The first embedded document is the summary of an ecological footprint assessment my 7th grade students a few years back.
There is also lots of IB Biology resources (mostly from Steven Taylor at i-biology.net)
Primarily geared towards IB Biology, but this website is incredible. There are great links down the right side of his page. If you mouse over the options tab you'll see Option G: Ecology & Conservation. He's got a ton of excellent resources there.
I would not have survived teaching IB Biology without his stuff.
Interesting site..good perhaps for ideas or use with those students who become home-bound.
This environmental science laboratory course is specifically designed for practical applications of science using readily available household materials. This course provides the learner with firsthand experience of important scientific aspects of environmental studies, including air quality, ecological concerns, waste-management issues, and energy consumption and conservation.
Our simulated labs exploring eutrophication and toxin biomagnification, fire regimes and succession, and investigating general ecological principles such as population growth, species interactions and community structure provide a great way to add active learning experiences to environmental science courses. Several labs were developed for non-majors and introductory classes, including our Darwinian Snails EvoBeaker® lab which provides a unique opportunity to teach natural selection using an invasive species example.
Dr. Jason Moore's work is a really amazing look at the concept of the Anthropocene and the connection between ecological damages and capitalism/globalization throughout history. A really nice way to frame the big picture for a lot of the topics in APES. His main website is down (jasonwmoore.com), but this article should give an idea of the point being made.
I use this at the beginning of the year. Kids are always surprised that although they do not travel often, they still consume a lot based on lifestyle.
Welcome to EcoLibrary! Students in my classes and workshops - ranging from college age to kindergarten - learn best when we use a lot of photographs and other rich teaching materials. EcoLibrary allows students and teachers to freely use materials that support learning about ecology, conservation biology, and the environment. EcoLibrary currently contains several hundred annotated photographs that illustrate key concepts in these fields, and as the site grows we will add maps, sounds, panoramas, and interactive exercises.
This is a good activity to use before and after students go to a stream to assess the macro-invertebrates and their toleration levels. I find this resource beneficial when discussion water quality and ecology. If you are able to take students to a stream, this could be used as an introduction to what they can see. If a stream is not available, then this can be used to teach students what is in a stream and what they can tolerate.
This was a good video to show the impacts of a nuclear disaster. I use this video to show several major concepts. The dangers of nuclear power, if not maintained, as well as ecological succession. Class discussion will follows on what will happen in the future to this site as well as to the plants and animals that live and feed in Chernobyl.
I've worked with these folks at UW and tested their "Halobacteria" Labs in my classroom. If you're in a low-income school, they'll send you everything for free. Halobacteria are a great, resiliant model organism to grow in your classroom. Also Sea Monkeys (Brine Shrimp) love them and you can do a whole salty ecological community. They have lots of modules on Systems Thinking and dyanamic biological and environmental systems. Love their "cell phone" unit.
This is a great activity that can be adapted to any major river. I have done this with students of all ages. A great way to introduce Non-Point Source Pollution. I have used this demonstration with all age groups and it has a powerful impact.
On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, rose-ringed parakeets, which are often kept as pets, have bred in the wild, destroying farms and bothering residents. They may also be threatening native plants. PBS NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson reports on local efforts to battle the invasive birds.
Good 'cane Toad' like parallels.