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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 5 - 6

Environmental History Timeline

A black/white photograph of two men standing in an exhibit booth with signs such as, "Help Prevent the Pollution of Our Streams."1940s pollution exhibit at the Illinois State Fair.

Students develop critical thinking skills by interviewing a person who has perspective on environmental history. Students explore the concept of a timeline, including historical milestones, and develop a sense of the context of events.

Historically, human activity often creates environments and situations unfit for healthful living, for example, urban air pollution, unsafe cars at high speeds, ozone holes, toxic rivers and beaches. Once these situations are realized, the work of many scientists and engineers results in changes in design, manufacturing processes, regulations and practices, which clean up many problems and make our living environment safer. The modern engineer always keeps long-term sustainability in mind when s/he designs new structures, products and systems.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Learn about environmental history by conducting an interview.
  • Incorporate source materials into their speaking and writing (for example, interviews, news articles, encyclopedia information).
  • Write and speak in the content areas using the technical vocabulary of the subject accurately.
  • Recognize an author or speaker's point of view and purpose, separating fact from opinion.

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