LESSON PLAN CATALOG

This curriculum was originally created as part of Duke University’s Health & Environmental Scholars Program for 9th-12th grade students in Durham Public Schools. The lesson plans available here have been adapted to to be applicable for high school students in a wider range of contexts, including traditional classroom settings, informal education environments, and beyond!

In this lesson, students will learn the importance of data collection in analyzing environmental trends and how to conduct fauna surveys. They will identify local herpetofauna, learn about their interactions within ecosystems, and explore how human activity influences forest dynamics. Additionally, students will examine how their local forests may have changed over time.

In this lesson, students will explore the role public gardens play in conserving plants, protecting pollinators, and connecting people to nature and history. Students will gain an understanding of habitat restoration processes and examine interactions bewteen plant and animal species.

In this lesson, students will study water quality and watershed dynamics to build a deeper understanding of the health of local ecosystems. Through this activity, students will be able to see how reclamation ponds are important for maintaining the health of drinking water for residents.

In this lesson, students will learn about different components of plastic pollution, including where plastic pollution comes from, techniques for assessing local plastic pollution, and potential solutions to plastic pollution problems. Students will perform a plastic clean-up and analyze data based on the plastic they find, learning about the scientific method and data analysis along the way.

In this lesson, Students will explore ways that invasive species are introduced and managed. Invasive species can cause damage to ecosystems by outcompeting native species. Students will engage in an invasive species cleanup and brainstorm solutions for invasive species challenges.

In this lesson, students will explore various types of renewable energy sources. They will understand how they work, their advantages and disadvantages, and their role in building a more sustainable and resilient energy system.

In this lesson, students will explore common lab techniques through a hands-on group competition. Students will practice teamwork, explore lab protocols, and gain an understanding of the day-to-day activities of a research lab.

In this lesson, students will learn about the vital role zoos play in conservation and explore careers that contribute to protecting wildlife and the environment. They will better understand factors that drive endangerment, including human activity, and the interconnectivity of wildlife conservation and environmental health. Additionally, students will discover various scientific methods used to monitor and protect endangered species.

In this lesson, students will explore the connection between climate change and extreme weather events. Communities across the U.S. (and around the world) are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters including wildfires, flooding, droughts, storms, and extreme heat.

In this lesson, students will explore the principles of environmental justice (EJ), including the idea that all people have a right to a healthy environment and a voice in decisions that affect their community. Students will also learn how environmental issues disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and why these disparities exist.

In this lesson, students will learn about the health of their local water sources and drinking water sources by conducting their own research. They will also learn about the impacts of water quality on human health outcomes and explore possible solutions to improve the health of their local water sources.

In this lesson, students will explore the connection between soil health and food systems by analyzing local soil data, using the Web Soil Survey, and creating a word web to map how soil management practices affect environmental health.

A Hack-a-thon provides students with an opportunity to put their knowledge from any combination of lessons into action in an applied final project. Using concepts from previous lessons, students will identify an environmental problem and propose a creative, actionable solution to address it.