Humans, Enviornment and Ethics in the Anthropocene
About This Video
Grade Level: 9-12
Length: 11 minutes
Next Generation Science Standards:
HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impact of human activities on natural systems.
Video Discussion Questions
- How do you measure the value of nature and the environment?
- What can shape an individual’s ethics? What shapes your ethics?
- Why are environmental ethics an important consideration when making policy decisions?
- Are environmental ethics enough to motivate people to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change?
Classroom Activities
Science Notebook Reflections
Reflecting is part of the learning process. Encourage students to write about concepts and perceptions of what they are learning. Reflecting on topics such as climate change will help students formulate opinions about environmental issues.
Arguing from Evidence
Evidence assists policymakers in decision-making. Knowing how to interpret and develop an argument from evidence is an essential skill for conveying opinions.
- These reflective activities from Curriculum for the Bioregion encourage students to observe their surroundings and enhance their ability to perceive and communicate about their surroundings.
- The Science Learning Hub provides educators with a variety of resources when implementing ethical conversations into the classroom.
- The Environmental Ethics Curriculum provides students with scientific understanding while challenging them to form ethical opinions about how best to manage natural resources.
- Students can explore environmental ethics case studies from the Life Science Teaching Resource Community and begin developing their own opinions about environmental issues.