Activities from Strange Days on Planet Earth

Strange Days on Plant Earth Screening Kit
The screening kit will contain content from the episodes, talking points for the presenter, and quick reference guides.

Go Green Shopping
This exercise takes students through a set of stations containing everyday products. Students are challenged to consider the hidden costs to the planet when selecting a product. At the conclusion, students can discuss their choices, tally up which items have the lowest cost to the planet and then learn from the teacher what costs they may have overlooked.

Students can then visit the Strange Days Interactive Market online and test their selection skills, either during class or on their own time. Finally, the class is asked to work as a team to write its own “Green Sheet” that the students can share with their parents and friends to make their next shopping trip a green one.

Off-site Activities
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The Feeding Game  (California Aquatic Science Education Consortium)
Students learn about the negative effects plastic debris has on the feeding and survival marine animals.

Walk a Mile in Albatross Shoes (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Students develop math, science and communication skills while learning about pollution and what eating plastic does to albatrosses.

Water Cycle Game (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Ever wonder where the water you're drinking came from? With the roll of the dice, students can simulate the journey water molecules may take as they travel within the water cycle.
  
Estuaries (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/ Environmental Protection Agency)
Estuaries are extraordinary places. These bays, sounds, lagoons and sloughs are inspirational sites to boaters, swimmers, hikers and bird watchers. They are also essential to the U.S. economy for commercial fishing and tourism. Estuaries buffer uplands from flooding and help protect coastal communities from severe storms. Our actions—even far from the coast—impact the health of our estuaries and ultimately our water quality, food supply and livelihoods. Explore this site for several estuary-related activities.

Whatzzzzup-stream? (Environmental Protection Agency)
Study local rivers and waterways by testing your knowledge of local landscapes and investigating what is upstream and downstream.
  
Water Parks (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Students learn what Marine Protected Areas are and how they contribute to natural, economic and cultural resources.

Empty Oceans (National Marine Sanctuaries)
Students learn how the removal of fish is unraveling the ocean’s food web and how they can become informed consumers to promote sustainable seafood.

Water H2O=Life (American Museum of Natural History)
Help students understand the world’s most precious resource with many classroom activities that explore the properties of water, water conservation, marine and freshwater habitats, climate change and other environmental topics.

Global Warming (National Academy of Science)
Master teachers have compiled and designed this election of global warming activities for middle and high school students.

Teacher enrichment programs:

NCAR’s Climate Discovery Online Courses for Educators - NCAR offers secondary science teachers a professional development opportunity that will enhance their qualifications, competency, and self-confidence in integrating Earth system science,climate, and global change into science classrooms. For more information, please visit http://ecourses.ncar.ucar.edu