🌱Ecological Sustainability in Shoreline

𖧧  Look at two pictures of cities — one with trees and one without

𖧧  Talk about what we see and what we wonder

𖧧  Share our own ideas and experiences

Why do cities need forests? 

𖧧 Start a Question Board with things we’re curious about

𖧧 Cities with more trees look cooler, cleaner, and more inviting

𖧧 Trees give shade, make air cleaner, and attract animals

𖧧 We come up with questions like: “Do trees clean the air?” “Do they help animals?”

𖧧 Helps us notice how nature changes the feel and health of a city

𖧧 Helps us connect our own lives to the need for green spaces

𖧧 Gives us a plan for what we want to learn next

𖧧 Read Our Land a Story of Change 

𖧧 Analyze historical maps of Shoreline.

𖧧 Take a “1000-year walk” to visualize past landscapes.

𖧧 Visit the Shoreline Historical Museum to gather evidence.

𖧧 How do environments change? 𖧧 Who influences these changes?

𖧧   Shoreline was once a forested area with rich biodiversity.

𖧧 Indigenous communities actively cultivate and shape the land.

𖧧 Human activities like logging and urban development caused changes, some reversible, some not.

𖧧  Understanding how environments change over time helps us see what might be restored.

𖧧 Connecting past land use to the present helps us recognize human impact.

𖧧 Students predict where the hottest and coolest places in Shoreline might be.

𖧧 Take a sensory walk through different areas (concrete-heavy, green spaces).

𖧧 Observe temperature, noise, and wildlife presence.

𖧧Analyze tree cover maps and compare with their observations..

𖧧  Cities remove trees, leading to temperature increases and habitat loss.

𖧧 Some areas in Shoreline have significantly fewer trees, making them hotter and less livable.

𖧧 The City of Shoreline is working on tree restoration projects.

𖧧 Students begin to connect forests to temperature and biodiversity.

𖧧 Identifying urban heat island effects helps students see the real-world impact of tree loss.

𖧧  Students develop a hypothesis: Do trees make a difference in temperature?

𖧧  Measure temperatures in shaded and unshaded areas.

𖧧 Record and graph data, then discuss patterns.

𖧧  Trees provide shade and reduce city temperatures.

𖧧 Areas without trees can be up to 15°F hotter.

𖧧 Urban heat affects people, animals, and plant life.

𖧧  Trees provide shade and reduce city temperatures.

𖧧 Areas without trees can be up to 15°F hotter.

𖧧 Urban heat affects people, animals, and plant life.

𖧧 Introduce Miyawaki Forests through videos, images, and a case study of an urban Miyawaki Forest.

𖧧 Ask: How might a small, dense forest support more life than scattered trees?

𖧧 Introduce the idea that Miyawaki Forests focus on native plant diversity.

𖧧 Students update their Question Board with new ideas and predictions.

𖧧 Visit the Shoreline Historical Museum to gather evidence.

𖧧 Miyawaki Forests grow quickly and create dense, diverse ecosystems in urban areas.

𖧧 They prioritize native plants because native species are best adapted to the local environment and support the most wildlife.

𖧧 Different layers of vegetation (canopy trees, shrubs, ground cover) create microhabitats that attract more species.

𖧧 Revised Explanation: If we plant a diverse mix of native plants, we can restore biodiversity and improve resilience.

𖧧 Miyawaki Forests restore habitats quickly and create homes for insects, birds, and other wildlife

𖧧  Students conduct a biodiversity scavenger hunt in a green space vs. a mostly paved area.

𖧧 Record observations.

𖧧 Compare biodiversity in different locations and discuss: What patterns do we see? Why?

𖧧 Add findings to the Solution Bank (a class record of evidence).

𖧧  More plant variety supports more animals.

𖧧 Some areas naturally have higher biodiversity due to shade, water, and plant diversity.

𖧧Biodiversity is highest where diverse native plants are present.

𖧧 We can use our Solution Bank to support ideas for restoring biodiversity.

𖧧 Urban forests help support more species by increasing plant diversity.