Environmental Science for Grades 6-12: A Project-Based Approach to Solving the Earth's Most Urgent Problems

Exactly what I (Paul) was looking for. Quick but thorough breakdown of environmental science, project-based learning and shares connections with SEL and student agency. Provides frequent links and QR codes for quick access to examples of the resource being discussed. Four complete examples of projects based around particular NGSSs. Very satisfied with this product and would recommend to others!

I returned this book because the very first paragraph was biased. I was looking for a nonpolitical science book. This is not it.

Not what we expected at all

James Fester and Jorge Valenzuela have accomplished something truly impressive in Environmental Science for Grades 6-12: A Project-Based Approach to Solving the World's Most Urgent Problems. They have translated their accumulation of experience and excellence as educators into an Environmental Sciences (ES) resource that is both accessible and challenging to anyone in our profession.Jorge and James have organized their book into three critical nodes that can be thoroughly unpacked independently or powerfully leveraged sequentially:Part 1: Background on PBL, NGSS, and ISTE Standards Alignment. Jorge and James clearly introduce and crosswalk terminology with the clinical precision that one might expect from scientist educators. However, this section doesn't read like a technical manual or bureaucratic tome. By weaving details of their learning journeys and the influences of incredible teachers, they reveal a precise, clean working vocabulary that sits within the context of community and artisanship. I came away inspired by how common language frameworks from multiple organizations can be powerfully operationalized by enabled educators and teams.Part 2. Environmental Science Projects. Chock full of dynamic and achievable exemplars, James and Jorge share a kaleidoscope of curriculum, assessment pedagogical vignettes of purposeful, applied ES learning experiences. While many education publications don't skimp on 'practical' resources for readers, James and Jorge apply a ridiculously high bar for the quality of content they have curated in their Ecosystems, Human Impact, Sustainability, and Climate Change chapters in this section. The range and diversity of teacher- and student-friendly artifacts are masterfully differentiated.Part 3. Implication for Future Work and Additional Considerations. This section really stretched my thinking around what teaching, learning, and community have the potential to become. Jorge and James apply the critical dimension of learning modality to their robust exploration of ES pedagogy and content. While I wish this section carried more actionable resources, their Chapters challenge individuals and teams to carry local visions beyond their classrooms and schools. An intrepid rally cry dominates the culmination of their book.As an education leader who serves communities across the United States and Canada, I enthusiastically endorse Environmental Science for Grades 6-12: A Project-Based Approach to Solving the World's Most Urgent Problems. James Fester and Jorge Valenzuela have contributed an important resource for science educators specifically and our entire profession.

Are you a teacher that cares about the earth and the environment? (you should!) Not sure how to make it a part of your classroom? Fester and Valenzuela have provided a practical guide for using project based learning to teach Environmental Science (ES) in the secondary classroom. This book is chock full of project examples along with QR codes and bitly links to online resources for teachers to customize PBL for any science classroom and beyond. I appreciate how they tied ES to ELA, math, and social studies content also. They clearly demonstrate how the ES projects can be tied to NGSS and CCSS for ELA and math. This book is great for generating ES project ideas for any secondary educator.Another important aspect of this book is that social emotional learning (SEL) and equity are baked into the process. We know that these are vital aspects of modern education and they demonstrate useful ways to address them in the PBL framework. This book will help you guide your students to explore ES in an engaging way while challenging them to make a difference in their communities and the world.

A colleague had seen this book at a conference and suggested it to me. My original thought was just another watered down PBL book, but I was quickly proven wrong. A perfect blend of three very important things to me: PBL, Environmental Science and ISTE Standards. What a perfect blend of project based learning using one of the most important subjects of our time, and completely aligned to NGSS and ISTE standards. The projects are rigorous, use real world data, and are relevant to our time and students. The QR codes lead directly to activities you can use in your classroom today. I HIGHLY suggest this book to any teachers in the sciences or anyone looking to see how to design real world projects.

James Fester and Jorge Valenzuela have successfully pulled together key components of Project-Based Learning, Standards-Based Planning and SEL with this collection of examples, resources and student work! I can’t think of a better way to engage all learners with real problems that require real solutions! Every middle and high school teacher would benefit from reading this to see what it looks like when we put our learners in the center of the content!