Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Calculation of Your Personal Carbon Footprint

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This worksheet walks the young scholars through the steps for calculating their personal carbon footprint. Additionally it helps them consider options for reducing their carbon footprint and the potential costs of those reductions.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Carbon Footprint Exercise

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A three-step assignment for students in introductory geoscience that asks them to calculate their carbon footprint during one specific week. The goal of the assignment is to increase student awareness of the various sources of energy...
Lesson Plan
Climate Literacy

Clean: Carbon Calculator Activity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this learning activity, students use a web-based carbon calculator to determine their carbon footprint on the basis of their personal and household habits and choices. Students identify which personal activities and household choices...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Estimating Our Carbon Footprint

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This is a three-part algebra activity focusing on food-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Population Growth, Ecological Footprints, and Overshoot

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this three-part activity, learners apply linear, exponential, and rational functions to explore past and projected U.S. population growth, carbon footprint trend, ecological overshoot, and effectiveness of hypothetical carbon dioxide...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Nova: The Big Energy Gamble

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students conduct an energy audit to determine how much carbon dioxide their family is producing, and then make recommendations for lowering their family's carbon footprint.
Unit Plan
Geographypods

Geographypods: Patterns and Change: Patterns in Resource Consumption

For Students 11th - 12th
This collection of three learning modules looks at issues related to resource consumption. It examines theories about how population size affects consumption, the changing patterns of energy consumption, and ways to minimize consumption....
Lesson Plan
PBS

Nova: Car of the Future

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, student teams research and develop a proposal to decrease the carbon footprint of their city's/town's public transportation system and then prepare a report that explains why their transportation plan is the best for...
Interactive
Other

Zerofootprint: Youth Calculator

For Students 9th - 10th
This calculator is a great way to estimate the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from your daily activities, such as household electricity use, food choices, and transportation.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Resource Usage Project and Journal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners pick a resource and track their use of it over the course of one week. Students record their data in a spreadsheet, write a summary of it, and draw conclusions from their usage patterns. A detailed student handout is provided.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: The Urgent Need for Understanding and Implementing Sustainability

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using statistics from a web-based sustainability resource, students investigate the need for improving their own sustainability practices.