PBS Teachers™
Thematic Teaching
development & the environment: related resources
About the Author | Activity Ideas | Related Resources
Find Below: PBS Web Sites, Other Recommended Links, Recommended Books
pbs online
American Field Guide
Tap into the sights and sounds from a wide variety of environments across America.
NewsHour Online - The Environment
A comprehensive selection of reports about the environment are available at this Web site.
Bill Moyers NOW - Science and Health
Find articles, lesson plans, and student activities on clean air, sustainable devlopment and clean water.
NewsHour Online - Energy and the Environment
Conservation or consumption? The NewsHour looks at the debate raging over U.S. energy policy.
Journey to Planet Earth - Global Environmental Change and Our Health
What are the costs of developing a more technologically advanced society?
ZOOM Into Action!
Easy-to-do activities for younger students to help clean up their environment.
recommended web sites
Kid Outdoors
http://www.kidcrosswords.com/kidoutdoors/home.htm
An E-zine for kids and families to explore the outdoors together, this site gives ideas on what to do, where to go, what to bring, and when to go. There are crossword puzzles about national parks, weather, trees, and other natural settings. Not sure what the difference between water proof and water resistant and waterproof breathable? Check the glossary, which provides definitions and some images. There are a variety of fun activities to do outdoors that don't cost much money like stargazing, bird watching, and hiking.
Subject: Health & Fitness
More Recommended Health & Fitness Links
Earthtrends: The Environmental Information Portal
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
The World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank, provides a collection of on-line reports about the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. Data is supplied by over a dozen international and US government sources. Middle and high school students can use statistical, graphic, and analytical data to compare among countries and other criteria. The five information tools are: a searchable database, data tables, country profiles, maps, and feature articles on each of the ten topics areas: costal and marine ecosystems, water resources, climate and atmosphere, population and health, economics, energy and resources, biodiversity, agriculture, forests and grasslands, and environmental governance.
Subject: Math
More Recommended Math Links
Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation
http://www.greenmarketing.com/Green_Marketing_Book/welcome.html
Have you thought about running your own business or inventing a new product? Many consumers are looking for more environmentally conscious products and companies. Green companies plan the production, packaging, and disposal of their products to be environmentally sound while insuring a profit. Green products are typically durable, non-toxic, made from recycled materials, or are minimally packaged compared to competitor products. This book is available in full text online with 40 case studies, planning advice, and almost 30 supporting charts and graphs.
Subject: Math
More Recommended Math Links
Shade Grown Coffee
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/default.cfm
What in the world does coffee have to do with birds? Plenty, according to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Shade grown coffee plantations play a key role in the conservation of migratory birds that have found a sanctuary in their forest-like environment. There is a fact sheet describing the relationship between migratory birds and shade grown coffee. The online slide show goes into detail about growing and harvesting coffee beans. Shade coffee beans ripen more slowly, resulting in a richer flavor. So, the next time you order a latte, ask about shade grown coffee. Some resources are available in Spanish.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
Renewable Resource Data Center
http://rredc.nrel.gov/
This site is managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. There is an extensive glossary, details about photovoltaics, and energy tidbits and pointers to information about biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind energy. A useful conversion chart will aid in converting kilowatt-hours into megajoules, BTUs, Langleys, and calories.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
Biotech
http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/
Intended for high school students to researchers, this site from the University of Texas in Austin enhances your knowledge of biology and chemistry. An illustrated dictionary has thousands of terms. There are online textbook chapters related to medical botany and glycolysis, which is related to human biochemistry. Information science as applied to biology is a field called bioinformatics, and if you are a high school student interested in this field, there are many resources to point you to colleges you might want to investigate.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
United Nations Division for Sustainable Development
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/sdissues.htm
What is sustainable development? "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This A to Z list of issues with information and supporting documents will benefit secondary students working on projects related to agriculture, biodiversity, capacity-building, desertification, land management, sustainable tourism, and waste. Within each topic, there will be general background, documents, and actions by the United Nations General Assembly.
Subject: Social Studies
More Recommended Social Studies Links
recommended books
The Prince of Butterflies
By Bruce Coville and John Clapp
Published April 2002
Grades: PreK-2; 3-5
Subjects: Reading & Language Arts
Disoriented because a once familiar countryside has been bulldozed,
migrating monarch butterflies seek help from eleven-year-old John
Farrington. The monarchs transform him, and he leads them to a resting
place. The story follows Farrington as he grows up and becomes an activist
for monarchs. This beautifully illustrated tale blends fantasy and
reality.
More Recommended Reading & Language Arts Books
As Told at the Explorers Club: More Than Fifty Gripping Tales of Adventure
By George Plimpton, editor
Published October 2003
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Reading & Language Arts; Health & Fitness
If you are looking for a book to read before falling asleep, this isn't
it. Plimpton compiled tales covering the continents and oceans and
providing excitement as varied as cheetah hunting, rowing across oceans,
discovering the coelacanth, and hang-gliding on K-2, accounts written by
the likes of Charles Lindbergh, Stefansson Mervyn Cowie, and Roald
Amundsen. A final chapter examines exploration and explorers.
More Recommended Reading & Language Arts Books
More Recommended Health & Fitness Books
The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love
By Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff
Published October 2003
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Science & Technology
This book is an argument for a closer connection to the natural world and
a more ethical attitude toward other creatures. It is an effort to create
a safer and more tolerant world. Ten chapters in two voices, Goodall's and
Bekoff's distinguished by plain type and italics, elaborate their ten
guidelines for human behavior. The book includes a large list of related
Websites.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books
Spix's Macaw: The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird
By Tony Juniper
Published November 2003
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Science & Technology
The Brazilian Spix's Macaw is one of four blue macaws, so rare they can
sell for $40,000 on the black market. The last wild Spix's Macaw lived
alone for fourteen years after his mate was captured by poachers in 1987.
This exciting and moving account tells of international attempts to
prevent its extinction.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books
Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine: The Pioneers Who Risked Their Lives to
Bring Medicine into the Modern Age
By Judith Fenster
Published September 2003
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Science & Technology
Twenty medical breakthroughs are briefly presented in this history of
medicine, as well as the men and women who risked all to advance science.
Five sections address the body, germ theory, cures, mind, and surgery.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books
The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature, 2nd edition
By David Suzuki
Published October 2002
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Science & Technology
Suzuki argues that the environment is so fundamental to our existence that
it must transcend politics by becoming central in the values off all
members of society. There is no environment "out there." We are part of
it. Suzuki suggests how we can meet our needs and still create a life that
is sustainable, fulfilling, and just. The last chapter lists practical
approaches in changing the way we think and live.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books