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This section explores environmental and health topics, with
an emphasis on relevance of science to everyday life. Topics
include natural resources, natural hazards, environmental
quality, pollution, climate, and population issues.
Be sure to look at the different
set of resources listed at the Student/Learner webpage
for this topic.
 Acid
Rain Lesson Plans
The National Park Service provides a wonderful series
of five lessons, complete with resources, forms, charts, maps
and student data sheets. The focus is on acid rain, how it
is measured, and its effects on the environment (specifically,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). These lessons include
experiments with the pH Scale, learning the difference between
an acid and a base, and discovering how acid rain is measured
and tracked in the United States. Also
see the pH Factor.
 The
Brain Eater
This is a guide to a NOVA program on mad-cow disease.
Included in the teacher’s guide is a great public health
activity that is not dependent upon watching the program.
In the "Public
Health Task Force activity," teams of learners are
asked to research various infectious diseases. There are some
resources
at the website with which learners can begin their investigations.
 Conservation
(National Geography Awareness Week, National Geographic Society)
Conservation was the theme of National Geographic Awareness
Week, 2000. As they say in the introduction, "Conservation
is about balancing some of the needs of people–places
to live, work, play, go to school–with the need for a
planet that will be healthy for years to come." This
website explores four topics related to conservation: biodiversity,
fresh water, population, and oceans. There are teacher notes
and learner activities for three learning levels within each
of the four topics. There are numerous
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