Why Not Have Class Outside?

Wouldn’t you like to have school outside on a nice, sunny day? Students at three elementary schools in the
Dallas, Texas, area were able to do that after they helped create their own outdoor classrooms!

Learning Outside!
Twenty students at each school in prekindergarten through fifth grade took part in this project. REAL School
Gardens (now called Out Teach) worked with the students and other partners to create outdoor classrooms.
Students were able to connect with the outdoors and learn about the natural areas surrounding their schools.
They also learned about conservation of native species such as the monarch butterfly.

Designing the Classroom!

The students were able to help design their outdoor gardens, or classrooms. In fact, part of the program was a
student design competition. The winning designs became part of the outdoor classrooms, and the students
were able to help put their designs in place. The outdoor classrooms were gardens that students will be able to
enjoy for years to come.

Getting to Work!
Students planted native plants to support water conservation and local wildlife. They also planted fig trees
and tomatoes, along with other fruit trees and vegetables, so they could learn where foods like these come
from. In addition, they planted important native plants such as milkweed, which attract pollinators such as
monarch butterflies and bees.

The students and their outdoor classrooms helped make sure there are more plants for both people
and native wildlife to use and enjoy.
Name__________________________

Write it! Choose it! Find It!

Heading What kind of key detail
Key Details did you use? What is the main idea?

a. Repeated Words
Learning
b. A Fact
Outside
c. An Example

a. Repeated Words

Designing The b. A Fact

Classroom
c. An Example

a. Repeated Words

Getting To b. A Fact
Work
c. An Example

Main Idea of the Article: “Why Not Have Class Outside”

Caretaking Our World's Water
What Needs Water?

When you think of water, what comes to mind? We drink it, clean with it, and cook with it. We spray
it on our yards, gardens, and crops. We get food from it, use it for transportation, and play in it.
Animals and plants need water to survive and grow, and some live in it, too. Water is part of our
weather. It’s a simple fact: Life on Earth could not exist without water. It’s also a fact that clean fresh
water is a limited resource.

The Water We Use

There’s a lot of water on our planet, but only a tiny amount of it is the fresh water that people,
animals, and plants need. It is reused over and over again. It evaporates from rivers and lakes,
forming clouds in the sky, then falling as rain or snow. Water from most homes flows to a water
treatment plant where it is cleaned so we can use it again.

But enough clean fresh water is often not available when and where it is needed because of pollution
and droughts—long periods when there is very little rain or snow in a particular place.

Working Together

We can all take action every day to use less water and prevent water pollution. In Baltimore,
teenagers are working to create rain gardens around the city. These gardens help trap toxins and
pollutants from getting in our fresh water. When we do that, we help ourselves, each other, and all
the living things on Earth.
Name____________________

Write it! Choose it! Find It!

Heading What kind of key detail
Key Details did you use? What is the main idea?

d. Repeated Words
What Needs
e. A Fact
Water?
f. An Example

d. Repeated Words

The Water We e. A Fact

Use
f. An Example

d. Repeated Words

Working e. A Fact
Together
f. An Example

Main Idea of the Article: “Why Not Have Class Outside”

Name ______________________________________

1. Which is the best main idea of the article Why Not Have Class Outside?
a. Students planned an outdoor classroom to conserve water and wildlife
b. Students learn better outside
c. Students designed and outdoor classroom to win a contest.
d. Student learned about native species like butterflies

2. Which is the best main idea of the article Caretaking Our World’s Water?
a. People can only drink fresh water
b. Teenagers should plant rain gardens to take care of our water
c. People need to take care of our water because it is a limited resource
d. No one could exist without water

3. Which statement best integrate the information from the articles Caretaking Our World’s
Water and Why Not Have Class Outside?
a. Volunteering is one way to provide a public service
b. Americans can volunteer with many different organizations
c. Young people can make a positive impact on the environment
d. When students work together, they can help their community