EDITABLE Environmental Science Projects for High School | Google Classroom

Need to cover environmental science and climate change and looking for fun lessons, projects, and activities? This packed bundle of editable Google Classroom ready resources will help ensure students are learning—it includes 6 related resources (research packets, projects, and activities) that will engage students, get them thinking more critically about their environment & exercise those creative muscles!

Allow 4-6 weeks for completion. These flexible resources also work well for flipped classrooms, homeschooling, and as emergency sub plans.

✏️ Once purchased, you will get copies of each resource below added to your Google Drive. For each resource, the student packet or handouts are in both PDF format (printable) and Google Docs (editable). Looking for PDFs only? Click here.

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More about what’s included...

• A biome research project where students sign up for one of 24 possible biomes (a Google Doc sign-up sheet is included where you can add your local biome as well). Students follow the packet's instructions to create a 15-slide presentation on a biome. Slides include research on the following topics: biodiversity, food webs (trophic levels), critical abiotic factors in the ecosystem, examples of symbiotic relationships, and the impacts of a changing climate. (A great project to start with because it builds on middle school science knowledge.)

• An online research project designed for distance learning inspired by the wisdom of Dr. Seuss! Students will first watch the 25-minute original Lorax (1972) online while answering comprehension/analysis questions. Then, they will pick their favorite, relevant environmental topics (all themes explored by The Lorax) from a menu with 14 options to complete an online research project. (I love using this one to introduce topics in environmental science.)

• An independent, online work packet where students explore toxic chemicals encountered in everyday life, including ones in personal products that they routinely use. This packet includes a video guide for a relevant TED talk, a link to an online reading with questions, and a webquest (where they research their own personal products) as well as an assessment. (These activities really brought home the idea of toxins for my students, making it much more personal.)

• A work/research packet to introduce climate change that was intentionally designed for engaging online learning so students can grasp the "big ideas" when it comes to understanding and caring about climate change. It introduces the following topics using video guides, an online simulation game, and readings: the greenhouse effect & greenhouse gases, humans' role in climate change, the disruption of ecosystems (extinction) due to climate change, the psychology behind climate change denial as well as inspiring calls to action (from teens such as Greta Thunberg).

• Want to bring the concept of an ecological footprint alive? Let students calculate their own ecological footprint (as well as carbon footprint) using a fun, tech-based activity! This will personalize the concept of an ecological/ carbon footprint for students. This helped my students grasp a notion that is critical to understanding climate change in a meaningful way.

• A work/research packet on climate change mitigation that builds understanding progressively using video guides, online interactive activities, readings and includes an assessment where students profile the climate change data in a slideshow and pick their favorite mitigation strategy. This resource allows students to explore the following topics: the carbon cycle, data models for climate change, renewable energy, and other climate change mitigation strategies (such as altered diets and recent news about the amazingly valuable role of whales as carbon sinks!).

All resources include teacher detailed keys for student comprehension and analysis questions as well as either project rubrics or simple scoring guides for assessments.

BONUS: I've also added my favorite climate change documentary film guide (Before the Flood by National Geographic, 2016) to this bundle as a bonus file (it's added at no extra cost). My students LOVED this movie; my climate change unit would not be complete without it! Use this movie guide in the classroom (or for distance learning if the film is available via streaming or online). This bonus contains a 2-page student guide and teacher key (PDFs).

I've also attached a free resource (for PBS' Poisoned Water which is available online) in case you haven't grabbed it yet! ;)

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Related Resources

Biology Projects for the Year

★ Clean Drinking Water Unit with Project (Teach for Justice)

Dark Waters Movie Guide

End-of-the-Year Virus Project

FREE Dihybrid Cross How-To and Practice

FREE Editable Online Weekly Lesson Organizer for Students

Film Guide for PBS’ Poisoned Water

Science Bitmoji Classroom Templates

Rachel Carson Documentary Guide

The Mad Hatter Element Research Project

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I’m a science educator with a background in lab research, a passion for the classroom, and now, homeschooling my little scientists. Thanks for checking out my resources!

Important Terms of Use

This resource was created for single classroom use only (as a teacher, you are free to use this for your classes). Multiple licenses are available at a discount. Please do not post this resource online (with the exception of password-protected platforms granting digital access only to your students). Thank you for respecting teacher authorship!

Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Copyright 2021 by Brilliant Dust. All rights reserved by the author.