Teaching materials & tools

Browse our collection of activities, facts & background readings, and products. Limit your search to your grade level or subject of interest.

Materials list

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A Woman's Place A reading and discussion illustrate how the status of women around the world is closely linked to fertility rates.

A Woman's Place

A reading and discussion illustrate how the status of women around the world is closely linked to fertility rates.

A World of Difference Through a simulation, students compare biodiversity in North America to a tropical rainforest.

A World of Difference

Through a simulation, students compare biodiversity in North America to a tropical rainforest.

Cougar Hunt A simulation in which participants are cougars trying to amass enough food to survive, leading to discussions of carrying capacity and resource distribution.

Cougar Hunt

A simulation in which participants are cougars trying to amass enough food to survive, leading to discussions of carrying capacity and resource distribution.

Creatures in Motion Students form a millipede and walk around the room, then discuss the cooperative challenges that they observed.

Creatures in Motion

Students form a millipede and walk around the room, then discuss the cooperative challenges that they observed.

Crowding Can Be Seedy Students experience the effects of increasing population density when they pretend to be sprouting plants in a garden.

Crowding Can Be Seedy

Students experience the effects of increasing population density when they pretend to be sprouting plants in a garden.

Earth: Apple of our Eye? A demonstration of worldwide land distribution -- the instructor slices an apple to represent land used for farming.

Earth: Apple of our Eye?

A demonstration of worldwide land distribution -- the instructor slices an apple to represent land used for farming.

Earth: Apple of our Eye? (Elementary) A demonstration of worldwide land distribution -- the instructor slices an apple to represent land used for farming.

Earth: Apple of our Eye? (Elementary)

A demonstration of worldwide land distribution -- the instructor slices an apple to represent land used for farming.

Eco-Ethics In groups, students explore and discuss their personal code of environmental ethics by discussing eco-dilemmas.

Eco-Ethics

In groups, students explore and discuss their personal code of environmental ethics by discussing eco-dilemmas.

Food for Thought A simulation where students populate "continents" drawn to scale in yarn on the classroom floor and discuss how people and resources are distributed worldwide.

Food for Thought

A simulation where students populate "continents" drawn to scale in yarn on the classroom floor and discuss how people and resources are distributed worldwide.

Go Fish! Students share a bowl of goldfish crackers to simulate even and uneven consumption of limited resources.

Go Fish!

Students share a bowl of goldfish crackers to simulate even and uneven consumption of limited resources.

Living on $500 a Year Students complete a reading and other exercises to examine the lifestyles of the world's "Haves" and "Have-Nots."

Living on $500 a Year

Students complete a reading and other exercises to examine the lifestyles of the world's "Haves" and "Have-Nots."

Mining for Chocolate Using toothpicks, students extract chocolate chips from cookies, simulating mining.

Mining for Chocolate

Using toothpicks, students extract chocolate chips from cookies, simulating mining.

More or Less A concept map, based around the causal concept of "More People." Students build the word web, and discuss interconnections.

More or Less

A concept map, based around the causal concept of "More People." Students build the word web, and discuss interconnections.

Pop Quiz A pre-test/post-test quiz designed to give teachers and students an overview of world and national population trends.

Pop Quiz

A pre-test/post-test quiz designed to give teachers and students an overview of world and national population trends.

Population Circle A simulation of the history of World Population Growth

Population Circle

A simulation of the history of World Population Growth

Power of the Pyramids Students construct and interpret "population pyramid" graphs for several countries.

Power of the Pyramids

Students construct and interpret "population pyramid" graphs for several countries.

Something for Everyone A simulation where students compete for natural resources in a commons, then discuss the social dilemmas that arise.

Something for Everyone

A simulation where students compete for natural resources in a commons, then discuss the social dilemmas that arise.

Stage Stepping A simulation where students model population growth over time, but change the average family size.

Stage Stepping

A simulation where students model population growth over time, but change the average family size.

Take a Stand Students clarify their values and learn about environmental topics by reacting to a series of provacative statements.

Take a Stand

Students clarify their values and learn about environmental topics by reacting to a series of provacative statements.

The More the Merrier? Participants do jumping jacks in close proximity to demonstrate the coordination necessary with high population densities.

The More the Merrier?

Participants do jumping jacks in close proximity to demonstrate the coordination necessary with high population densities.

The Pop Ecology Files Students use population graphs to identify a group of mystery species, and compare the growth curves of these species to humans.

The Pop Ecology Files

Students use population graphs to identify a group of mystery species, and compare the growth curves of these species to humans.

The Stork and the Grim Reaper The carrying capacity of a finite planet is demonstrated by two students, who use dippers to simulate the birth rate and death rate.

The Stork and the Grim Reaper

The carrying capacity of a finite planet is demonstrated by two students, who use dippers to simulate the birth rate and death rate.

Timber! A cooperative-learning simulation where students track the fate of a forest that is being used by a rapidly growing village.

Timber!

A cooperative-learning simulation where students track the fate of a forest that is being used by a rapidly growing village.

Water, Water Everywhere A demonstration of where water can be found in the world.

Water, Water Everywhere

A demonstration of where water can be found in the world.

Who Polluted the Potomac? Through an interactive story, students learn how our rivers have been affected by our growing population.

Who Polluted the Potomac?

Through an interactive story, students learn how our rivers have been affected by our growing population.

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