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K-12 Resources



 Tools for Teachers

Think Garden logo

KET has released a new resource for elementary teachers who are planning school gardens. Think Garden is a collection of video segments (and soon to be other materials/interactives) that teaches students about the art and science of growing food, with an emphasis on biological and environmental concepts. It also addresses topics related to nutrition and economics. The collection was created in partnership with the Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farms and Cane Run Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky and Meadowthorpe Elementary School; The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky; Seedleaf; and Karen Angelucci in Lexington, Kentucky. It is available through the KET Teacher's Domain; simply sign in and start watching!

United States geological survey logoThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/water-facts.html and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have teamed up to create a water-cycle diagram for kids and elementary and middle schools.

 project wet logoDiscover Water http://www.discoverwater.org/ Discover Water, sponsored by the Project WET Foundation and Nestlé Waters North America, is a new FREE online resource for students and teachers. The website included information and activities related to quantity of water on Earth, the water cycle, oceans, fresh water, watersheds, water conservation and protection, direct and indirect water use, and water and health.

arkive logo http://www.arkive.org/ Promoting the Conservation of the World's Threatened Species, Through the Power of Wildlife Imagery. The ARKive project has unique access to the very best of the world's wildlife films and photographs, with more than 3,500 of the world's leading filmmakers and photographers actively contributing to the project, and giving ARKive unprecedented access to their materials.
 
Cloud Institute iconCloud Institute for Sustainability and Education – “The Cloud Institute equips school systems K-12 and their communities with the core content, competencies and habits of mind that characterize education for a sustainable future.” On this web site you will find student-centered content and resources for communities, schools, educators, and learners, including a content and performance standards checklist.

cbn logoTeaching Kids About Recycling - America has one of the highest rates of recycling anywhere in the world. However, with the amount of trash in our dump sites, it is clear there is more work to do. It is estimated that 85% of our total waste can be recycled if more people practice recycling and learn more of the benefits. Recycling is a matter of choice and the more a person learns, the more likely they will make a conscious decision to recycle.

National Library of Medicine iconEnvironmental Health Student Portal: Connecting Middle School Students to Environmental Health Information,
This National Library of Medicine web site offers resources for teachers, experiments and projects, homework help, and information on careers related to the topics of air pollution, climate change, chemicals, and water pollution.

Facing the Future iconFacing the Future™: Critical Thinking, Global Perspective, Informed Action, K-12 Curriculum. View information and resources on Global Sustainability, download free or purchase standards-based curriculum resources, use the Curriculum Finder to pick lessons and activities, service learning projects, professional development news, and more.

yes! iconYES! Magazine / Positive Futures Network- YES! magazine is an ad-free quarterly journal that features stories about real people making positive changes in the real world toward building a sustainable and just future. YES! honors classroom teachers for engaging the next generation by providing middle and high school teachers and college faculty with a one-year introductory subscription at no cost.

Green Schools logoAlliance to Save Energy / Green Schools Program engages students in creating energy-saving activities in their schools, using hands-on, real-world projects, and encourages them to apply the lessons learned in their homes and communities.

Earth Force iconEarth Force Offers educators innovative materials, training and support to help youth connect to their communities and address environmental issues. Programs include Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) and the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). 

Learn and Serve iconLearn and Serve America A program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, supports and encourages service-learning for students throughout the U.S. to build academic and civic skills while making meaningful contributions to their communities.

a href="http://www.lsf-lst.ca/">Learning for a Sustainable Future – founded in 1991, LSF was created to integrate sustainability education into Canada’s education system. It works to integrate the concepts and principles of sustainable development into education policy, school curricula, teacher education, and lifelong learning.

Resources for Rethinking logoResources for Rethinking – R4R is a project of Learning for a Sustainable Future, provides teachers access to peer-reviewed activities and excellent resource materials for K-12 education for sustainability. Search by grade level or subject area. Most are available for free download.

shelburn farms logoShelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project 
1. The Guide to Education for Sustainability provides an introduction and exploration of EFS practices and pedagogies.
2. The Education for Sustainability Starter Kit is a professional development tool that prepares educators and schools to start using sustainability as an integrating theme, and to catalyze school change with efficient use of existing resources through a series of self-guided learning opportunities.
3. The Healthy Neighborhoods/Healthy Kids Guide is a civic engagement and service-learning framework that can be used across K-12 grade levels as well as community settings.

Center for Ecoliteracy Offers events, publications, services, and resources for schools and allied organizations to support educators in their efforts to advande schooling for sustainability.

Sustainability Education Curriculum & Resource Center Curriculum and professional development portfolio that offers multi-media curriculum resources and professional development packages to support education for a sustainable future for K-12 classrooms, college courses, and adult education.

My Community, Our Earth Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development (SD) program for middle school, secondary school, and university youth from around the world. Hands-on approach to learning geography by developing a project that proposes solutions to issues of SD in their communities.

Sustainable Schools Project Designed to help schools use sustainability as an integrating context for curriculum, community partnerships, and campus practices.

CELF Environmental Literacy Seeks to make sustainability education an integral part of every school’s curricula and culture, K-11 by engaging students, teachers, administrators, parents, communities and businesses through professional development, consulting services, and experiential programs.

EcoTipping Points Projects Features environmental success stories collected from around the world and a powerful approach for dealing with environmental problems through integration with school. Offers resources for teachers, publications, presentations.


Classroom Resources

Earth-dashboard – Chris Hoffman of Whole Systems Consulting created this web site showing multiple indicators on how the planet is doing "as a pro bono service to the planet." The four Dashboard clusters are Stabilize Population, Stabilize Climate, Eradicate Poverty, and Restore Earth's Life Support Systems.

Penguins on Thin Ice First performed by students in New York, Penguins on Thin Ice uses music to share both inspiration and scientific information about global climate change and what people can do to help curb its effects. Hear the songs, read the script; teaching tools, production notes, and 4½ minute trailer.

Earth Portal Comprehensive resource for timely, objective, science-based information about the environment and engaging civil society in a public dialogue on the role of environmental issues in human affairs. Includes Earth News; Encyclopedia of Earth, and Earth Forum.

The Heat is Online Information resources on the science of climate change, news items, extreme weather profiles, solutions, and a video on “what are they covering up?” referring to the disinformation campaign by big oil and coal. “We are standing at the threshold of runaway climate change.”

NPR Climate Connections National Public Radio (NPR) and National Geographic host the Climate Connections Web site full of news items, interesting facts, practical ideas, videos, and a daily podcast.

Fight Global Warming Online resources from Environmental Defense Fund for students and teachers on the dangers and the science of global warming, calculating your impact, and what you can do.

Classroom Earth K-12 Resources An online resource of the NAAEE designed to help high school teachers include environmental content in their daily lesson plans. Useful resources include ‘In the News’, ‘Find your Course’, grants, a virtual library, and professional development opportunities.

Teaching Bioneers A community space for educators to provide practical and inspirational materials, share curriculum and teaching ideas, read articles and interviews with educational innovators, more.

Teaching for a Sustainable Future A multimedia teacher education program published by UNESCO. 100 hours, in 25 modules, for use in pre-service and in-service teacher education.

Promise of Place Resources for place-based education which uses local heritage, cultures, landscapes, and experiences as a foundation for study and which emphasizes service learning in the community.


Tools for Students

project wet logo Discover Water http://www.discoverwater.org/ Discover Water, sponsored by the Project WET Foundation and Nestlé Waters North America, is a new FREE online resource for students and teachers. The website included information and activities related to quantity of water on Earth, the water cycle, oceans, fresh water, watersheds, water conservation and protection, direct and indirect water use, and water and health.

SustainUS: US Youth for Sustainable Development SustainUS has a large and diverse membership that promotes proactive education, research, and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels toward building a future in which "all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability." Get involved with working groups, grassroots campaigns, mailing lists, initiatives, and other opportunities.

Teens for Planet Earth - A social networking site for teens who want to protect our planet; choose a project, connect with others, make a difference.

The People Speak - A community of young people exchanging ideas and perspectives with other youth around the world and learning how to make a difference on global issues that will shape their future.

EcoTeach The EcoTeach Foundation offers teacher-led middle school and high school student groups to Costa Rica to do Conservation and Endangered Species Protection work.

Learning for a Sustainable Future – founded in 1991, LSF was created to integrate sustainability education into Canada’s education system. It works to integrate the concepts and principles of sustainable development into education policy, school curricula, teacher education, and lifelong learning. 


Footprint Calculators, Audits, and Checklists

Ecological Footprint Calculators

Recycle Works Waste Audit- The Audit will show students the quantity of waste at school that is recyclable. Site has creative ideas for educating kids about waste and reuse, plus a sample 6th grade lesson plan.

Green Schools Checklist EPA checklist - Environmental actions for schools to consider

Checklist Toward Zero Carbon School checklist to reduce carbon footprint


Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.

 Last Modified 12/4/18