One of our units is Sharing the Planet. We connect this unit with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Life on land and Life below water. Our inquiry is about how sharing the planet impacts living things. In preparation for a visit to a Bear Sanctuary, our third graders read a book about the endangered Moon Bears. We learned that they are endangered because of something valuable in their bodies, that poachers want! It was a very emotional read. My students had many questions.
I often share short stories about my life with my students. I connect the stories to topics we are learning about. My students are mainly from Asia and America, my stories about African seem to entice them. They get really engrossed in my storytelling and seem fascinated by the happenings I share from the other side of the world.
This time, I had a story from my childhood. I recounted, how in those days the environment was different. The residential areas were not so built up, so there were a number of harmless (orange-headed) lizards in their habitats. Many years later, with more buildings and roads, there was a decline in the number of lizards. There were no more lizards roaming around. I hoped that they were not extinct!
Again my students had many questions after I narrated the story.
I shared a glimmer of hope, which I hope comforted them somewhat. This time, the story was about what appeared after my sister had opened her commercial garden in the middle of town. We noticed that a few of those lizards and some beautiful butterflies had appeared.
This was surely a highlight and showed them how our actions can impact our environment.
GIFTS 
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