6.7e Environmental Issues and Action Skill Development Modules

The authors of this curriculum project have developed teaching materials designed to help middle and junior high school students become environmentally literate. Their concept of literacy involves the development of environmental knowledge for the sake of helping students take action on enviromental problems. The project has developed a series of modules (packaged as a single book, with a teacher's edition) based on an environmental philosophy and four literacy components. The environmental philosophy is expressed in this "key statement":

The environmentally literate citizen is able and willing to attempt to make enviornmental decisions which are consistent with both a substantial quality of human life and an equally substantial quality of the environment. Further, this individual is motivated to act on these decisions either individually or collectively.

The four literacy components include ecological foundations, awareness of issues and human values, investigation and evaluation of issues and solutions, and citizenship action.

The six modules that make up the program taken as a whole teach the student the concepts, issues and skills needed to take environmental action. The themes for each of the modules are as follows:

Module I Environmental Problem Solving

Module II Getting Started on Issue Investigation

Module III Using Surveys, Questionnaires, and Opinionnaires in Environmental Investigations

Module IV Interpreting Data from Investigations

Module V Investigating an Environmental Issue

Module VI Environmental Action Strategies

Materals Availability