+
Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Anthropocene: Human Impact on the Environment

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Will human existence define an epoch? Many scientists think we are in a new epoch, the anthropocene, defined by humans and our impact on the environment. An online interactive demonstrates the immense impact humans have had on every part...
+
Unit Plan
University of Southern California

Human Impact on the Sea

For Students 4th - 8th
How far does the human hand reach?  Five interactive lessons lead classes through a unit exploring the human impact on ocean resources, pollution, and even extinction. Learners discover how their decisions affect the ocean environment...
+
Unit Plan
Henry Ford Museum

Human Impact on Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the environment to its...
+
Unit Plan
New York City Department of Education

Grade 5 Literacy in Science: Ecosytems

For Teachers 5th Standards
How do humans affect ecosystems? Learners read two articles and interpret a graph to develop essays on the human impact on ecosystems. They read about human impact on tigers and manatees as a basis for their overarching papers.
+
PPT
Curated OER

Terrestrial Ecosystem Response to Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
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...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

AP: Chapter 54: Ecosystems

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
A lot of learning is packed into these 23 questions about ecosystems. Advanced biology classes apply their knowledge of communities, productivity, biogeochemical cycles, and human impact on the environment by writing short answers for...
+
Lesson Plan
3
3
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

One Ocean: It Matters!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here is the first of four poignant lessons on how humans and oceans interact, even if people live far from the coast. This particular lesson also examines studies that are taking place in Antarctica of how climate change is affecting the...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Plankton to Penguins: Antarctic Food Web

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Ocean Acidification: Whats and Hows

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
ARKive

Human Impact on the Environment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Study the ways that humans have impacted the environment, particularly the spread of plastic waste. After watching a short film about the Laysan albatross population, learners complete a worksheet and research other ways that plastic...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Human Impact on the Environment

For Students 7th - 9th
In this environmental science learning exercise, students complete a crossword puzzle with 26 questions about human impact on the environment.
+
Lesson Plan
EduGAINs

Go Eco! Ecosystems

For Teachers 7th - 10th
How is a movie theater like a desert biome? Compare systems to ecosystems with a set of activities that focuses on accessing multiple intelligences and building upon knowledge. As learners discuss the ways elements of an ecosystem depend...
+
Unit Plan
Intel

Biomes in Action

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
A STEM project-based learning lesson, number four in a series of 10, focuses on human impacts to biomes around the world. Groups work together as environmentalists to research a specific biome, investigating human impacts on it. From...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2009

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Emerging ecologists need a full understanding of life, from the inner workings of a cell to the complex relationships among organisms. This examination is meant to assess high schoolers after an entire year course on the living...
+
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Coral and Chemistry

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2005

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The 2005 version of the Regents High School Examination in the area of ecology is as comprehensive as previous years' exams. It consists of 40 multiple choice questions on everything from the structure of DNA to the interactions within...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Croak" Science Mystery

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Solve the mystery of a declining frog population! Lead your junior ecologists on an investigation that simulates actual events concerning pollution, predation, poaching, and more. Investigators read a story online, then analyze survey...
+
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Oil and Bird Populations

For Teachers 4th - 9th
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...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Urban Ecosystems 2: Why are There Cities? A Historical Perspective

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Second in a series of five lessons, this instructional activity encourages preteens to consider cities as urban ecosystems. First, they keep a food diary for a few days. They visit the Natrional Agricultural Statistics Service website...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Impacts to the Sandy Shore

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young scholars investigate human impact on coastal environments. For this coastal environment lesson, students observe human impact on coastal environments. Young scholars sort, classify, and chart marine debris collected on a local beach.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Chicago Botanic Garden

Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
The fourth activity in a series of five has classes participate in a jigsaw to learn about global impacts of climate change and then share their new information with a home group. Groups then research impacts of climate change (droughts,...
+
Activity
Wild BC

Greenhouse Gas Guzzlers

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Teams of six to eight players imagine that they are driving in a vehicle and collect balls that represent carbon dioxide emissions based on their different activities. "Greenhouse Gas Guzzler" cards tell teams how many balls to collect...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
NOAA

Exploring Potential Human Impacts

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Arctic sea ice reflects 80 percent of sunlight, striking it back into space; with sea ice melting, the world's oceans become warmer, which furthers global warming. These activities explore how humans are impacting ecosystems around the...