In this video adapted from Earth Island Institute, meet a high school student who educated her community about how a coal-burning power plant was contributing to asthma and other health problems there.

In this problem-based learning activity, students are asked to research and make recommendations that balance the benefits of a healthy forest with the economic needs of the people who log it. Students use NIH Image software to analyze satellite imagery from Landsat. This activity is from Exploring the Environment.

Throughout history, as the concepts of empire and nation-states took hold, individual countries secured their borders and tried to keep unwanted migrants out. As we enter the 21st century Anwarul K. Chowdhury, an Under-Secretary of the United Nations, says, 'The first step towards examining the road to peace should start with an appreciation of the changing nature of conflicts. Gone are days of war between states for conquest, extension of spheres of influence in the name of ideology ... Today's wars are about settling border disputes....' In these lessons students confront that issue. Students begin by discussing why people cross borders and the rights people have when they enter another country. Students will discover the factors that determine the location of borders through the examination of maps, cartoons, and primary source documents. After completing this introductory activity, students will analyze a chart comparing the economic situation in the neighboring countries of Zimbabwe and Botswana, and predict what economic problems each country has. They will then view segments of the WIDE ANGLE film 'Border Jumpers' (2005) to understand why these economic problems exist, develop further arguments for those streaming into Botswana from Zimbabwe and for those in Botswana itself, and compare them to their own predictions. As a culminating activity, students will work in groups to develop a presentation for a simulation of the 17th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Their presentations will be shared with their classmates, and, if desired, sent to the United Nations.

This is the final project/presentation for undergraduate students in a relatively small introductory geoscience class where most (but not all) students are taking the class to satisfy their lab science requirement. Students are asked to create their own geological teaching demonstration and/or activity geared to high school or college geoscience classes which allows students to deepen their knowledge in a particular area of their interest. The style of the assignment is similar to the labs in the course where the students participation is "requested" in a (fictional) letter of request and they must respond appropriately with a letter of reply as well as completion of the specific assignment (which, in this case, includes the activity/demonstration, Teacher's Notes, Supply List, Geological Background, and Peer Evaluations). In addition to creating this demonstration/activity and write-up, the students much also trial and present their demonstration/activity to the rest of the class, the instructor, and a visiting K-12 environmental scientist in a conference-style session (name-tags and program provided) for evaluation.

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Students participate in a JiTT activity to read the front pages of two target language newspapers and to report the content to their classmates in the target language. When this exercise is done on a regular basis, it can result in increasing vocabulary and speech fluency.

The concept of globalization fosters the understanding of the interconnectedness of cultures and societies geographically wide apart; America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Subject scans existing debates over globalization around the world. This course explores how globalization impacts everyday life in the First and Third World; how globalization leads to a common cosmopolitan culture; the emergence of a global youth culture; and religious, social, and political movements that challenge globalization. Materials examined include pop music, advertisements, film posters, and political cartoons.

In this activity, students create two- and three-dimensional maps by using a data grid of an imaginary section of Earth's surface. They are challenged to create six different maps of various surface features and answer questions about them.

The Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, is the centerpiece of our nation's story. It looms large, not merely because of its brutality and scope but because of its place in the course of American history. The seeds of war were planted long before 1861 and the conflict remains part of our national memory. Geography has helped shape this narrative. The physical landscape influenced economic differences between the regions, the desire to expand into new territories, the execution of the conflict both in the field and on the home front, and the ways in which our recollections have been shaped. Maps enable us to present the complex strands that, when woven together, provide a detailed account of the causes and conduct of the war. These visual images remain a salient aspect of our memory. Photographs, prints, diaries, songs and letters enhance our ability to tell this story, when our nation, as a Currier & Ives cartoon depicts, was about to be "Torn in Two." This exhibition tells the story of the American Civil War both nationally and locally in Boston, Massachusetts, through maps, documents, letters, and other primary sources. This exhibition was developed by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, a nonprofit organization established as a partnership between the Boston Public Library and philanthropist Norman Leventhal.

Tour the World Club
By: Joy Karges Copyright 2019 by Joy Karges under Creative Commons Non-Commercial License. Individuals and organizations may copy, reproduce, distribute, and perform this work and alter or remix this work for non-commercial purposes only.

Abstract
This Tour the World club gives students the opportunity to interact with the world, other cultures, and people groups. Through six or seven different countries and many hands-on activities, students will learn what it means to keep an open mind, they will develop a curiosity for the world, and they will be encouraged to prioritize learning and asking questions over giving judgments when faced with something new.

NEBRASKA HONORS PROGRAM CLC EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITY CLUBS INFORMATION SHEET:
Name of Club: Tour the World

Age/Grade Level: 9-10 yr./3rd & 4th Grade

Number of Attendees: (ideal number: 10)

Goal of the Club: (learning objectives/outcomes) Learn what it means to keep an open mind, foster curiosity for the world, and encourage questions over judgements when faced with something new.

Resources: (Information for club provided by) Several international students at my university: Yassine, Laetitia, Evode, Ruth, and Rebecca, as well as some online resources.

Content Areas: (check all that apply)

☐ Arts (Visual, Music, Theater &Performance)
☐ Literacy
☐ STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering &Math)
☒ Social Studies
☐ Wellness (Physical Education, Health, Nutrition &Character Education)
Outputs or final products: (Does the club have a final product/project to showcase to community?) A completed “passport” with their favorite things about each country we visit, as well as several other take-home crafts.

Introducing your Club/Activities: This Tour the World Club gives students the opportunity to interact with the world, other cultures, and people groups.

General Directions: Think of 6-7 countries you are interested in and research more about their cultural aspects; food, holidays, flag, geographic location, language, sports, etc. Integrate hands-on activities to help students connect to a few of these aspects.

Tips/Tricks: Don’t try to teach too many cultural aspects, pick two or three and go more in depth. Make everything as interactive as possible.

Students will create a panorama drawing of their own landscape.  They will include landmarks and cardinal directions in their drawings, and use their drawings to plot the movement of the sun in the sky over the course of a day. They may make their observations in one day, or over a period of days or weeks. Once students have created their own panoramas, they will look at panoramas taken in the North and South Poles and compare similarities and differences. They will then explore the “Sun Path Simulator” online. Before beginning these lessons, students should already know: 1) How to find the four, cardinal directions, and 2) That the Earth rotates on its axis, and revolves around the sun. 3) How to tell time.  This unit pairs nicely with the Mystery Science Unit, Spinning Sky. Where indicated, worksheets and videos for lessons can be found on their website. Links to all other worksheets for the entire unit are in the “Overview” Section of my slideshow. Each day’s lesson comes with a worksheet to focus the students and to show evidence of student learning.

This is a collection of 50 books written in the 19th century that offer travelers' impressions of various parts of the U.S. or western territories.

In this problem-based learning activity, students will examine opposing views on the Amazon Rainforest and will take a position on land-use and species conservation in one of the last areas of biodiversity on Earth. This activity is part of Exploring the Environment.

The Ocean Wise Howe Sound Education Kit Is available in multiple grade editions, all in French and English and include both a student work book and teacher accompanying guidebook. Each kit features several lessons on the unique UNESCO heritage site of the Howe Sound environment.

Átl’ḵa7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/ Howe Sound is a coastal fjord ecosystem in the Salish Sea. It is a vital area to First Nation communities, providing natural resources that allowed Indigenous peoples to thrive for generations before colonization. Following colonization and years of destructive human activity, such as industrial and coastal development, efforts are currently underway by government, industry groups, and local communities to transition the Sound’s marine ecosystem from crisis to recovery. Indigenous communities, in particular, are working hard to restore life and traditional practices for generations to come.

Using Átl’ḵa7tsem/ Txwnéwu7ts/ Howe Sound as a case study, students can recognize how ecosystems, species, human impact, and climate change are interconnected. This work is essential for students to make informed decisions as the future stewards of our planet.

This lesson introduces basic map-reading skills and directional vocabulary. It orients the students to the geography of the United States in comparison to their native country. The students learn vocabulary to discuss geographic features while practicing the answers to Civics Test questions about rivers, oceans, border states, territories, and capitals. There are suggested teaching strategies for small group and whole class activities to practice the new vocabulary using U.S. wall maps and category games with file folders and sticky notes. For the Civics Test, applicants do not need to locate these places on a map, but they do need to understand their existence and be able to correctly answer questions about them. Lastly, the handout Map Directions for the Literacy Level Writing Practice helps beginners practice spelling and handwriting while using key vocabulary from the lesson. Covers civics test items 44, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94.

In this unit, students will be introduced to different data types used in the geosciences and other disciplines to understand environmental problems. The instructor will discuss the difference between qualitative and quantitative. Then, students will be given data sets related to water in Phoenix, Arizona. Students will work in groups of two to five to categorize different data sets as qualitative or quantitative and to reflect on their emotive responses to different data. The session ends with a discussion about the potential uses of these various data sets in decision-making around water in Phoenix, and uses this to foster a discussion about the ways in which different data sources lend insight into complex system problems.

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Unit 1 introduces foundational concepts in geoscience, emergency management, and political science that are critical for developing a systems thinking approach and for achieving the learning objectives in the storm module. More specifically, within Unit 1, students acquire a vocabulary related to storm systems and risk, engage in practical exercises on event probability and frequency, and complete written activities and oral presentations that reinforce these concepts, using their own community and two case studies as examples. The activities include: a pre-and post-Unit survey on natural hazard risk, an optional concept map exercise to identify associations of risk in major storms, an exercise on probability and frequency of natural hazards in general and major storms in particular, an exercise using hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) and the HVA's findings, and a synthesis assignment that requires analysis of an assigned hazard mitigation plan (HMP) and development of a proposal to improve mitigation plans.

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Students will identify and apply credible geologic and social science data sets to identify local hazards and vulnerable groups and structures, and assess risk for their community.

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This introductory lesson will build the foundation for students to progress through the remaining units by defining food security and discussing the major factors contributing to food insecurity today (climate change, population growth, economic downturns, and change in global food consumption/wealth). Tied intimately to global food security is the concept of malnutrition. In this unit, students will engage with the three subcategories of malnutrition, which will provide an important basis for understanding the variation of food security across the globe and will challenge often held assumptions that food security only comes in the form of extreme hunger. Finally, students will be introduced to the global food system and will use the case study of chocolate to describe its components. As a formative assessment, students will take a five question multiple-choice quiz on the concept of malnutrition and the major causes of global food insecurity.

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This unit introduces systems and systems thinking. The unit is easily adaptable to any course and includes an introduction of terminology, motivation for using systems thinking, and practice reading, as well as interpreting and evaluating systems diagrams. Note that an Internet connection and speakers are required to play the audio file in Part 3.

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How have mass-wasting events affected communities, and what lessons have we learned from these natural disasters that might help us mitigate future hazards? In this unit, students answer these questions by being introduced to the landscape and societal characteristics that contributed to loss of property and life during the 1970 Nevado HuascarÃn (Peru) and 2010 San Fratello (Sicily, Italy) events.

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Online-ready: This opening class discussion about landslides and societal impacts could easily be converted to an online discussion format.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)