Exploring the Environment

Warm Up Reflection (Colors of the Wind & the Circle of Life) Listen to the 2 songs and make a connection between the message of the song and the following main ideas: cycles of nature environmental issues waste disposal & recycling alternative energy resources

Colors of the Wind Lyrics You think I'm an ignorant savage And you've been so many places I guess it must be so But still I cannot see If the savage one is me How can there be so much that you don't know? You don't know... You think you own whatever land you land on The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim But I know every rock and tree and creature Has a life, has a spirit, has a name You think the only people who are people Are the people who look and think like you But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger You'll learn things you never knew you never knew Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned? Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth Come roll in all the riches all around you And for once, never wonder what they're worth The rainstorm and the river are my brothers The heron and the otter are my friends And we are all connected to each other In a circle, in a hoop that never ends How high will the sycamore grow? If you cut it down, then you'll never know And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Circle of Life Lyrics From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life

Cycles of Nature

3 cycles of nature are the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles Water Cycle similar to the Isty Bitsy Spider song relates to the way water is recycled through our planet. Evaporation (liquid to gas), condensation (water vapor to liquid), and precipitation (rain) are the steps of the cycle. Carbon cycle is similar only this time carbon dioxide and oxygen are recycled through our planet. Producers, decomposers, and consumers help this process stay in motion. Nitrogen cycle is how nitrogen gas is recycled. Nitrogen cycles include animal waste and the bodies of dead organisms

Cycles of Nature Reflection Questions 1.Defend this statement: the sun is the driving force behind the water cycle. 2.Explain how the Itsy Bitsy spider is related to the water cycle. 3.Compare and contrast the role that producers, consumers, and decomposers play differently in the carbon and nitrogen cycles. 4.Choose the cycle that you believe relates most to your everyday routines and explain why you chose this cycle.