Environmental Health Perspective (EHP), a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has a wonderful collection of science education materials designed for youth.
From their site:
“The Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) Science Education Program promotes environmental health literacy, using the scientific literature to teach students the principles of environmental health science.
EHP resources enable teachers to provide students with current and credible environmental health information. The lessons published through the EHP Science Education Program encourage students to learn about their health and their environment through cooperative hands-on and critical thinking activities and real-world examples. Students also learn their behavior can have significant effects on the environment.”
All lessons can be downloaded free of charge. Many are available in Spanish.
Current topics include:
- Air – topics related to air quality monitoring, air pollution and impact of air pollution on human health.
- Water – issues of water resources, pollution, routes of exposure, sources of pollution, health effects and policy.
- Land – land use hazards, built environments, perils of impervious surfaces.
- Climate – energy issues, environmental and human impacts of climate change, alternative fuels, disaster and emergency preparedness.
- Food – includes topics such as genetically modified and organic foods, presence of pesticides and additives in foods, obesity and food deserts.
- Health – genetic basis of disease, disease risk factors, environmental toxicants and their effects on human health.
Previous lesson topics can be found on the lesson archive page. To learn more, please visit their website.
