could help: families, the city, students.
  3. Think of solutions: add more garbage and recycling bins, reduce garbage by using reusable containers, hold a park clean-up day.

More bins, less garbage (reduce, reuse, recycle) and a clean-up day would protect the creek.

Just for fun

Funny but true: A sugar maple tree can live for more than 200 years. A tree your class plants this spring could still be giving shade to Grade 1 kids in the year 2200!

Hands-on activity

Garbage detective (with gloves!)

You need: a grown-up, gloves, a bag, and a small area like your yard, your balcony or a short stretch of sidewalk.

  1. Pick up litter you find (only with gloves; never touch sharp things like glass or needles; tell a grown-up).
  2. Sort what you found at home: recycling, garbage, green bin / compost (if your community has one).
  3. Count each pile and make a tally.
  4. Talk: What is the short-term effect of this litter? What could the long-term effect be if nobody picked it up?
  5. Choose one way your family can reduce garbage this week (a reusable water bottle, a lunch box instead of plastic bags).

Your turn

1

Name one way people change the natural environment.

2

Name one way winter changes what people do in Canada.

3

What does short-term mean?

4

What does long-term mean?

5

A family plants a tree. What is one long-term effect?

6

Name one way to reduce garbage.

7

Why do people build bridges over rivers?

More practice: warm-up

1

Is litter good or bad for animals?

2

Which helps the environment: recycling a can or throwing it in the lake?

3

Does a big hill change what kids do in winter? How?

4

Name one thing you can put in a recycling bin.

5

True or false: People and the environment affect each other.

More practice: on your own

1

A town builds houses on a forest. What is one effect on animals? What is one effect on people?

2

Is a noisy construction truck a short-term or long-term effect of building a road? Explain.

3

Why do you think many cities have a green bin for food scraps?

4

A lot of rain fell and the river flooded the park. How did the environment affect people?

5

Name two ways your family affects the environment, one helpful and one harmful.

Challenge

1

Your school wants a new parking lot. It would cover the garden where students grow vegetables. List one good effect and one bad effect. What would you decide?

2

Why might a long-term effect be harder to notice than a short-term one?

3

Many First Nations teachings say to think about people who will live many years from now. How could that help a town make a good choice about cutting down a forest?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which shows the environment affecting people?

2.

Which shows people affecting the environment?

3.

Planting a tree that gives shade in 20 years is a...

4.

Which helps reduce garbage?

5.

What can happen if litter reaches a creek?

6.

Why do people build bridges?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: People and the natural and built environment affect each other. Changes can have short-term and long-term effects, both helpful and harmful, and people can take action to care for their community.

How to help at home:

  • Point out examples: a new building going up, trees being planted, how winter changes your routines.
  • Sort recycling, garbage and compost together, following your municipality's rules.
  • Ask "What might happen later?" to build long-term thinking.

Common difficulties:

  • Seeing only one direction. Children notice people changing nature, but forget nature changes people (weather, rivers, hills). Use the two-column table.
  • Short-term versus long-term. Use "today or tomorrow" versus "in many years" as a simple test.
  • Safety: during any clean-up, children wear gloves and never touch sharp objects. An adult handles anything unknown.