Apply high-quality project-based learning strategies to create lessons and units that help students solve a variety of urgent environmental problems. Environmental science (ES) education is essential to preparing today’s students for the future. We must create opportunities for hands-on investigations that explore complex environmental problems in order to find solutions and meet the challenges of our changing world. Educators looking to bring ES-focused experiences to their students can turn to technology and social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies to connect students with real-world situations and citizen science opportunities, while fostering empathy and a love for the natural world. Project-based learning (PBL), with its emphasis on inquiry and authentic challenges, can be an effective approach to teaching ES. Those new to PBL may not feel they have adequate training. Likewise, teachers who haven’t taught ES may question how to incorporate it into their curriculum. This book addresses both situations, providing practical guidance for teachers, along with examples of technology-rich, learner-centered student projects addressing timely topics such as sustainability, human impact and climate change. This book: • Helps teachers design learning experiences that model authentic problems and processes practiced by scientists and engineers, to prepare students for future careers in science. • Addresses diversity, equity and inclusion in ES, and shares resources and strategies for addressing racial equity in ES. • Introduces facilitation techniques that redefine the teacher’s traditional role as one that supports increased student agency, the development of critical thinking skills and an expanded awareness of their place in the global community. • Includes a chapter that focuses on applying the principles and strategies shared in the book in an online learning environment. • Addresses Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) topics in environmental science and is aligned to the ISTE Standards for Educators. PBL is one of the best ways for students to explore complex processes and concepts, and this book will help teachers leverage this approach to empower students to take action toward a better future and world.

Provides 32 detailed, interdisciplinary environmental science lessons with complete directions for use, including summary, introduction, materials needed, preparation and step-by-step teaching directions plus worksheets and background sheets. Organized into six topical units covering Land Use Issues ... Wildlife Issues ... Water Issues ... Atmospheric Issues ... Energy Issues ... Human Issues.

Rather than the 25 to 30 chapters found in most environmental science textbooks, the authors have limited Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and Applications to 15 chapters - perfect for the one-semester, non-majors environmental science course. True to its title, the goal of this concise text is to provide an up-to-date, introductory view of essential themes in environmental science along with offering students numerous opportunities to practice scientific thinking and active learning.

The Mess That We Made explores the environmental impact of trash and plastic on the ocean and marine life, and it inspires kids to do their part to combat pollution. Simple, rhythmic wording builds to a crescendo ("This is the mess that we made. These are the fish that swim in the mess that we made.") and the vibrant digital artwork captures the disaster that is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Children can imagine themselves as one of the four multi-ethnic occupants of the little boat surrounded by swirling plastic in the middle of the ocean, witnessing the cycle of destruction and the harm it causes to plants, animals, and humans. The first half of the book portrays the growing magnitude of the issue, and the second half rallies children and adults to make the necessary changes to save our oceans. Facts about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, ocean pollution, and how kids can help are included in the back matter.

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.