San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Pesky Plastics: The Problem with Plastic
What can happen to the environment if plastic continues to pollute it? Learners read about the implications of plastic on health, water, and nature in a two-page reading passage. After they finish reading, they work on six comprehension...
Curated OER
Using Maps To Make Public Health Decisions Case Study: Wildfires in Mexico 2000
Students study environmental health. Using actual NOAA satellite imagery, students investigate the basic concepts of mapping. They explore the relationship between monitoring satellite images and public health decision making.
Curated OER
Air Pollution: Open Burning
Young scholars explore an interactive website about air pollution. For this public health lesson, students learn about the cause and effect of open burning in their community. Suggestions are given for helping to prevent the problem.
Curated OER
Health, Pollution, and Safety: Why Should We Care?
Students examine the impact of reducing the carbon dioxide emissions. They identify ways alternative fuels can lessen the effect of emissions on communities. Working in teams they conduct research from various community and Internet...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
Curated OER
Is That Legal? A Case of Acid Rain
Develop an environmental case study! Elementary learners discover how a case study is used as an analysis tool. The goal of this activity is to show pupils how techniques of persuasion (including background, supporting evidence,...
Baylor College
Dust Catchers
In class, your emerging environmentalists construct dust catchers. They take them home for a week or two, and then bring them back into class to examine under a magnifier. From this activity, they learn what makes up dust and that...
Curated OER
Creating Public Awareness - Indoor Air Quality
Learners design a poster about indoor air quality. In this indoor air quality lesson, students make a billboard that tells the occupants of a building about at least one air quality problem.
Curated OER
Air Matters
Middle schoolers research the affects that particulate matter has on the quality of our air and our health. Students analyze a streaming video on air pollution and complete an internet research assignment to find ways to reduce...
Curated OER
Webquest: Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease in Ghana
Students examine the impact of Guinea Worm Disease. In this world issues activity, students take on the roles of Peace Corps Volunteers. Students will apply their knowledge of the Guinea worm life cycle to create a plan for eradicating...
Curated OER
Final Project Presentations: Water Quality
Students synthesize the information they have been researching on water quality to evaluate the potential health risks in a region with arsenic contamination. They prepare and present a persuasive speech that incorporates visuals.
Baylor College
Fungus Among Us
In order to learn that mold spores can be found in the air, observers grow bread mold and make observations for a few days. Afterward, they participate in a class discussion to arrive at the knowledge that bread spores are present in the...
Curated OER
Air Terms: The Flash Card Game
Fifth graders define vocabulary words regarding air quality. In small groups, they match magazine pictures or create illustrations for definitions and terms, and share the flash cards with their group.
Curated OER
The Awful 8: A Play
Students perform a play that presents the causes and effects on people and the environment of the eight major air pollutants.
Curated OER
Report of Shop, Factory, Mill or Industrial Establishment
Students examine the pollution survey created in response to the Public Health Laws of 1903, and compare/contrast polluting factory discharges in 1903 to those allowed today. They analyze the report survey, complete a worksheet, and...
Curated OER
Dust Busters to the Rescue
Students examine the importance of cleaning up and preventing indoor air pollution. They investigate how cleaning can reduce the harmful health effects of indoor air pollution.
Amnesty International
Human Rights and Service Learning (Part 1)
What better way is there to teach about human rights than by seeing them firsthand? Introduce your class or club to the spirit of service through a myriad of service project ideas. First in a series of human rights instructional...
Curated OER
Sample Activity From The Water Sourcebook
Learners explore septic system failures and contamination of groundwater. The complete a worksheet to explore the basic parts of a septic system. In a lab situation, students simulate a septic system failure. They explore coliform...
Curated OER
Toxic Transmission
Students read article, "Toxic Transmission" and discuss technology pollution, specifically cell phone pollution and its ripple effects in other parts of the world.
Curated OER
Air Quality Trivia Time
Students identify and analyze what the Air Quality Index (AQI) is and how it works. They review ways that "unhealthy" or "hazardous" days could be prevented and draw and color something that they can do to help reduce air pollution....
Curated OER
Health and the Community
Learners illustrate cause and effect of pollution to human health through the analysis of an image from the American Industrial Era. They investigate how industry affected rest of the community or city.
Curated OER
Transnational Pollution: Why Are You Dumping on Me?
Students research transnational pollution and role-play a hypothetical case of transnational pollution involving the Danube River. They practice, develop and defend a position in a debate and evaluate each other's presentations.
Curated OER
Environment: Assess Your Habitat's Health
Students research their ecozone in Canada and label on maps various parks and wildlife areas. They role-play as doctors with their ecozones as patients and search for symptoms from pollution, urbanization, loss of habitat, and decline of...
Curated OER
Nutrition: It's In Your Hands
Fourth graders use this lesson to focus on their health, nutrition and the state of the environment. In groups, they examine the various types of land, water and air pollutants and compare and contrast a food chain with and without a...