" Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know”
Causes of Global Warming
Deforestation
Global Warming
Let’s Make A Change: Water Pollution!
PowerPoint presentation - Global environmental issues causes and effects
PSA Global Environmental Issues
University of Michigan game - Wheel-of-sustainability
Water Pollution
What causes climate change
What is Climate change
"What Is Deforestation and What Are the Causes of Deforestation?”
Project: PSA Global Environmental Issues
Overview
Resource is for a culinating project on environmental issues for middle school students.
Overview
By the end of this lesson, students will have a deeper understanding of global environmental issues and will have practiced advocacy through creating a compelling PSA. This project will help develop research, critical thinking, and presentation skills, aligned with the SC 6th grade social studies standards.
Standard 6-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of global conflicts on the United States and the world.
Standard 6-5: CE: Causation- Analyze significant turning points in history to assess multiple long-term and short-term causes and effects
Standard 6-5: E: Evidence- Identify, source, and utilize different forms of evidence, including primary and secondary sources, used in an inquiry-based study of history
Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:
Understand and explain key global environmental issues.
Analyze the causes and effects of these environmental issues.
Develop and present a public service announcement (PSA) addressing one of the issues.
Teacher instructions and materials:
Introduction:
- Review Environmental issues causes and effects as a class. Powerpoint presentation included if needed.
- Students will need access to computers, Ipads, or chromebooks
Practice:
- Teacher will need to create Kahoot or Quizizz vocabulary review game with the vocabulary terms and definitons provided or use their own
Engage:
Key Vocabulary
Deforestation: The clearing or thinning of forests by humans.
Water Pollution: The contamination of water bodies (e.g., lakes, rivers, oceans) typically due to human activities.
Air Pollution: The presence of harmful substances in the air, often resulting from human activities.
Global Warming: The long-term heating of Earth's climate system due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere.
Climate Change: Long-term alteration in temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.
Biodiversity: The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat.
Pollution: The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment.
Sustainable Development: Economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources.
Greenhouse Effect: The trapping of the sun's warmth in the planet's lower atmosphere.
Video resources for students
"What is Climate Change?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs
"Air Pollution 101" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rglsLy1Ys
"Water Pollution" https://youtu.be/8sCL4w9d_YE?si=KdRuN-zzyAuLO7GV
"Global warming" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs
"Deforestation" https://youtu.be/-01T9e6VDWU?si=47kjUwLHwCcxAnpX
Websites for research
"What Is Deforestation and What Are the Causes of Deforestation?” https://www.newrootsinstitute.org/articles/deforestation
" Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know” https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know#whatis
"Causes of Global Warming" https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/global-warming/311438#276215-toc
Let’s Make A Change: Water Pollution! https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/hidden-category/lets-make-a-change-water-pollution/
What causes Climate change https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/geography/general-geography/what-is-climate-change/
Practice Questions and Answer Key
What is deforestation and what are its primary causes?
Answer: Deforestation is the clearing or thinning of forests by humans, primarily caused by logging, agriculture, and urban expansion.
How does water pollution affect marine life?
Answer: Water pollution can lead to the death of marine life due to toxins, reduced oxygen levels, and disrupted ecosystems.
What are the main contributors to air pollution?
Answer: Main contributors to air pollution include vehicle emissions, industrial discharges, and burning fossil fuels.
Explain the greenhouse effect and its role in global warming.
Answer: The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the sun's heat in the Earth's atmosphere due to greenhouse gases like CO2. This effect contributes to global warming by increasing the planet's overall temperature.
PSA Project Instructions and Rubric
PSA Global Environmental Issues
| Rubric criteria | Excellent (4) | Good (3) | Fair (2) | Needs Improvement (1) |
| Content Accuracy | All facts are accurate and well-researched. | Most facts are accurate with minor errors. | Some facts are accurate, with some errors. | Many inaccuracies in the information. |
| Clarity and Organization | PSA is well-organized and easy to follow. | PSA is organized but with minor issues. | PSA has some organization issues. | PSA is poorly organized and confusing |
| Creativity | PSA is highly engaging and creative. | PSA is engaging and somewhat creative | PSA has some organization issues. | PSA lacks creativity and engagement. |
| Presentation | Presentation is clear and confident. | Presentation is mostly clear and confident. | Presentation lacks some clarity and confidence. | Presentation is unclear and lacks confidence. |
| Use of Technology | Excellent use of Google Slides features. | PSA is organized but with minor issues. | Limited use of Google Slides features. | Poor use of Google Slides features |