Environmental Tips and Links for Teachers
Did you know that the supervisor of the elementary school in Apo Island is including coastal resources management in the curriculum of their students’ science classes?
Apo Island, with its famous marine sanctuary over a decade old, will soon be filled with young adults who know that dynamite fishing is wrong, and that what is done to one part of the environment affects the livelihood of everyone in the island.
Start planting the seeds of appreciating nature, caring for the environment, and doing something to help save the earth in your young high school students’ minds.
Below are some ideas:
- Have projects that involve reusing old materials in the house, e.g. a coffee container into a small pot for Home Economics or musical instruments made out of old bottles, cans and string.
- Require students in your school to reduce use of paper by using both sides of a page. Photocopied papers, after use, can still be used as scratch/notes papers.
- Have a policy in the classroom to turn off the lights when not in use, and to maximize natural daylight.
- Computer classes should also have a policy to turn off computers completely or put in standby mode when not in use.
- Chemistry classes should teach students about proper disposal of chemicals.
- Encourage the formation of an environmental club in school.
- The campus publication should highlight articles on the school’s environmental issues and what are being done to stop them.
- Take students out on field trips that bring them face to face with city environment administrators, dumpsites and garbage pickers, zoos and rivers.
- Give them sustainable environment research projects.
- Invite them to become updated with the news so they can find out what is going on with the local natural resources and how the government is fulfilling its role as steward of the country’s rich natural treasures.
For more ideas on how to save the earth and empower your students to make a difference, check out the following links:
Environmental Education on the Internet - for a comprehensive list of resource links for teachers and students, as well as information on environmental education organizations.
ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Math, and Environmental Education - gives access to the best information on science, mathematics and the environment available for teaching
International Education and Resource Network - gives an avenue for the youth to conduct environment projects
GreenTimes - is a website with articles and poems written by students for students. It also contains a comprehensive list of links for both teachers and students
Earthwatch Institute - promotes sustainable conservation of natural resources and awards fellowships to high school teachers and students to also take part in research. Moreover, the site has online resources, lesson plans and virtual field trips
Dive and Discover - brings you and your students on board oceanographic research cruises as they discover and explore deep seafloor
Global Thinking Project – provides students and teachers a virtual environment to participate in environmental studies with peers from all over the world
Green Schools - has curriculum materials, energy audit software and more
Planet Earth - has interactive learning activities on ecology
Sources:
“Save the earth!” Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://vedicschool.org/earth.html
“Teachers resources.” Retrieved April 2, 2008 from
http://www.ecologyfund.com/registry/ecology/res_teach_links.html
(Published 14 April 2008, Smart Schools Program)
