Learn about one of the biggest impacts that humans have on their environment—Litter. It isn’t just an aesthetic problem; it has serious impacts on habitats, wildlife health, as well as human health and safety. The consequences of even small acts of littering can be far-reaching and long-lasting. Join the Wildlife Center staff and watershed conservation authorities to learn more about the problems litter can pose, as well as a variety of ways that you can help reduce litter.

LAND AND PEOPLE : FINDING A BALANCE

Land and People: Finding a Balance is an environmental study project that engages high school students in studying earth science resource issues. The project focuses on the interaction between people and the environment in three regions of the United States:
Cape Cod
Los Angeles
the Florida Everglades.

Students use a Focus Question to guide their reading of the attached materials. Each Activity clearly describes what students will need to complete the Activity, explains the procedure, and in some cases, suggests extension activities.

Each section has Activities that are suggested to be done with the particular unit. The recommended lesson plan for this activity is attached.

LAND AND PEOPLE : FINDING A BALANCE

Land and People: Finding a Balance is an environmental study project that engages high school students in studyingearth science resource issues. The project focuses on the interaction between people and the environment in three regions of the United States: Cape Cod
Los Angeles
the Florida Everglades.

Students use a Focus Question to answer and also provide them with several types of information they should use to answer the questions. Each Activity clearlydescribes what students will need to complete the Activity, explains the procedure, and in some cases, suggests extension activities.

Lesson Options
-Study sections in any order
-Complete all three sections or just one
-Read the entire set of student materials for a region then complete all or selected activities.

Requirements
-Each student will need a copy of the student materials. Student worksheets are designed to be photocopied clearly and easily.
-Students will also need copies of the maps and other data that accompany the activities in the teacher materials.

Video Description:  Have you ever wondered where food comes from? Learn how Dr. Catherine Nakalembe uses NASA satellite data to show the health and location of crops around Our World. Maps created from these data help people become more food secure. You can help, too. Using the GLOBE Observer App, you can help scientists validate satellite data by describing land covering through the Adopt a Pixel program.  Video Length:  5:23.    NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Our World videos (grades 3-5) help students understand the differences between science (the natural world) and engineering (the designed world).  These video segments supplement elementary learning objectives not only in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but also in reading, writing, visual and performing arts. 

Video Description:  What are citizen scientists? Why is their work so important to NASA? Join Dr. Michelle Thaller as she explains how the general public, using scientific protocols, careful observations and accurate measurements, can help NASA make exciting new discoveries. Find out how you can be a citizen scientist today.  Video Length:  4:26.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

Video Description:  Our Earth is a dynamic system with diverse subsystems that interact in complex ways.What are those subsystems and how do they interact?How are these subsystems and the global Earth system changing?What causes these changes?How does NASA monitor these changes?How can Earth system science provide societal benefit?Jessica Taylor, an atmospheric scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, and Dr. Steven Pawson, an Earth scientist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, help answer these questions and demonstrate how mathematical modeling helps scientists in their predictions of climate, weather, and natural hazards.  Video Length:  5:02.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

Video Description:  Balancing Earth's incoming and outgoing energy is like balancing an equation. When both are equal, Earth's energy is in balance. Learn more about how changes in this balance may impact Earth.  Video Length:  2:56.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

Video Description:  Earth's energy balance is very delicate. Small changes may have a big impact. How might changes in Earth's land and atmosphere impact this delicate balance? How might this knowledge be used to help us take better care of Earth?  Video Length:  2:31.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

NASA eClips Real World:  Food Security -- Monitoring Crops from SpaceVideo Description:  Discover how NASA's Earth-observing satellites gather data to monitor food growth. Dr. Inbal Becker-Reshef describes how mathematics is used to interpret satellite data and describe vegetation and crop yield. Dr. Hannah Kerner shares how algorithms and models use NASA data to describe and predict food supply and food shortages. This work through NASA Harvest provides tools for farmers and governments to describe and predict food security worldwide. Video Length:  5:25.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

 NASA eClips Real World:  The Carbon Cycle - Essential for Life on EarthVideo Description:  Carbon is an essential building block for life. Learning how carbon is converted through slow- and fast-moving cycles helps us understand how this life-sustaining element moves through the environment. Discover how NASA measures carbon through both field work and satellite imagery keeping watch through its eyes on the sky, on Earth, and in space.  This video won and Emmy Award in 2020.  Video Length:  5:43.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.  

This lesson takes students through the examination of the poem Remember and its use of figurative language to set the stage for considering how the physical world around us has changed in the past 50 years. Students research a specific local plant, animal, or element of weather and how it has changed over time, and then use Twine to represent their research in a digital story. This lesson culminates with the discussion of whether or not we are doing a good job of listening to Virginia’s natural elements over the past 50 years. This lesson was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC).