Environmental Conservation and Safety (Lesson note)

Detailed Lesson Note

School: Junior Secondary School
Subject: Basic Science
Class: JSS 1 (Grade 7)
Duration: 40 minutes

Week: Eleven
Topic: Environmental Conservation and Safety
Sub-topic: Natural Cycles and Human Activities that Affect Environmental Balance
Date: To be inserted by teacher
Period: To be inserted by teacher

Instructional Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Knowledge (Lower Domain – Cognitive Recall):
   Identify and describe the main natural cycles (carbon, water, nitrogen) and state at least one importance of each.
2. Comprehension/Application (Middle Domain – Cognitive & Affective):
   Explain at least three human activities (e.g., farming, construction, industrialization) and how they affect environmental balance.

---

Instructional Materials

• Charts of carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle
• Pictures of human activities: farming, construction, industrialization
• Whiteboard/marker

---

Content

1. Natural Cycles

• Water Cycle – movement of water through evaporation, condensation, and rainfall.
• Carbon Cycle – movement of carbon dioxide through respiration, photosynthesis, decay, and combustion.
• Nitrogen Cycle – nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification which return nitrogen to soil and atmosphere.

Importance:

• Water cycle supplies freshwater.
• Carbon cycle maintains oxygen and carbon dioxide balance.
• Nitrogen cycle improves soil fertility for plant growth.

---

2. Human Activities That Affect Environmental Balance

• Farming – bush burning, use of chemicals, over-farming → soil degradation.
• Construction – removal of vegetation, soil erosion, loss of habitats.
• Industrialization – release of smoke, waste, and greenhouse gases → air and water pollution.
• Deforestation – reduces oxygen supply, increases CO₂, causes climate change.
• Burning fossil fuels – increases greenhouse gases and global warming.

---

Step-by-Step Procedure

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Teacher greets students.
• Teacher asks: “Where does rain come from?”
• Students attempt answers: e.g., from clouds, sky, or God.
• Teacher links answers to natural cycles and introduces the day’s lesson.

---

Presentation (20 minutes)

Teacher’s Activities:

• Explains water cycle with chart → evaporation, condensation, rainfall.
• Explains carbon cycle → photosynthesis and respiration balance gases.
• Explains nitrogen cycle → soil fertility.
• Describes importance of these cycles to living things.
• Shows pictures of human activities: farming, construction, industrialization.
• Explains their negative effects on environmental balance.

Students’ Activities:

• Observe charts of natural cycles.
• Listen and ask questions.
• Give examples of farming and building in their community.
• Participate in explanation of human activities.

---

Group Activity (10 minutes)

• Teacher divides class into three groups:
• Group 1: Explain the water cycle in their own words.
• Group 2: Give one way farming affects the environment.
• Group 3: Suggest one problem caused by industrialization.
• Groups discuss briefly and present.
• Teacher corrects and summarizes.

---

Evaluation (5 minutes)

Teacher asks the following:

1. List three natural cycles.
2. Mention one importance of the carbon cycle.
3. Explain how farming affects environmental balance.
4. State one way construction affects the environment.

---

Assignment

Draw either the water cycle or the carbon cycle in your notebook and write one paragraph on how it helps living things.

---

References

• NERDC Basic Science for JSS 1
• WAEC/NECO Basic Science past questions