Environmental Science Education

Ten-Minute Field Trips

Helen Ross Russell has written Ten-Minute Field Trips. A Teacher's Guide to Using the Schoolgrounds for Environmental Studies to help teachers learn with their students and discover the advantages of using their own school ground for field trips. This book is available as a free download.

Since every school ground is different and since all field trips should be a part of classroom experiences, this book can only suggest possibilities that the teacher can select and adapt as a starting point.

Each subject is introduced with a page or two of background information on the general topic. Next, some related classroom activities are suggested as a reminder that field trips need an introduction and and a follow-up in the classroom. There is also a section on teacher preparation.

"WILD' is for young children and directly relates to animals and habitats thereby making environments accessible.

Ecology Explorers

Ecology Explorers is an example of how universities are teaming up with the K-12 community to give teachers and students opportunities to learn through real scientific research.

The particular example deals with the Phoenix, Arizona ecosystem and Allows classes to be part of the Central Arizona - Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project. The scientific data collected is shared with other researchers and schools to see what patterns in nature exist across the Phoenix metropolitan area.

What opportunities exist in your area?

Changing Earth

Changing Earth at the The Franklin Institute museum is an example of resources that may be available in your area. Like most museums, The Franklin Institute provides an educator guide to go along with their exhibits.

Even if you are not able to visit an installation, the corresponding web site and educator guide can be a valuable source of ideas and images.

Built and Natural Environment Activities

How do people interact with and change the natural environment? A major focus of urban ecology is comparing how ecosystems function in nature and how they are changed by people. Urbanization means changing from native vegetation to man-made materials. Here are some activities to challenge your students to think about the consequences to humans and other organisms of our changing urban landscape.

New York City Underground

For a real look at what lay beneath the ground in an urban area, look at New York City Underground. Each layer of underground functions is carefully illustrated. Click on the manhole cover to start the tour.

Games, Quizzes and More

The EPA has compiled a list of environmental games and find other activities to play online, including crossword puzzles and word searches. Topics include recycling, water, and sunburns.