At Discovery Education, we believe that showcasing examples of people creating innovative ways to make a difference in their community is key to fostering student engagement in environmental education. That’s why we’ve teamed up with our partners at Honeywell, LyondellBasell, Nucor, Subaru, and the National Environmental Education Foundation to create the Environmental Education Initiative.
Our goal? To provide educators like you with innovative tools that make environmental education accessible and exciting. By integrating these resources into your curriculum, you can inspire a generation of informed innovators and solution-seekers who are engaged with their world and ready to explore the challenges and wonders of our natural environment.
Why Environmental Education Matters
Environmental education goes beyond the traditional classroom subjects; it helps students understand the interconnectedness of human and natural systems. By learning about topics such as conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable practices, students become more informed citizens who can make responsible decisions. This content fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a sense of responsibility toward the environment. Plus, it’s a topic that naturally piques students’ curiosity and passion, making learning more enjoyable and impactful.
4 Pillars of Innovation
The Environmental Education Initiative's standards-aligned learning resources focus on four fundamental aspects of environmental innovation:
1. Human: Fulfilling the needs of humanity without compromising the needs of future generations.
2. Civics: Encouraging civic engagement among all learners.
3. Economic: Building a stable economy that supports housing, health care, transportation, and employment.
4. Environmental: Preserving natural resources like clean air, water, land, and wildlife.
Comprehensive Resources for Educators and Students
We understand that integrating new content into your lesson plans can be daunting. That’s why we’ve designed our resources to be standards-aligned, user-friendly, and easily adaptable to various educational settings. Here’s a glimpse of what you can find:
Video Bundles: This growing collection of multimodal resources engages learners with real-world challenges and potential solutions. You can inspire students to learn more about making decisions that protect the environment and create thriving communities.
Ready-to-Use Activities: A variety of interactive resources for students PreK – 12 empower them to explore their curiosity around various environmental topics. These resources provide easy-to-follow instructions and are designed to spark interest and activate students’ prior knowledge.
How to Integrate These Resources
Our resources are designed to fit seamlessly into your daily lesson plans. Whether you’re teaching elementary school students or high schoolers, you can easily tailor the materials to meet your needs. For example:
- Elementary Level: Introduce basic concepts like recycling and water conservation through interactive games and storytelling.
- Middle School Level: Explore topics such as renewable energy and ecosystem dynamics with project-based assignments and virtual labs.
- High School Level: Delve into complex issues like climate change policy and sustainable development through debates, research projects, and advanced simulations.
Join Us in Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators
We are thrilled to bring these innovative resources to you and your students! Ready to get started? Visit the Environmental Education Resource Hub to access your materials. We’ll be launching more soon. Thank you for being part of this exciting journey. Let’s make a difference—one lesson at a time.
