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Anthropocene: Human Impact on the Environment

Provided by: BioInteractive |Published on: April 19, 2021

Lesson Plans Grades 9-12, ap-college

Synopsis

In this interactive lesson, students discover the evidence for a new epoch and will see the connections between human activities and their impacts on the environment and the fossil record.
The interactive activity includes graphs and images for a variety of human activities like population growth, pollution, agriculture, mining, deforestation, and water use.

Subjects: Social Studies, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: BioInteractive

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

The student handout guides students through the module and can be used digitally or printed.
Students have the chance to practice analyzing and interpreting data throughout the activity.

Additional Prerequisites

The module can be done online or downloaded as an application (Mac and PC only).
There is alignment with AP and IB biology and environmental science courses.
The educator guide includes teaching tips, discussion suggestions, and additional background information.

Differentiation

Teachers can lead class discussions on the impacts included in the model using the discussion points.
Teachers can modify the handout to match the ability level of their students.
The last task on the worksheet is for students to make recommendations to reduce human impacts. Teachers can expand on this by having students conduct research on solutions and present their recommendations to the class.
Other resources about the Anthropocene include this lesson by Big History, this video by Crash Course, and this TED-Ed video.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format