Sustainable Intelligence: Middle School
Summary
This lesson sets the stage for students to develop sustainable intelligence. They begin by playing an interactive game that illustrates how innocent actions can turn into unsustainable practices that impact everyone and the Earth we call home. Students then discuss how the game illustrates a concept called the tragedy of the commons. Next, they watch a video and discuss the concept of sustainability. Together, the elements of this lesson help students create a base of understanding from which they can begin to exercise sustainability thinking as they analyze and explore a range of topics and apply what they learn in their everyday lives.
Modules
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Water: Grades 5-6: Earth Waters Our Lives
This lesson centers on a deeper exploration of the water footprint associated with food. Students learned in Lesson 1 that virtual water, especially as it relates to food, typically makes up the majority of their water footprint. In this lesson, they find out why. First, they see an attention-grabbing demonstration…
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Water: Grades 7-8: Me, You, and Water
This lesson centers on a deeper exploration of the water footprint associated with food. Students learned in Lesson 1 that virtual water, especially as it relates to food, typically makes up the majority of their water footprint. In this lesson, they find out why. First, they see an attention-grabbing demonstration…
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Energy: Grades 5-6: Fueling Society
In this lesson, students learn that framing our energy habits and choices in terms of a “carbon footprint” can help us understand our individual impact on the global environment. They conduct a personal eco-audit to investigate how their own energy usage results in carbon being released into the atmosphere. After…
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Energy: Grades 7-8: My Carbon Footprint
Lesson 5.1: Personal Energy Eco-Audit: (Estimated time needed: Two 45-minute class periods)In this lesson, students learn that framing our energy habits and choices in terms of a “carbon footprint” can help us understand our individual impact on the global environment. They conduct a personal eco-audit to investigate how their own…
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Waste: Grades 5-6: Waste and Energy
Lesson 4.1: Waste Innovations (Estimated time needed: Three 50-minute sessions)In this lesson, students learn about innovations in waste management from communities around the world. Then they work in teams to research options that would solve waste management issues specific to your community. They put together a presentation to promote their chosen option…
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Waste: Grades 7-8: Imagine Zero Waste
Lesson 5.1: Zero-Waste Campaign (Estimated time needed: One 50-minute class, plus additional time for planning, launching, and assessing the value of the campaign. Students may choose a campaign that lasts one day, one week, one month, or longer.)In this lesson, students examine how traditional thinking about waste management has created a…
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Food: Grades 5-6: Food For the Future
In this lesson, students begin to understand the great importance of seeds and to assume the role of Seed Guardians. In the first session, students examine a variety of seeds and identify foods that contain seeds and foods that do not contain seeds. Students conclude the session by becoming guardians…
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Food: Grades 7-8: My “Foodprint”
In this lesson, students begin to understand the great importance of seeds and to assume the role of Seed Guardians. In the first session, students examine a variety of seeds and identify foods that contain seeds and foods that do not contain seeds. Students conclude the session by becoming guardians…
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Air: Grades 5-6: What’s Up?
Lesson 4.1: Air Is a Mixture (Estimated time needed: Two 55-minute sessions)In this lesson, students explore the fact that air is a mixture of gases. During the first session, they identify the main gases within air and represent the proportions in which they occur in the atmosphere. During the second…
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Air: Grades 7-8: The Air We Breathe
Lesson 5.1: Air Quality and Health (Estimated time needed: One 60-minute session)In this lesson, students learn about health effects associated with six primary air pollutants. They begin by discussing air pollutants, their sources, and their effects on human health. Students then analyze an information worksheet about six common air pollutants…
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Public Spaces: Grades 5-6: Green Spaces
Lesson 4.1: Green Cities (Estimated time needed: Two 60-minute sessions)In this lesson, students discover what it means for a city to be “green” and learn how green cities around the world are serving as models for sustainable human development. Students examine principles of green urbanization and look at outstanding examples…
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Public Spaces: Grades 7-8: My Public Spaces
Lesson 5.1: Biodiversity in the Field (Estimated time needed: Three 55-minute sessions)This three-part lesson begins with a video that encourages students to focus not on the fact that human activities are leading to massive extinctions of organisms (which is depressing!), but rather on how we can better motivate ourselves as…
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Transportation: Grades 5-6: Getting Around
Lesson 4.1: Ships and Planes (Estimated time needed: One 50-minute session)In this lesson, students explore the benefits and consequences of two popular transportation industries: shipping and air travel. While both industries are clearly important to the global economy, they also have a significant impact on the environment, particularly by contributing…
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Transportation: Grades 7-8: How Did I Get Here?
Lesson 5.1: Fuel My Ride! (Estimated time needed: Two 50-minute sessions)In this lesson, students investigate the fossil fuel industry, including why our society is so addicted to their use and how our habits have had some very serious and long-term consequences. They also explore modern alternatives to fossil fuels and then…
