Social Studies

The NCSE-NASA Interdisciplinary Climate Change Education Team is developing a curricular package on climate change based on a University of California Davis course taught by Professor Arnold Bloom. The curriculum includes modules that cover a wide range of topics relevant to climate change. Data produced by NASA is used to create data-driven modules focusing on ice core and recent climate change observations.

PULSE is an interdisciplinary curriculum. It is designed to improve life science literacy by providing lessons for core high school subjects that address environmental health and biomedical research. These topics are equally relevant and motivating within science classrooms and also in those of geography, language arts, government, world and American history, and mathematics classes.

Cluster Busters is a unique science curriculum in which students research disease clusters that might be induced by environmental toxicants. In the process, students utilize a range of skills, draw from various academic subjects, and learn the issues and processes of disease cluster investigation. The game introduces the concepts of epidemiology, risk assessment, and toxicology. The process of investigation encourages logical thinking and problem solving and enhances student familiarity with research techniques and statistics.

Voyage From The Sun is a 20-lesson classroom science module designed to introduce 4th-9th grade students to the major ways in which energy is important in living systems. Voyage encourages students to explore the story of Earth's energy. Students examine how they use energy, where it comes from, and how human impact on natural habitats affects the natural energy flow. Voyage From The Sun supports science reform efforts by building bridges between biology, the physical sciences, math and language arts.

Originally created for use in Texas, Knowledge is Power is an energy efficiency curriculum supplement for grades K-12. These lesson plans on energy conservation and energy efficiency are correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and include starter activities, extensions, and discussion questions.

The Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Hog program is an online computer activity that reveals "energy hogs" in our homes that can be eliminated, thus saving energy and protecting the environment. The website also includes the Energy Hog Challenge, a set of classroom activities that can be downloaded for free. Correlates to National Science Education Standards as well as Colorado state standards. Appropriate for 3rd-6th grade students.

Developed by the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Oregon, Are You an Energy Saver Star? asks students to collect data on energy usage and perform energy audits in a number of capacities. The results are then analyzed to see where the most conservation could be achieved. Adheres to state standards in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Best suited for grades 4-7.

Students develop an integrated project through the comprehensive study of a species, a region, or both. This long-term project requires students to explore fiction, history, cultural attitudes, and government. The scientific data students can collect and analyze may include GIS information, climate and weather, satellite tracking/mapping, and observations from research scientists' journals. This lesson is best suited for grades 5-9 and adheres to National Science Education Standards.

The purpose of this lesson is to educate students on endangered species and to provide them with basic knowledge of the causes of extinction. This lesson is best suited for grades 5-9 and adheres to Alabama State Learning Standards.