Public Spaces

In this lesson, students see how rapid and extensive development impacts the environment. They learn the difference between permeable and impermeable ground cover and how each affects water runoff. Students brainstorm the best ways to replace some of the impermeable ground cover in their neighborhood.

In this lesson, students explore how national parks, biosphere reserves, and national reserves help us conservation our cultural and natural heritage. The lesson begins with students reviewing national parks, their specific characteristics, and the importance of preserving their natural and cultural heritage for future generations. After the presentation, students research a national park, create a poster display of the information, and present their work to the class.

In this lesson, students explore the damaging effects of graffiti on public spaces as well as the value sanctioned public art can bring to a community. They view a presentation in which they see several powerful pictures of both and assess how they feel in response to each. Then they share photos of their favorite public spaces and see how they feel about those spaces after classmates cover them with graffiti. In the second session, students learn that the difference between sanctioned public art and graffiti is respect. They explore the concept of respect and then work together to create a mural for the school to encourage the school community to respect public spaces.