Young environmentalists use a conference format to reach consensus on ways to slow deforestation and promote sustainable development. Class members are assigned roles to play during the conference, and work on posters and a public...

Students explore how to read fossil range charts. They develop an knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record. Students become familiar with the concepts index fossil and fossil range. Students use bar graphs to...

Students use fossil range charts to explain relative dating. They graph for ammonites, marine organisms that went extinct at the same time as dinosaurs.

Emerging epidemiologists define relative risk and read an article about the effect of particulate pollution on the cardiovascular health of women. They record the relative risk values, graph them, and answer analysis questions. This is a...

Discuss personal ideas about science and how a filmmaker can employ the arts to promote science. After reading an article, young scientists will discover how James Cameron is trying to interest people in the oceans. In groups, they will...

Did you know that coal was formed from plants? After being assigned a coal-related topic, groups gather, organize, and present information about this energy source. The presentations should include visuals like graphs, charts, tables,...

Design a public information campaign to improve understanding of the coral reef crisis. Read about and discuss the biology and threats to the coral reef. The class creates a public information program about the problems facing the coral...

Learners communicate the biological basis for an aspect of a public health issue in a visual manner. They use the basics of a variety of diseases and epidemics to create their Public Health poster and service message.

Students examine point of view as it relates to public issues.  In this point of view lesson, students become familiar with the point of view of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt about the wilderness. Students debate if the...

Eighth graders are introduced to concepts related to the Solar System. In groups, they participate in an experiment in which they must describe a ray of light and how it travels. They draw a diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum and...

Discuss the differences in dialogue and debate when considering a controversial topic. Your class can work in small groups to complete a guided discussion of this controversial topic and then participate in a simulation of the Scopes...

Students read an article at CNNfyi.com about Mad Cow disease. They identify and explain bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They formulate ways to combat mad cow disease.

Small efforts can have global impacts. Learners use data to analyze public health impacts on climate change. They read articles that present relative data about climate change and use the data to make conclusions about the impact on...

Youngsters examine resource maps to find out which states are using solar and wind power and discuss as a class various other renewable energy sources. They use a provided data table to record pros and cons to each technology, build and...

How do some viruses spread so quickly, and why do they make us feel terrible? Answer these (and many more) questions through a simple yet impactful lessons. Pupils observe demonstrations that show the two methods viruses use to escape...

Enter the debate on vaccines. Small groups research topics related to vaccine safety in the last instructional activity in a unit of five. In the process of the research, team members learn how to determine the validity and credibility...

In 2018, the average fast food burger cost $2.64 while a salad averaged $4.14. Does the price difference matter to public health? Scholars consider that question and others in a brainstorming session about improving our global food...

Teach your environmental studies, life science, or engineering class how an internal combustion engine works using the first few slides of the accompanying presentation. Then, focus in on the resulting carbon emissions. Finally, take a...

Environmental health students read about an outbreak of aflatoxin poisoning with the intent to examine the stages of an epidemiologic investigation. As they read the case study, they identify where the outbreak occurred, form a...

Give your class a colorful and tasty representation of the components of the mixture that we call air. Pop a few batches of popcorn in four different colors, one to represent each gas: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The...

Collaborators sort a set of cards into biotic and abiotic categories. Then, as a class, they discuss their work and relate each of the abiotic components to climate change. Finally, they form a web of components by connecting those that...

Students identify the watershed where they live and how it is related to their own water consumption. In this watershed lesson students locate their watershed on their town map. The students find the source of their water that they use...

High schoolers identify and state a tobacco-related decision problem/issue, viable options regarding the selected problem; research and discuss risks and benefits associated with the decision problem; and state a decision based upon...

A set of lessons help aspiring scientists practice the critical thinking skills required for facing controversial issues such as evolution. As a group, they discuss what controversy consists of. They compare and constrast the concepts of...