Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others
Unit 2: Where Am I?
SS000206
Lesson 6
Lesson 6: Gifts from Our Earth
Big Ideas of the Lesson

Plants need air, water, and soil in order to grow.

People need food, clothing, water, and shelter in order to live.

Plants provide people with food, clothing, water, and shelter.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson begins with a book about plants such as Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf or Pumpkin, Pumpkin.
Students identify what plants need in order to grow (air, water, soil) while reading the story. After
sharing the book, students understand that plants are ‘gifts of the Earth’ and people use plants to
meet many of their needs. The class then completes a four column chart labeled food, water,
clothing, and shelter (a home). After classifying the four needs of people, students identify how we
use the Earth to help meet our needs. Finally, students are presented a small gift-wrapped package.
It is labeled “To You from the Earth.” The teacher reads the gift tag out loud and poses the question:
What do you think is inside the box? After making a list of student answers on chart paper, the
teacher hands the gift to a student who opens it. Inside are picture cards labeled plants, water, and
tree. After sharing the cards with the rest of the class, the students complete the “Gifts from Earth”
handout to show ways they use gifts from the Earth.
Content Expectations
K - G5.0.1: Describe ways people use the environment to meet human needs and wants (e.g., food,
shelter, clothing).
Integrated GLCEs
L.OL.00.11: Identify that living things have basic needs. (Science)
E.SE.00.11: Identify Earth materials (air, water, soil) that are used to grow plants. (Science)
Key Concepts
Earth
food
needs
shelter
Instructional Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
Box, small
Chart paper
Crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils (classroom set)
Gift tag
Internet access (optional)
Wrapping paper
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www.micitizenshipcurriculum.org
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October 29, 2009
Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others
Unit 2: Where Am I?
SS000206
Lesson 6
Student Resource
Ehlert, Lois. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace, 1991.
The Importance of Plants. 100% Educational Videos. 2002. Discovery Education. 30 October 2009
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>
Titherington, Jeanne. Pumpkin, Pumpkin. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1986.
Teacher Resource
Clark, Jennifer. Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 6). Teacher-made material. Michigan
Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, 2009.
Lesson Sequence
1. In the previous lesson, the students learned that they live on the Earth. In this lesson, the
students will learn about the gifts that come from the Earth.
2. Share the book Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, or Pumpkin, Pumpkin, or a similar book about plants. As
you read the book, guide the students in identifying what plants need in order to grow. Possible
answers are: air, food, water, and soil. Explain that all of these things are found on Earth. We call
them gifts of the Earth.
3. Explain that plants are too a ‘gift from the Earth’ and all plants need food, air, water, and soil in
order to grow. Ask students what they need to grow. Guide students in understanding like plants,
people need food and water to live. We also need shelter and clothing. Explain we meet many of
our needs by using gifts from the Earth. Tell students in this lesson, we will learn about how
people meet their needs by using gifts from the Earth.
4. Display “Gifts from Earth 4-Column Chart”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson
6), or a similar a four column chart on chart paper labeled: food, water, clothing, and shelter (a
home). This chart will be used to identify items people need that are provided by plants.
5. Show the students a cotton shirt, and ask the students if they know what the shirt is made from.
When the students are finished guessing, show the students a sample or an illustration of a cotton
plant. Explain that the cotton plant is used to make cotton shirts. Then place the sample or
illustration of the cotton plant onto the chart under the label ‘clothing’. (Note, pictures for this chart
are provided in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 6) “Picture Cards”.)
6. Next show the students a picture or a sample of a tree. This time ask the students if they can
name objects that are made from trees. Following the student discussion, explain that one
important use of trees is to make wood to make shelter (build houses, apartments, etc.). The
photo or sample of the tree is then glued onto the chart under the label ‘shelter’.
7. Point to the chart and ask, “What about food? Do plants provide food for people?” As the students
provide various responses of plants that provide food (ex. corn, apples, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.)
record their responses on the chart under the label ‘food’.
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October 29, 2009
Kindergarten Social Studies: Myself and Others
Unit 2: Where Am I?
SS000206
Lesson 6
8. For the final part of the chart, ask the students, “Why do people need water?” and “How do people
use water?” Guide the students to answers such as to drink, to cook, to clean, and to have fun.
When the students are finished responding to the prompted questions ask, “Where does all the
water people use to drink, cook, clean, and have fun come from?” Guide the students to the
answer that the water comes from the Earth. To finish this part of the lesson, add the words ‘to
drink’, ‘to cook’, ‘to clean’, and ‘to have fun’ on the chart under the label ‘water’. If needed, the
“Gifts from Earth 4-Column Chart (Finished Activity)” are located in the Supplemental Materials
(Unit 2, Lesson 6).
9. Next show the students the movie “The Importance of Plants”, which can be found at
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/.
10. Display a small gift-wrapped package that is labeled “To You From the Earth”. Read the gift tag
out loud and pose the question: “What do you think is inside the box?” On another piece of chart
paper, record all of the student responses. Once all of the student answers have been recorded
on the chart paper, hand the gift to one student to open. Inside the box are picture cards or
samples of plants, water, and trees. Sample “Picture Cards” (the same picture cards used to
complete the chart) are located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 6) for your use.
11. After sharing the cards with the rest of the class, each student is given one card. Students are to
complete the “Gifts from Earth” sheet located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 6).
Using the picture card, students finish the stem “I use __(Item on card)________ to
____________________________.” When the students have finished writing their sentence, they
draw a picture of what their gift from Earth allows them to do. A finished version of “Gifts from
Earth” can be found in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 2, Lesson 6).
Assessment
“Gifts from Earth” can be used an assessment for this lesson. This will assess the students’ abilities
to identify how nature provides them with items they need. The oral conversation that occurs when
the class creates the 4-column chart can be used as a formative assessment for this lesson.
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October 29, 2009