Students investigate how everyday actions at home, school, and in local outdoor spaces affect habitats, water, plants, and wildlife, using direct observation and cleanup experiences to answer the question of how humans impact the natural world. Working with partners such as I Love and Clean San Diego, the Lakeside Womens Garden Club, and Lindo Lake Rangers, they document before-and-after changes through photos, notes, and evidence gathered during launch walks and cleanup events. Over four weeks, they design and refine practical ways to reduce human impact, build a shared environmental care map, and show their growth through reflection, portfolio work, and the Lakeside Change Makers Showcase.

Students investigate how actions at home, school, and in local outdoor spaces affect habitats by collecting and comparing before-and-after evidence from cleanup work. They apply science ideas about human impacts on Earth systems to design, test, and refine simple ways to monitor, reduce, and prevent environmental harm in their community. Students collaborate with local partners, communicate findings through portfolios, posters, and the environmental care map, and use weekly reflection and critique to strengthen their decisions and responsibility.

Students will create observation photo sets, cleanup logs, partner interview notes, and weekly reflection entries that document how local habitats change before and after action. As the project develops, teams will build and revise action posters and portfolio pieces using critique from peers and community partners. By the end, the class will produce a shared environmental care map showing cleaned areas, trash hot spots, and signs of plant or wildlife recovery. Each student will also complete a final portfolio with photos, notes, evidence of learning, and a personal goal to continue caring for the environment.

Begin with a Before-and-After Launch Walk in a nearby park, around Lindo Lake, or on campus with support from I Love A Clean San Diego, the Lakeside Women’s Garden Club, or Lindo Lake Rangers. Students take photos, sketch what they notice, and collect simple observation notes about litter, plants, water, and wildlife, then discuss how everyday human choices help or harm these spaces. Back in class, groups sort their evidence into “impact” and “care” categories and generate questions about how people affect the environment. Close by introducing the challenge to create an environmental care map and portfolio that tracks cleanup work, partner learning, and changes they observe over the four weeks.

Host a Lakeside Change Makers Showcase as a gallery walk for families and community partners such as I Love and Clean San Diego, the Lakeside Womens Garden Club, and Lindo Lake Rangers. Students display their environmental care map alongside cleanup photos, partner notes, before-and-after evidence, and action posters that explain how human choices affected the site and what improvements they observed in litter, plants, water, and wildlife. Include short student-led presentations in which each learner shares one finding, one revision they made after reflection swaps, and one personal goal for future environmental care. Add a feedback station where visitors leave comments or next-step ideas that students can include in their final portfolios.