Grades 1-3: Caring for Creation with Technology
Grade: 1-3
Duration: 50 minutes
Topic: Engineering solutions to protect the environment
Overview
In this lesson, students will simulate cleaning up an oil spill, exploring how engineers use technology to protect the environment. They will learn about their responsibility as stewards of God’s creation and how technology can help fulfill this responsibility.
Objective
- To introduce environmental engineering and problem-solving through a simulated oil spill cleanup.
- To understand the Catholic teaching of stewardship and caring for God’s creation.
- To develop teamwork and problem-solving skills while working on real-world environmental challenges.
Materials
Lesson Steps
1. Opening Prayer (5 minutes)
Begin with a prayer asking for guidance in caring for God’s creation.
Suggested Prayer:
“Dear God, thank You for this beautiful world. Help us to be good stewards and to take care of everything You have created. Amen.”
2. Introduction to Oil Spill Cleanup (10 minutes)
- Discussion: Explain how oil spills happen and the damage they cause to animals, plants, and the environment. Show pictures of real-life oil spill cleanups.
- Connection to Faith: Relate the oil spill cleanup to the concept of stewardship, explaining that God asks us to care for the earth and protect His creation.
3. Oil Spill Cleanup Simulation (25 minutes)
- Activity: Using the EiE: Cleaning an Oil Spill Kit, simulate a small oil spill in a tray of water. Students will work in teams to clean up the spill using sponges and other materials. Discuss which methods worked best.
- Catholic Integration: Reflect on how engineers solve problems that help protect the environment, and discuss how we can be stewards of the earth by making choices that protect creation.
4. Reflection & Drawing Activity (10 minutes)
- Activity: Ask students to draw or write about one thing they can do to help protect the environment, such as recycling, picking up litter, or saving water.
- Sharing: Have students share their drawings with the class and discuss how they can put stewardship into action in their own lives.
Catholic Integration
- Stewardship: Emphasize the Catholic teaching of stewardship and our responsibility to care for God’s creation. Relate this to real-world environmental challenges.
- Making Ethical Choices: Discuss how we can make choices that protect the earth, showing love for both God and others.
Assessment
- Participation in Oil Spill Cleanup: Observe how well students work together to clean up the oil spill and solve the problem.
- Reflection Drawings: Assess students’ understanding of stewardship and how they can apply it to their everyday lives.
Closing Prayer (2 minutes)
Conclude with a prayer of thanks for God’s creation and asking for help in caring for it.
Suggested Prayer:
“Thank You, God, for the world You have given us. Help us be good stewards of the earth and to care for everything You created. Amen.”
For Parents
Caring for Creation with Technology
End of Lesson Plan