Sustainability education handbook resource guide for k-12 teachers

Energy Education and Workforce Development. This site includes lesson plans, labs, projects and other activities on energy-related activities to help you enhance your required curriculum by teaching your students the importance of gree energy. Site includes lessons focused on four issues, written by participatory teachers: air quality, land use, water quality, and solid waste management.

Environmental Kids Club Sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, this site includes links for teachers and students to topical information and resources as well as lesson plans covering topics such as water quality, conservation, ecosystems, and human health. Environmental Literacy Council Environmental science labs and activities are designed primarily for AP Environmental Science teachers interested in using the inquiry method of teaching.

Materials are available in pdf or html format. Facing the Future is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and motivating today's students to be responsible stewards of tomorrow's world. We develop and deliver standards-based hands-on lessons, student textbooks, curriculum units, and professional development opportunities for educators that promote critical thinking on global issues, sustainability and positive solutions.

Facing the Future curriculum is in use in all 50 U. Visit their website to download free curriculum resources for K educators! Five E's Unlimited Sustainable development consulting services for schools and other organizations. With a strong belief that clean and efficient energy resources are key to the future generations' ability to achieve a safe and sustainable environment, FSEC offers a range of teacher resources for the K classroom.

To get to curriculum materials, go to "Curriculum" in left hand column. Students and teachers involved in the program practice real science by taking measurements, analyzing data, and collaborating with scientists in the field. Findings are shared with other program schools around the world. Go Green Initiative A grassroots environmental program that unites parents, teachers and students to create a culture of conservation on school campuses.

The program involves students at every level and takes a comprehensive approach to help schools evaluate every aspect of their environmental impact. It provides schools simple checklists and tools to examine everything from recycling to unsafe pesticides used on playgrounds.

Graduation Pledge Alliance Site offers guidelines for development and examples of voluntary pledges that remind students of the ethical implications of the knowledge and training they receive. Green Education Foundation Educational Clearinghouse — This site offers free sustainability lessons to use in your class and you can upload your own lessons to share. Green Map System GMS participants engage in the process of creating and sharing environmental and cultural maps of their communities.

The site offers detailed instructions in how to participate in this global project. Not all families can travel overseas to expose their children to world cultures, but they can start engaging with the world right in their own home communities.

This hands-on book helps to begin that process. Heifer International Curriculum materials for K classrooms developed by the award winning non-profit with the tag line, "Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth. This nationally and internationally replicated program focuses on civic engagement and service-learning to create sustainable communities. The guide is designed to help educators engage youth in creating livable and sustainable communities. It includes lesson plans, tools, planning guides, and resources.

Learn and Serve America supports and encourages service-learning throughout the United States, and enables over one million students to make meaningful contributions to their community while building their academic and civic skills. Learn and Serve America provides direct and indirect support to K schools, community groups and higher education institutions to facilitate service-learning projects by:.

National Association of Independent Schools NAIS Resources on sustainable schools and a listserv which focuses on "education for sustainability" topics and concerns in K12 independent schools. Most of the material is for teachers to develop a better understanding of sustainability, but many resources and activities can also be used in the classroom environment with students. National Energy Foundation Lessons for K teachers highlight a better understanding of energy, natural resources, and the environment.

National Library for the Environment An online library of environmental information and data, including access to Congressional Research Service Reports. Eco-Schools is an internationally acclaimed program that provides a framework to help educators integrate sustainable principles throughout their schools and curriculum. Nature Rocks This site will help you find all sorts of nature activities, plus tools to help guide and plan your adventures. You'll also find useful tips and information to help you get into nature without getting over your head.

Specific curriculum you will find useful can be found at the following site which sorts the curriculum according to subject. Oxfam Education offers a huge range of ideas, resources and support for developing the global dimension in the classroom and the whole school.

All of the resources here support Education for Global Citizenship - education that helps pupils understand their world and make a positive difference in it. Peace Games A partnership program with school communities with the aim of empowering students to become peacemakers. Prince's Rainforest Project The aim is to provide a framework for learning about the rainforests and their global significance, in which children and teachers work collaboratively and find solutions to problems.

Lessons are compatible with the UK National Curriculum and will help schools teach about sustainability. Curriculum materials are available for purchase.

Developed at Shelburne Farms, Project Seasons is an education activities guide that contains a collection of hands-on activities for discovering the wonders of the world. Pulse of the Planet offers two-minute downloadable sound portraits of planet Earth.

Sound bites range from human celebration to a chorus of bullfrogs to a symphony created by a storm. Redefining Progress Several lesson ideas for K educators who are also interested in using the Ecological Footprint Quiz in their classrooms. Rocky Mountain Institute for Kids Activities and information designed by RMI for educators and students on subjects such as energy and water.

Jane Goodall, this global program emphasizes the principle that knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action. Rustle the Leaf Environmental comics, lesson plans, podcasts, e-newletters, and downloadable classroom materials highlight this colorful website. Lots of information highlighting Earth Day celebrations.

Topics are geared toward the urban landscape and activities are designed for hands-on, experiential learning. It brings community members together with students for the purpose of accomplishing a unified goal. It empowers students and adults alike to be responsible water stewards. Click on the above link to learn more about SWAP!

Sustainability Education and Economic Development online resource center - resources for educators and sustainability advocates developed by the American Association of Community Colleges www.

Shelburne Farms offers a variety of professional development opportunities for both formal and non-formal educators. Each program is designed to give educators the confidence, motivation and skills they need to integrate science, agricultural, sustainability and natural resource topics into their curricula. Shelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project is a dynamic new model for school improvement and civic engagement. The program is designed to help schools use sustainability as an integrating context for curriculum, community partnerships, and campus practices.

The Story of Stuff is a minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.

It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. Student Environmental Action Coalition SEAC is a grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups, working together to protect our planet and our future. A good source for conferences, journals, and action plans targeted for a young audience.

Sustainability Basic Course Created by d dalos, the international UNESCO education server for civic, peace and human rights education, the Sustainability Basic Course offers an introduction to ESD through a series of activities that help to clarify our understanding of the term and its implications in K education.

Sustainability Education Guide Developed by the Tahoe Center for a Sustainable Future, the Guide offers teachers an overview of ESD as well as a series of lesson plans that focus on sustainable development. While the materials focus on the Lake Tahoe area, many activities and the general information about ESD are applicable to any region.

Sustainability Institute Resources for teachers interested in professional development opportunities that offer instruction in sustainability principles. Sustainable Education Handbook "Evaluation Criteria for Sustainability Standards" is a tool for teachers and administrators to evaluate whether or not existing curriculum embraces sustainability concepts.

The thirteen evaluation points highlight key concepts in ESD. Click on all tabs on the left for a variety of curricula resources. Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative SOSI's mission is to help Oregon's K schools integrate sustainability principles system-wide and prepare our children to create and succeed in a sustainable future. Sustainable Schools Programs in U. United Nations Cyberschoolbus The "Global Teaching and Learning Project" offers educators curriculum on topics ranging from peace education to ethnic and racial discrimination, book and film reviews, and current news stories as well as current information on contests, celebrations and conferences.

The U. Energy Information Administration has an Energy Kids site where you can find a wide range of activities for students and information about how teachers can put this site to use. Aimed at K audiences but useful for a much wider range. USGBC promotes the reorientation of K and higher education programs toward sustainability and green building as a tool for preparing students to enter the green marketplace.

Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Education for Environment and Sustainability - t he focus of the Education for Environment and Sustainability program is to support academic success and life-long learning, and to develop a responsible citizenry capable of applying knowledge of ecological, economic, and socio-cultural systems to meet current and future needs.

This website also has links to stories in the field or "case studies". The Lowdown on Energy , from the American Geosciences Institute, is a portfolio of instructional modules on energy. Each module is approximately 30 pages and consists of classroom activities, teacher notes, background information, assessments, career information and a glossary. What is Education for Sustainability? Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute A general curricula site with hundreds of units of instruction on topics covering every subject area.

Look under "Ecology and Environmental Science" for curricula that connects directly to sustainability issues. Young Voice for the Planet is a film series featuring young people who are making a difference! They are shrinking the carbon footprint of their homes, schools and communities. National Professional Organizations Update. ESD Report. White Paper. Sustainability Education Week Sign up for the K and Teacher Education Listserv: This is a national listserv for k educators focused specifically on the topic of education for sustainability.

Community Works Journal is published by Community Works Institute in support of teaching practices that build community. The Journal features essays and reflections along with curriculum overviews that highlight the importance of place, service, and sustainability to a relevant and meaningful education.

Conservation Economy A host of resources, journal articles, and practical materials that help to answer the question, "What does a sustainable society look like? Read the studies here. The Journal of Education for Sustainable Develpment JESD is a peer-reviewed international journal, aimed at global readership, with an editorial board comprised of leading ESD educators from around the world.

The scope of content covers all fields of formal and nonformal ESD. The journal is published twice per year. Click the link above to read more about JESD. McMillan and Amy Lyons Higgs describing how four secondary schools, selected for their far-reaching approaches to SE, have implemented their visions for educating for and about sustainability. The Story of Stuff is a look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. It exposes the connections between environmental and social issues, and calls on us to create a more sustainable world.

Facing the Future has designed curricula for The Story of Stuff. They granted us permission to adapt their 2. VT-FEED works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education is a leader in environmental education and offers professional development in EFS for educators.

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Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Kids. K and Teacher Education Listserv. Center for Ecoliteracy. Clearing Magazine. EconKids- Rutgers University. Educating for Sustainability - Scoop It Blog. Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit.

EE Link. Energy Education and Workforce Development. Energy Education Lesson Plans. Facing the Future. Fair Trade Resource Network. Lots of great links to curriculum and other educator resources. Global Exchange. Green Classroom Professional Certificate Program. Greening Forward.

Orton Family Foundation. Our Curriculum Matters. It can also help them develop essential skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, innovation, collaboration, and communication.

Learning about public health can also help students develop new ideas for career paths. Incorporating public health into your classroom, club, or activity can give students hands-on experience doing science, which may boost their academic achievement, help them make science-backed choices throughout their lifetime, and set them on an early course for a promising STEM career.

CDC has innovative resources and trainings for K—12 teachers that support your efforts to teach public health. Resources focus on STEM skill development at all grade levels.