Eco Pressures

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5 and 6 to strengthen analytical reading, environmental literacy, and evidence-based writing through an in-depth examination of real-world challenges in South America. Students read an informational passage about deforestation, mining impacts, and coastal climate threats, then answer text-dependent questions that require explanation, cause-and-effect reasoning, and use of evidence from the text.

Learning Goals

• Informational Text Analysis (Grades 5-6): Analyze a nonfiction passage and respond using evidence-based explanations.
• Environmental Geography: Understand major environmental challenges affecting South American ecosystems and regions.
• Human Impact on Ecosystems: Examine how economic activities such as mining and deforestation affect land, wildlife, and communities.
• Cause & Effect Reasoning: Explain connections between human actions, environmental change, and long-term consequences.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource: Designed to align with upper elementary ELA, social studies, and science standards.
• Text-Dependent Questions: Requires students to reference information directly from the passage.
• Real-World Relevance: Encourages thoughtful discussion about conservation, development, and sustainability.
• Flexible Use: Ideal for reading lessons, geography or science units, assessments, or small-group analysis.

This printable worksheet helps students deepen their understanding of environmental pressures while strengthening comprehension, critical thinking, and evidence-based writing skills. By analyzing how economic development interacts with conservation efforts, learners build stronger reasoning skills and global awareness. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning, supporting thoughtful engagement with environmental issues.

This worksheet is part of our South America Worksheets collection.