This activity expands the watershed examined from a schoolyard to a large …
This activity expands the watershed examined from a schoolyard to a large drainage that cannot be viewed from one location. The activity includes an examination of changing land uses within the drainage and discusses interactions between society and the environment. A number of supporting activities are provided for those students who need practice with topographic maps or learning to use various web resources.
In this activity for undergraduates, students explore the CLIMAP (Climate: Long-Range Investigation, …
In this activity for undergraduates, students explore the CLIMAP (Climate: Long-Range Investigation, Mapping and Prediction) model results for differences between the modern and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and discover the how climate and vegetation may have changed in different regions of the Earth based on scientific data.
This video primarily focuses on comparing the current global warming trend compared …
This video primarily focuses on comparing the current global warming trend compared to a previous time in Earth's history when the global average temperature also increased.
In this TED talk, Wall Street Journal science columnist Lee Hotz describes …
In this TED talk, Wall Street Journal science columnist Lee Hotz describes the research of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide project, in which scientists examine ice core records of climate change in the past to help us understand climate change in the future.
This activity allows students to examine graphs of sea level rise data …
This activity allows students to examine graphs of sea level rise data as well as global temperature data. They calculate amounts and rates of sea level rise for various time periods and answer questions discussing the data. They then compare the sea level rise trends to those in a graph of temperature data.
Let's Design a Farmer's Market. This is the Lesson 3 Digging Deeper …
Let's Design a Farmer's Market. This is the Lesson 3 Digging Deeper activity, from Unit 5 Agriculture and Business, from the DIGS (Developing Individuals, Growing Stewards) AmeriCorps Curriculum from CSU. The curriculum focuses on introducing students in grades 3-5 to Colorado agriculture, industry and environmental issues. The curriculum upon request. Visit: https://engagement.colostate.edu/programs-old/developing-individuals-growing-stewards/
Let's Go to Market. This is the Lesson 1 Exposure Activity, from …
Let's Go to Market. This is the Lesson 1 Exposure Activity, from Unit 6 Food Products and Processing, from the DIGS (Developing Individuals, Growing Stewards) AmeriCorps Curriculum from CSU. The curriculum focuses on introducing students in grades 3-5 to Colorado agriculture, industry and environmental issues. The curriculum is matched to State Standards 2021. The curriculum upon request. Visit: https://engagement.colostate.edu/programs-old/developing-individuals-growing-stewards/
In this activity, students conduct a life cycle assessment of energy used …
In this activity, students conduct a life cycle assessment of energy used and produced in ethanol production, and a life cycle assessment of carbon dioxide used and produced in ethanol production.
Life in a Bottle. This is the Lesson 1 Exposure Activity, from …
Life in a Bottle. This is the Lesson 1 Exposure Activity, from Unit 7 Plant Systems, from the DIGS (Developing Individuals, Growing Stewards) AmeriCorps Curriculum from CSU. The curriculum focuses on introducing students in grades 3-5 to Colorado agriculture, industry and environmental issues. The curriculum is matched to State Standards 2021. The curriculum upon request. Visit: https://engagement.colostate.edu/programs-old/developing-individuals-growing-stewards/
The Lifestyle Project is a way for students to learn about environmental …
The Lifestyle Project is a way for students to learn about environmental alternatives by modifying their own lifestyles. It is a three-week exercise for students to reduce their impact on the environment by changing the way in which they live from day to day. The project has fairly rigid parameters, allowing students to achieve a gradual but definitive change in their everyday habits. Students choose three categories from a list of six: heat, garbage, electricity and water, driving, eating, and activism. For each category the rules are clearly defined, such as turning down the heat three degrees or eliminating the use of the car. Each week the project becomes more rigorous, because students will have to meet the requirements more frequently. They write about their experiences in journals, which are incredibly insightful, illustrating just how profoundly the project affects them.
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This multi-week project begins with a measurement of baseline consumptive behavior followed …
This multi-week project begins with a measurement of baseline consumptive behavior followed by three weeks of working to reduce the use of water, energy, high-impact foods, and other materials. The assignment uses an Excel spreadsheet that calculates direct energy and water use as well as indirect CO2 and water use associated with food consumption. After completing the project, students understand that they do indeed play a role in the big picture. They also learn that making small changes to their lifestyles is not difficult and they can easily reduce their personal impact on the environment.
The project is used in two courses, both with the theme of …
The project is used in two courses, both with the theme of understanding the environmental implications of our use of energy, exploring personal energy use, and learning about the types of energy available to Canadians. One is a face-to-face course for Education majors, the other is an on-line course available to all upper-level (3rd and 4th year) students.
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This five-week project asks students to examine the environmental outcomes of their …
This five-week project asks students to examine the environmental outcomes of their lifestyle choices, to investigate and try out more sustainable choices, and to write about their experiences.
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I use the Lifestyle Project in my Introduction to Environmental Issues class. …
I use the Lifestyle Project in my Introduction to Environmental Issues class. This 3-week project asks students to make changes to their everyday environmental habits. This helps students realize that they have control of their lives and they can make decisions and make changes if they want to. And, given this empowerment, students can think about their impacts on Earth and their obligations to the planet and our society.
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This three-week project begins with a measurement of "baseline" consumptive behavior followed …
This three-week project begins with a measurement of "baseline" consumptive behavior followed by two weeks of working to reduce the use of water, energy, high-impact foods, and other materials. The assignment uses an Excel spreadsheet that calculates direct energy and water use as well as indirect CO2 and water use associated with food consumption.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
Students take what they are learning in an introduction to environmental studies …
Students take what they are learning in an introduction to environmental studies course and through a series of writing assignments, they can explore and choose an array of potential approaches to personal and social change.
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Linking Value Chains. This is the Lesson 2 Understanding Colorado Agriculture activity …
Linking Value Chains. This is the Lesson 2 Understanding Colorado Agriculture activity from Unit 6 Food Products and Processing, from the DIGS (Developing Individuals, Growing Stewards) AmeriCorps Curriculum from CSU. The curriculum focuses on introducing students in grades 3-5 to Colorado agriculture, industry and environmental issues. The curriculum is matched to State Standards 2021. The curriculum upon request. Visit: https://engagement.colostate.edu/programs-old/developing-individuals-growing-stewards/
Students learn about the weighted mean by building spreadsheets that apply this …
Students learn about the weighted mean by building spreadsheets that apply this concept to the average density of the oceanic lithosphere.
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This is a classroom activity about the forcing mechanisms for the most …
This is a classroom activity about the forcing mechanisms for the most recent cold period: the Little Ice Age (1350-1850). Students receive data about tree ring records, solar activity, and volcanic eruptions during this time period. By comparing and contrasting time intervals when tree growth was at a minimum, solar activity was low, and major volcanic eruptions occurred, they draw conclusions about possible natural causes of climate change and identify factors that may indicate climate change.
Many introductory environmental studies courses begin with climate change, perhaps because it …
Many introductory environmental studies courses begin with climate change, perhaps because it is the environmental issue with which students have the most familiarity and concern, and because climate change impacts virtually all of Earth's socio-ecological systems. Pedagogically, this presents a challenge. Understanding climate science requires complex systems thinking that challenges students intellectually. Learning about climate change also presents a psychological and emotional challenge as it forces students and instructors to confront the reality of an uncertain future. This activity introduces students to climate change in a new way �� by beginning not with the science of climate change, nor with the data and figures depicting climate change projections, but instead with people's lived experiences of climate change. At its core, this three-day class activity relies on a set of narratives to teach students about the effects of climate change. These narratives include videos, radio interviews, and news articles in which people already living through the effects of climate change -- displacement, drought, food insecurity, etc. -- describe their experiences. In some ways, this de-centering of climate science in favor of the voices of those on the front lines of climate change is a radical approach. And yet, I find that introducing climate change this way makes the science feel more relevant, meaningful and accessible, especially for those students fearful of or disinterested in science. I hope that by starting with these narratives, we might humanize climate change and tap into students' empathy to make them more open for looking at opportunities for agency and change-making around climate change. I am grateful to the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences members for providing suggestions for many of the climate change narratives included in this teaching activity.
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