Ten percent of the world's forest carbon stores exist on the 18 percent of land legally owned by indigenous people. The first lesson in a series of four discusses the way different groups of people treat the land and forests. Scholars...

Explore the works of Dr. Seuss, such as Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches and Egg, The Sneetches and Other Stories, The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Each story lesson includes reading...

Inspire environmentally conscious young minds with an exceptional video, which traces the life cycles of three different plastic bottles after they are thrown away and move through the earth with different journeys through a landfill, an...

Should we remember Richard Nixon only for his abuse of power and the scandal that resulted in the end of his presidency? Here is a fantastic TedEd video illustrating major highlights from Nixon's term as president of the United States,...

You will want to use this unique approach to increasing awareness of human impact on the environment. Each participant pulls an object out of a grab bag and comes up with a metaphor for how that object might represent or relate to the...

In this colorful animation, our current problem with climate change is likened to a block-stacking game of Tetris. Greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere at an increasing rate. Can we place them properly before it's too late?...

What effects do temperature and carbon dioxide levels have on the zooplankton of Antarctica? This concluding lesson plan in a short unit on climate change and the ocean helps environmental scientists answer these questions. After...

Open this instructional activity by demonstrating the production of acidic carbon dioxide gas by activated yeast. Emerging ecologists then experiment with seashells to discover the effect of ocean acidification on shelled marine...

Use this slick video to introduce your environmental scientists to the wonders of biodiesel. They will learn about problems caused by our waste oil, how it can be recycled, and other benefits of using biofuels. Use the video, assessment...

A well-written lesson plan, second in a series of four, gets high schoolers exploring how the Antarctic food web is impacted by climate change and the associated melting of polar ice sheets. It begins with a PowerPoint presentation about...

Damming rivers has been a case of necessity versus negative environmental impact since the process began. Kids take on the role of a stakeholder in the proposed damming of the Danube River. They begin by reading arguments for and against...

Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...

Here is a handsome hands-on investigation of how oil spills affect the trees in mangrove swamps. The only tiny downside to this resource is the fact that there is no handout with the lab instructions, so you will either need to create...

Bring up the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Display the colorful diagram of the coastal and marine organisms living in the area. Show a video about relocating the eggs of the Gulf's sea...

Display a stunning drawing of the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystems. Learners examine the picture to determine what birds live there and what foods they rely on. Then show a poignant five-minute film that examines the impact of the 2010...

There are seven species of sea turtles, five of which live in the Gulf of Mexico. Young scientists learn about each and then examine the impact of the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill on the populations. A video, Internet links to sea...

Kids challenge their understanding of the world around them and consider the impact man has on the environment and animal life. They examine a Tlingit piece, read two Tlingit stories about man and animals, then participate in a research...

Art acts as inspiration for a conversation about human impact on the environment and creative writing. The class examines three pieces, looking for evidence of human impact on the landscape. They then write a first-person narrative, from...

Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...

An extensive investigation of the Earth's climate changes awaits your environmental science classes. This top-notch presentation begins by looking at the history of Earth's climate and then predicts the impact on each major terrestrial...

The second of a three-unit lesson plan, this focuses on how human-made structures affect watersheds. Using watershed models that were built during the first unit, junior geologists now place buildings, dams, or levees into the models and...

To recycle or not to recycle, that is the question. Your class can find the answer by taking a teacher created WebQuest, where they assume a role of a community member taking a stand on implementing a community wide recycling plan. The...

Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...