Lesson about the Environment and the animals.

“Farewell to Shady Glade”  by Bill Peet

I would teach this book as part of a unit about the environment.  This could be for a 6th  or 7th grade class.

The book is about a group of animals that live in a nice place in the country, “Shady Glade,” which is in the process of being plowed under to make more room for the city.

First the birds leave, then the animals decide to check out the machines.  They find the tractors without their drivers, and try to understand what to do. The old raccoon decides to lead the animals away to try to find another place to live.  They board the train that goes toward another city, and on the way they see the beautiful countryside.  On the way to the city, they see the waste of the city, and the “river” which has turned into the sewage waste way.  

After an hour the animals are on the way again, back out into the countryside.  This time a rock slide helps them disembark.  They have found an almost exact copy of “Shady Glade!”  The trees tremble, but this time it is only thunder and not the tractors.

Lesson:  I would first ask the students if they have ever been in a nature reserve.  What are the laws protecting nature reserves.

Then I would read the book, either giving each student a copy, or make a power point presentation with it.

Project:

 I would put the students in groups, giving each group a different animal to study to find out what they eat, what type of environment they live in,  

Animals:  crocodile hoopie bird   lions nachlieli bird wild goat  baboon monkey

The children could use the Internet, books and other materials. The final project would be a poster about their animal and present it to the class.  The project would take 2 weeks to complete.