Environmental Education

and the Social Studies

This slideshow is available online at
www.epa.state.oh.us/oeef/

What is Environmental
Education?

NAAEE Definition of
Environmental Education:

A process which promotes the

analysis and understanding of
environmental issues as the basis
for effective education, problemsolving, policy-making, and
management.

US EPA Definition of
Environmental Education

Increases public awareness and

knowledge about environmental issues

Provides the skills needed to make

informed and responsible decisions

Teaches individuals how to weigh

various sides of an environmental issue

Does not advocate a particular

viewpoint or course of action

How Is Environmental Education

Relevant to Social Studies?

Offers opportunities for study under each of

the ten themes of social studies education
identified by the National Council for the
Social Studies (NCSS)

Because the environment affects everything,

the study of it spans all disciplines

Environmental Education is an excellent

integration tool that can help students explore
historical, economic, political, geographic, and
scientific aspects of environmental topics

Ten Themes of Social

Studies Education (NCSS)

Culture and Cultural Diversity

Time, Continuity, and Change

People, Places, and Environments

Individual Development and Identity

Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

The Ten Themes of Social

Studies Education (contd)

Power, Authority, and Governance

Production, Distribution, and

Consumption

Science, Technology, and Society

Global Connections

Civic Ideas and Practices

Social Studies
Academic
Content Standards

History
People in Societies
Geography
Economics
Government
Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
Social Studies Skills and Methods

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
History

In the Good Old Days

Project Learning Tree

How American attitudes toward

the environment have changed
over generations
Students study the writings of
men and women who have shaped
the way people think about the
environment

Wildlife in Ohio History

Timeline

1770-2000 map
of Ohio changing
as forest cover is
removed and
replanted, species
extirpated or
introduced

Wildlife in Ohio History Timeline

Developed by Ohio
Division of Wildlife.
See also Life History
notes on various
species at
www.wildohio.com
Classroom
presentation
available from
outdoor.education@d
nr.state.oh.us

Poster on Ohios
Wildlife History Now
Available!!

History of Wildlife Management

Project WILD

Define wildlife
management

Describe major
trends in wildlife
management
philosophies and
practices

Good Oak
Leopold Education Project

Relate a trees annual growth

rings to environmental conditions
and historical events at
the time of their growth.
www.lep.org

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
People in Societies

The Native Way

Project Learning Tree

Traditional Native American

cultures, lifestyles and their use of
natural resources and the land
Compare to contemporary
attitudes and lifestyles
Compare fictional and actual
version of Chief Seattles words

Wildlife in National Symbols

Project WILD

Identify wildlife
used in national
symbols

Hypothesize
reasons wildlife
are used in
national symbols

Prairie Memoirs
Project WILD

Interpret different
cultural viewpoints

Describe how wildlife

and habitat affect
cultures & societies

Evaluate cultural
factors leading to
endangerment of
species

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
Geography

Geography
using migratory
birds and butterflies

Journey North
www.learner.org/jnorth/current.html
Monarch Watch
www.monarchwatch.org
Back from the Argentine Leopold
Education Project, www.lep.org

Using Phenology to Teach

Geography and Economics

GLOBE program: How spring moves up

the country using temperature
changes, www.globe.gov
How Ohio farmers and horticulturists
track growing degree days (GDD): Link
to Ohio State University-Ohio
Agricultural Research and Development
Center
www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/centernet/s
tations/cohome.htm

How Well Do You Know

the Great Lakes?
ES-EAGLS

Develop a perception of
the differences between
the Great Lakes in:

Water volumes

Length of shoreline

Human population
distribution

Amount of fish
harvested

There is No Point
to This Pollution
Healthy Water, Healthy People

Students analyze data and

interpret a topographic
map,
to solve a mystery
about
which possible
sources
might be causing
the
pollution of a lake.

Life and Death Situation

Healthy Water, Healthy People
Study the diversity
and global locations
of waterborne
diseases and the
role of epidemiology
in disease control
Students search for
others who have
been infected with
the same
waterborne illness
as they have.

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
Economics

Cookie Mining

Introduction to economics of mining.

Students buy property, purchase
mining equipment, pay for mining
operations, pay for mine land
reclamation, and receive money for the
ore (chocolate chips) mined.
www.womeninmining.org/cookie1.htm

Energy Trade-offs
University of Northern Iowa

Global
Connections
theme

Focus on world
trade with
emphasis on
energy resources

What is the Most Economical

Form of Transportation?
ES-EAGLS

Production,
Distribution, and
Consumption
theme

Compare various
forms of
transportation in
terms of their
cost and speed

Resource Depletion
www.womeninmining.org

Elementary students
learn how some
natural resources are
nonrenewable,
and
how
conservation
methods can extend
our
nonrenewable
resources.

Weighing the Options: A Look at

Tradeoffs
Project Learning Tree

Cost-Benefit
Analysis of
protecting
endangered species
Ethical
considerations

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
Government

The Law: Before and After

Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Students analyze
the social,
political, and
economic
influences that
led to enactment
of the
Endangered
Species Act

Presidential Prerogatives
Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Students explore the
role of the President in
creating and
implementing
environmental policy
to protect wildlife,
comparing President
Theodore Roosevelt to
the current
administration

Testing the Law: TVA v. Hill

Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Students analyze
the history of the
Supreme Court
snail darter case
to explore the
role of the
judiciary.

Water Court
Project WET

Students participate
a mock court to settle
quality and quantity
Demonstrates how disputes
can be settled through
mediation or litigation.
Evaluate arguments
presented by opposing
sides
(Middle and high school)

water
disputes.

in

Setting the Standards

Healthy Water, Healthy People

Students simulate the process used by

the US Environmental Protection
Agency to determine drinking water
standards
Includes a risk assessment, exposure
assessment, dose-response
assessment, and risk characterization
(Middle and High School)

Planning for People and

Wildlife
Project WILD

Describe issues in
land-use planning
for cities

Identify how
negative effects on
wildlife can be
reduced

Describe actions
that can be taken

Beyond Brockovich

Case studies of drinking water contamination

show different standards of proof in science,
criminal law, and civil law
What happens when science cant give a
definitive answer and the legal system must
resolve a case about a cancer cluster
Request teaching resource list from Ohio EPA
Office of Environmental Education

Sea Turtles International

Aquatic Project WILD

Different countries
philosophies on
wildlife ownership
and habitat
management
International
agreements and
organizations that
manage species that
cross international
borders

When a Whale Is Right

Aquatic Project WILD

Status of whales
International
alliances that
affect wildlife
How wildlife can
affect
relationships
between and
among nations

There Ought To Be A Law!

Ohio State Bar Association annual

essay contest for grades 7-12
Essays might cover topics such as the
need for a law to regulate the adverse
impact of some technology on the
environment, or the depletion of
natural resources
www.ohiobar.org/pub/?articleid=112

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
Citizen Rights and
Responsibilities

Whats Their Difference?

Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife

Students analyze
differences in
wildlife and
environmental
policy between
and within the
major political
parties in the
United States.

Is There a Feather in My Cap?

Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Students investigate
the origins, history,
current policies,
membership data,
and sources of
support for several
environmental
organizations.

Legal Eagles
Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Students
investigate local
laws and zoning
regulations that
may apply to
their service
project in the
community.

Citizen Rights and

Responsibilities

Environmental Heroes and Heroines

instructional unit in earth values and
ethics from EE Association of Illinois
Contrasts seven different
environmental ethics, including
Leopolds Land Ethic, Deep Ecology,
Eco-Feminism, Animal Welfare, and
Wise Use
Investigate views of people like
Audubon, Thoreau, Rachel Carson,
Chief Seattle, Lois Gibbs, Diane Fossey

Water Bill of Rights

Project WET

Students create a document to

guarantee the right to clean and
sustainable water resources
(Middle and High
School)

Smoky Gold
Leopold Education
Project

Students read about a hunting

experience Leopold had with his dog,
compare and contrast tamarack with
coniferous and deciduous trees, and
debate the issue of hunting
Compare Leopolds Land Ethic to other
environmental ethics

Waters Going On?

Aquatic Project WILD

Record and
interpret daily
water
consumption

Recommend
how to conserve
water

Control of Purple Loosestrife

Earth Systems Education Ohio Sea
Grant

Individuals,
Groups, and
Institutions theme

Introduce students
to invasive species
and their impacts

Use PrOACT model

of decision making
to evaluate purple
loosestrife control
methods

Sample Lessons and

Activities using the
Environment in Social
Studies:
Social Studies Skills and
Methods

A Snapshot in Time

Healthy Water, Healthy People

Students use topographic

maps to explore the
concept
of watershed
Students evaluate water
quality
data sets collected
at one
place versus a
series
collected over time
Students graph watershed
data,
and analyze trends in
water
quality

Watered-Down
History
Aquatic
Project WILD

Investigate the
history of a chosen
waterway through
research methods,
a taped personal
interview, and
public records
Analyze causeand-effect
relationships
between events
affecting the
waterway

Meeting Ohio Academic

Content Standards in
Technology Education
along with Social
Studies

A Tangled Web: Conducting

Internet Research
Healthy Water, Healthy People

Students practice
using the Internet
and evaluating Web
sites in order to
gather local
information about
water quality.

Net Gain, Net Effect

Aquatic Project WILD

Students conduct
a simulation to
explore the
evolution of
fishing and the
effects of
changing
technology on
fish populations

For More Information and Ideas

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/educate/default/tabid/3479/Default.aspx

For More Information and Ideas

Healthy Water, Healthy

People Water Quality
Educators Guide
www.healthywater.org

Order at a discount from Ohio EPA

Office of Environmental Education
www.epa.state.oh.us/oeef/

For More Information and Ideas

Project WILD K-12

Curriculum & Activity
Guide

Aquatic Project WILD K12 Curriculum & Activity

Guide

www.wildohio.com Click
on Wild Resources, click
on Educator Resources
or email:
outdoor.education@dnr.s
tate.oh.us

For More Information and Ideas

Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife
Jen Dennison
Wildlife Education
Coordinator
ODNR Division of
Wildlife
2045 Morse Rd.
Columbus, OH 43229
1-800-WILDLIFE
614-265-6316
outdoor.education@dnr.s
tate.oh.us

For More Information and Ideas

www.plt.org and

www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/education/pltworkshops/tab
id/5119/Default.aspx

For More Information and Ideas

www.lep.org

For More Information and Ideas

Earth Systems Education Activities for

Great Lakes Schools (Ohio Sea Grant)

The Ohio State University Earth Systems

Education (
http://earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu/decision )

University of Northern Iowa Energy

Education Curriculum Project (http://
www.earth.uni.edu/EECP/)

For More Information and Ideas

Environmental Education
Council of Ohio
www.eeco-online.org
Office of Environmental
Education
www.epa.state.oh.us/oeef

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