This study explored the impact of modeling-based teaching on elementary school students’ environmental literacy and constructed models of the relationship between human activities and wetland ecological environment. Convenient sampling was used, and participants included 26 fourth- grade and 24 fifth-grade students in central Taiwan. The study utilized a single group pre- and post-test design. The students completed the "Environmental Literacy Questionnaire" and drew models of "the relationship between human activities and wetland ecological environment" before and after the modeling-based instruction. Paired sample t test, chi-square test, and qualitative analysis methods were used for analyses. Results showed that the students’ environmental literacy improved significantly before and after instruction; and as shown in the students’ drawings, "negative behaviors toward the environment" and "the number of man-made objects in wetlands" decreased. We infer that modeling-based instruction could improve the concepts of environmental literacy and environmental conservation in elementary school students. At the end of the article, research limitations are discussed and suggestions for future instruction of environmental topics in elementary schools are provided.