Land Use Lesson Plans

Students explore how changes in human land use are impacting local environments. They also explore some of the social impacts of various land uses in their area. They identify and discuss some social impacts of the different land uses.

Students examine the roles that natural events (such as droughts), population growth and other human factors play on land use and food supply.

Students examine social and political viewpoints concerning land use issues and related legislation. They evaluate and lobby for or against pending legislation, and identify where citizens can have an impact on the legislative process.

Students identify the land use zones on a planning map and identify the patterns that have possible negative effects on water quality. They participate in a visualization exercise, analyze the maps, and redraw existing land use maps for better environmental quality.

Sixth graders create hypotheses while viewing primary source images. In this land use lesson, 6th graders discuss erosion and how humans impact the land. Students record their observations of photographs and write conclusions. 

Students take a field trip to correlate land-use patterns with species diversity. They conduct population samples of various organisms such as trees in rank order to correlate with land use (or human population). In addition, they calculate the basal area for each tree species in a habitat.

Students recognize how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation. They explain these changes using a reconstruction of the land use changes in the Hudson Valley composed of confetti, ziploc bags and other every day items.

Eighth graders examine the implications of soil on land use. They identify soil factors, view a presentation by a Natural Resources Conservation Service employee, and create edible soil using pudding, gummy worms, and Oreo cookies.

Students examine the land use values of a variety of people in Kenya. They determine how these differences can cause conflict among those who use the same land area. They look at the conflict from different points of view and they attempt to find solutions.

Students compare and contrast values about land use. In this Montana history lesson, students compare attitudes that Native Americans and European Americans had about the environment as they conduct research. Students prepare for and participate in a debate about land issues.