High School Environmental Science Curriculum Map: A Free Scope & Sequence to Plan Your Year

Developing a high school environmental science curriculum is tricky, because you can go in so many directions. It’s possible to spend an entire school year on ecology concepts or conservation or water pollution and preservation. At my high school, environmental science is an 11th grade elective choice - it isn’t an AP option and doesn’t have any testing attached, so I have a fair amount of freedom when structuring my curriculum. I’ve rotated through a few different science classes in my years of teaching (the blessing and curse of the science teacher at a small public high school), but I just finished up my third round of teaching 11th grade environmental science and I’ve tweaked my scope and sequence to a place I’m really satisfied with. You can grab my scope and sequence for free at the end of this blog post!

With all this choice, how do you go about paring down “environmental science” into a 36-week long curriculum? There’s honestly no wrong answer, but I think it’s important to touch on a few major themes in environmental science instead of focusing too closely on area. I create 4 larger units that are loosely grouped under a common theme.

So How Do I Structure My Environmental Science Curriculum?

Each quarter, we work through a mega-unit or theme that all of the quarter’s units fit into. Every theme is anchored by the same idea that humans have great impact on the environment, and that we should work towards becoming better stewards for the environment. This is how my quarters are currently structured.

Quarter 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

I call my first quarter of the year “Introduction to Environmental Science” because I touch on tons of topics that put the rest of the year into context. We start off by defining environmental science and discuss the benefits of studying of environmental science. We compare and contrast environmental science and environmentalism. We define ecological footprint and investigate our ecological footprint, then we discuss the difference in ecological footprints in developed and developing countries. We talk about the tragedy of the commons, and discuss how human behavior impacts the environment in the context of greenhouse gases and use of renewable and nonrenewable resources. We finish this quarter by watching Before the Flood, a documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio that explores the urgency of climate change on our planet, and then students research and write an opinion paper on the possible implementation of a carbon tax.

Quarter 2: Principles of Evolution and Ecology

In quarter 2, I split our time between evolution and ecology, as they tie nicely together. We define biotic and abiotic factors, and discuss how both impact various ecosystems. We discuss population size, survivorship curves, limiting factors, and carrying capacities. We use climagraphs to differentiate between different biomes, and students complete a biome research project. We start off our evolution section with a discussion on variation and adaptations, and then we define natural selection. We cover speciation, evolution, and evidence for evolution before watching March of the Penguin and discussing the elements of evolution and ecology present in the penguin’s journey to reproduction and survival.

Quarter 3: Water Pollution and Preservation

We spend an entire quarter on water pollution and preservation, and students LOVE it. This unit is probably the most tangible for students, and the one they are most passionate about. We talk about how water is used, water quality, water pollution, and how humans impact the water quality. This unit has some of the most engaging labs that students perform all year, and it’s really cool to see students so pumped up about environmental science. We finish this unit with a viewing of the documentary Chasing Coral and a Socratic Seminar to discuss the film.

Quarter 4: Human Health, Impact, Hazards, and Sustainability

In quarter 4, we discuss not only how humans impact the environment, but how the environment impacts humans. We look at human population trends and analyze population periods. We investigate environmental health hazards, and discuss which are naturally occurring and which are human-made. We discuss toxins, methods of clearing toxins, and how humans have increased toxins and pollutants into the environment. Our final unit of the year includes sprawl, land use, and urbanization, and students finish the year with a project on designing a sustainable city.

If you need a framework for structuring your environmental science course, then this freebie is for you! Click here to download a copy of my tried and true environmental science scope & sequence to make your planning simpler. Have a great year in environmental science!