Earth Day

Students consider American consumption of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas; learn about new methods of extracting these fuels; and discuss their pros & cons.

After viewing a short video clip, students consider the effect all our waste has on the environment and develop a 'reduce, reuse, recyle' action plan.

With the help of a short video clip, students explore the 'life cycle' of a plastic bag and develop a 'reduce, reuse, recycle' action plan.

Includes additional action opportunities and also lists useful websites. A relatively new one is the Alliance for Climate Protection, an organization founded last year by Al Gore: www.climateprotect.org

A student reading explores why gas prices are rising. A Document-Based Question has students consider competing views on what to do about it.

Most Americans are "energy illiterate." These lessons for high school students promote energy literacy, especially about oil. We begin with a student energy quiz, followed by three readings and suggested classroom activities.

High school students consider concepts of "environmental racism" and "environmental (in)justice" and view and discuss an online clip about the dumping of electronics. Homework assignments suggest further study of this issue and the Gulf Spill anniversary.

Elementary students consider how much water we consume and what impact it has by hearing some facts and discussing the story of one girl's water consumption.

Student readings explore the scientific evidence on global warming, the views of climate change deniers, and ideas for student action on climate change, including a day of action on October 10, 2010, sponsored by 350.org, Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network.

Alan Shapiro offers a process (including two student readings) to help students conduct a rigorous inquiry into the controversy over climate change.