Topic outline

  • Frequently Used Items

    The below links are resources you will use throughout the course as well additional resources that could be helpful to you. For Lesson 2 you can either download the Living Planet Report or preview it. Either way the page numbers refer to the actual document and not the pdf page numbers. The Glossary contains definitions of terms used throughout the course. The terms are highlighted throughout so you can directly link to the glossary definition.

  • Lesson 1: Introduction to Human-Environmental Interdependence

    In these introductory assignments you will become acquainted with relevant terminology and begin building your content understanding for this course. The Living Planet Report is one document you will use. It is an in depth, detailed report of the state of our planet based on a set indicators about water, land use, biodiversity, and other factors. We have selected sections of information and/or graphs from the report that best fit with the course content, and that will help you select data and dimensions most meaningful for your students. Admittedly, the document is dense, and we hope our suggestions on data and graphs make the report more accessible.

    While there are multiple data sets in the document,we will primarily focus on Ecological Footprint, a holistic measure of human impact on the environment. The lessons are scaffolded to introduce the core principles and deepen your understanding as the course progresses. 
    A guiding question to keep in mind as you proceed through the course:
    How will we engage with the planet? Will it be in a sustainable, healthy, and mutually beneficial manner that enables all to thrive into the future? Or will it be in a way that is degrading and destroys the capacity of the environment to regenerate?

    The course is designed to model for you how you might approach teaching these topics to your students.  You will be actively participating in lessons you can immediately use in your classroom. These activities include short readings that can serve as informational texts for your  students. The approach thus models strategies you can use to teach these topics keeping in mind that each of you will bring your own unique perspective and experience to this course. We encourage you to modify the lessons so they best meet the needs of your students.  For each lesson shared by Creative Change Educational Solutions we offer you a PDF and Microsoft Word version so that you may best utilize the information for your specific needs. Each lesson makes a direct connection to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

    Assignments may include an activity or reading with guiding questions to respond to in your own personal journal, through an online forum, and/or to include in the Lesson 1 Response form,  if you are taking this course for credit, which will be submitted electronically  by  Sunday, July 12, 2015.

    Note: Page numbers for readings refer to the actual page numbers of the document, not the pdf page numbers.

    Files: 6

  • Lesson 2: Assessing Data and Evidence

    In Lesson 2 you will continue to broaden your understanding by examining human impacts and their effects on Earth's systems through data sets from the Living Planet Report.  

    This lesson focuses on the following NGSS standard:

    MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence include grade-appropriate databases on human populations and the rates of consumption of food and natural resources (such as freshwater, mineral, and energy).

    Note that the interpretation and analysis of data and evidence is a key skill emphasized in both NGSS and CCSS. (The connections are outlined on this page, MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity) These standards address multiple ways to present data, including graphs, tables, diagrams, and maps.

    Assignments may include an activity or reading with guiding questions to respond to in your own personal journal, through an online forum, and/or to include in the Lesson 2 Response form,  if you are taking this course for credit, which  will be submitted electronically by  Sunday, July 19, 2015.

    Note: Page numbers for readings refer to the actual page numbers of the document, not the pdf page numbers. 

    Assignments: 2Files: 2Forums: 2

  • Lesson 3: Reducing Our Ecological Footprint

    In lesson 3 you  will examine ways individuals and groups can take action to improve well-being while reducing their footprints. Systemic and policy-level changes are also important for lowering the global Ecological Footprint. 

    This lesson focuses on the following NGSS standard:

    MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of the design process include examining human environmental impacts, assessing the kinds of solutions that are feasible, and designing and evaluating solutions that could reduce that impact.

    Assignments may include an activity or reading with guiding questions to respond to in your own personal journal, through an online forum, and/or to include in the Lesson 3 Response form,  if you are taking this course for credit, which will submitted electronically by Sunday, July 26, 2015.

    Note: Page numbers for readings refer to the actual page numbers of the document, not the pdf page numbers. 

     

    Assignments: 4Files: 6Forums: 2

  • Lesson 4: Classroom Connections

    The Ecological Footprint is a great context for meeting Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core. This lesson focuses on applications of the standards in the first two lessons.

    Assignments may include an activity or reading with guiding questions to respond to in your own personal journal, through an online forum, and/or to include in the Lesson 4 Response form,  if you are taking this course for credit, which will be submitted electronically by Sunday, August 2, 2015.

    Note: Page numbers for readings refer to the actual page numbers of the document, not the pdf page numbers. 

    Assignments: 2Files: 2Forums: 2