You will learn
- Say what the environment is.
- Name parts of our environment.
- Tell natural from human-made things.
- Say why we must look after it.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- The environment is everything around us.
- It has natural things like plants, water and soil.
- It has human-made things like houses and roads.
- We depend on the environment for air, water and food.
Words to know
everything around us
from nature
made by people
the things and places around us
1. Discover: The walk to school
Aminata walks to school. She passes trees, a river, a road, a market and houses. A bird sings and a car hoots. “This is my environment,” she says. “Some of it is natural and some was made by people.”
Think: What natural things did Aminata see?
2. Understand: Our surroundings
Idea 1: What is the environment?
The environment is everything around us. It includes the land, water, air, plants, animals and the things people build. It is our surroundings.
Idea 2: Natural and human-made
Natural things are from nature, such as trees, rivers, soil, sun and animals. Human-made things are made by people, such as houses, roads, schools and cars.
Idea 3: We need the environment
We get clean air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and wood to build from the environment. If we harm it, we harm ourselves, so we must look after it.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Natural or human-made?
A tree and a road.
- A tree grows in nature.
- A road is built by people.
- So tree: natural; road: human-made.
Answer: A tree is natural and a road is human-made.
Example 2 (We do it together): What do we get?
From the environment.
- Air.
- Water.
- Food.
Answer: We get air, water and food from the environment.
Example 3 (You try): Name your surroundings
Around the school.
Show the steps and answer
- Trees.
- Buildings.
- A playground.
Answer: Our surroundings include trees, buildings and a playground.
Did you know?
Rainforests are home to more than half of the world’s kinds of plants and animals.
Why this matters
A healthy environment gives us clean air, clean water and food.
4. Explore: Environment walk
Walk around the school and list what you see.
- Walk with an adult.
- List natural things.
- List human-made things.
- Draw one of each.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? The environment has both.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- Trees are ___.
- Roads are ___.
- We need ___ to breathe.
- We look after our ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is the environment?
Everything around us.
Question 2. Name something natural.
A tree or river.
Question 3. Name something human-made.
A house or road.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is the environment?
- Name something natural.
- Name something human-made.
- What do we need for breathing?
- Do we look after it?
Level 2: Grow
- Why do we need the environment?
- Sort: river, school, soil, car.
- What are surroundings?
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw your environment.
- Explain why we must protect it.
- Make two lists.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
What natural things are near your home?
Show a sample answer
Trees, rivers and soil.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It includes everything around us.
Fix: We depend on it.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what the environment is.
- I can name parts of our environment.
- I can tell natural from human-made things.
- I can say why we must look after it.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- The environment is everything around us.
- It has natural things like plants, water and soil.
- It has human-made things like houses and roads.
- We depend on the environment for air, water and food.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Natural surroundings. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- What is the environment? [1 mark]
- Name two natural and two human-made things. [4 marks]
- Why do we need the environment? [3 marks]
- Why must we look after it? [2 marks]
- Draw and label your environment. [2 marks]
Total: 12 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Everything around us [1]
- Natural [2]; human-made [2]
- Air [1]; water [1]; food [1]
- We depend on it [1]; harm affects us [1]
- Drawing [1]; labels [1]
Score guide: 11 to 12 = secure. 8 to 10 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 8 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is the environment?
- Name something natural.
- Name something human-made.
- What do we need for breathing?
- Do we look after it?
- Why do we need the environment?
- Sort: river, school, soil, car.
- What are surroundings?
- Draw your environment.
- Explain why we must protect it.
Homework
Draw your home environment. Label three natural and three human-made things.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is the environment? | Everything around us. | 1 |
| 2. Name something natural. | A tree or river. | 1 |
| 3. Name something human-made. | A house or road. | 1 |
| 4. What do we need for breathing? | Clean air. | 1 |
| 5. Do we look after it? | Yes. | 1 |
| 6. Why do we need the environment? | Air, water, food. | 1 |
| 7. Sort: river, school, soil, car. | Natural: river, soil. Human-made: school, car. | 1 |
| 8. What are surroundings? | Things around us. | 1 |
| 9. Draw your environment. | A drawing. | 1 |
| 10. Explain why we must protect it. | We depend on it. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Everything around us.; 2 A tree or river.; 3 A house or road.; 4 Clean air.; 5 Yes.. Level 2: 1 Air, water, food.; 2 Natural: river, soil. Human-made: school, car.; 3 Things around us.. Level 3: 1 A drawing.; 2 We depend on it.; 3 Natural and human-made..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what the environment is | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Name parts of our environment | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Tell natural from human-made things | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Say why we must look after it | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “The environment is only trees.” It includes everything around us.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use five pictures. Sort natural and human-made.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns what the environment is. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Take a walk and name what you see.
- Ask, “Natural or human-made?”
- Talk about caring for nature.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what the environment is; name parts of our environment; tell natural from human-made things; say why we must look after it.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Paper, crayons, pencils and a clipboard. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Plan a safe walk around the school. Check the area for hazards.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Ask, “What is around us?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach the environment.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners walk and list.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners draw and label.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Is it natural or human-made?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “The environment is only trees.” It includes everything around us.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 12-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use five pictures. Sort natural and human-made. Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 10, topic 1; Next Generation Science Standards, Earth and human activity; Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, living things and their environment; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.