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Links and Resources for Educators

Useful Links

There are many web-based resources out there with environmental health information aimed at educators and students. Here is a short list of the best of the best, however, to get your started exploring!

The Environmental Health Science Education page of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences web site. This page is an excellent place to start when looking for high quality and scientifically sound curricula, lessons, and professional development oppportunities. The site is updated regularly and serves as a clearing house for education resources developed by NIEHS grantees such as our Center.

Tox Town, by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This site is an awesome, interactive tool to learn about environmental health and toxic chemicals you might encounter in everyday life. You can choose to explore a town, city, US-Mexico border, farm, or port to learn about suburban, urban, rural, border, and coastal health risks. The entire site is also available in Spanish.

Environmental Health News is an excellent portal to current news stories and research results related environmental health. It is a great site to make your home page and get the latest news everyday - all from one site! Or you can choose to subscribe to the daily e-newsletter Above the Fold and have the headlines delivered directly to your inbox every morning.

Toxipedia is a smart, cutting-edge resource for all things toxicology and environmental health related. Set up as a "wiki," it strives to "present scientific information in a clear and compelling way and to empower people to make choices that protect their own health and the health of families, communities, and the environment." The site offers articles and resources about toxic chemicals, diseases, regulations, consumer products, ethical issues, the history of toxicology, and more.

TOXMAP: Environmental Health e-Maps. Also produced by the National Library of Medicine, this interactive mapping site lets you enter an address or zip code and see a map showing all the Superfund sites and industries that report releases of toxic substances in that area. The site uses data from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program and Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) to populate the maps, making them up-to-date and reliable.

ATSDR A-Z Index. Created and maintained by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), this site is a great place to start learning about specific toxic substances.

Northwest Association for Biomedical Research Teachers Pages. This site is a excellent portal into a wide range of resources related to ethics education, including events, workshops, curricula and lesson plans.

America's Children and the Environment (ACE). This section of the EPA's web site is a great place to learn about the unique challenges children and pregnant women face from environmental hazards.

For a more global perspective, the World Health Organization's Environmental Health Page is a great place to access resources such as fact sheets and multimedia presentations. These pages are also available in Spanish and several other languages.

For Washington State educators, more local information can be found at the Washington Toxics Coaltion website. This non-profit group works to protect public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution. Their site includes updates on legislative action, ways to get involved, and a blog.

Downloadable, Free Resources from the CEEH

All of the following reources have been created by the CEEH and are available to the general public for free download. If you have questions about any of the resources listed here, please contact Liz Guzy (eguzy@uw.edu, 206-660-6430).

Additional CEEH resources that might be useful in a classroom setting are available from our Community Resources page.

Title

Grades

(Format, Length) Description

File Info
Environmental Health Fact File: ASTHMA Grades 6-8 Curriculum, 198 pages. A collection of integrated lesson plans designed to introduce middle school students to the topics of asthma and environmental health. This curriculum provides EALR aligned lesson plans to teachers in a variety of subjects. At least two lessons are provided for each subject. The lessons are designed to be stand alone units, allowing teachers to mix and match lessons and present them in any order. Resource materials are also included to help school librarians who are facilitating student research projects. This Fact File is also a valuable resource for school nurses, out of school programs, and parents. Also available in Spanish. 50 pages.

View/Download the PDF (12.7 MB)

Spanish Version View/Download the PDF (1.8 MB)
Environmental Health Fact File: DIABETES Grades 6-8 Curriculum, 168 pages. A collection of integrated lesson plans designed to introduce middle school students to the topics of diabetes and environmental health. This curriculum follows the same format as the Fact File on Asthma described above, although the content is tailored to New Mexico, as it was developed by our grant partners at University of New Mexico. View/Download the PDF (3.9 MB)
Environmental Health Fact File: LEAD Grades 6-8 Curriculum, 226 pages. A collection of integrated lesson plans designed to introduce middle school students to the topic of lead and its effects on human health.This curriculum follows the same format as the Fact File on Asthma described above. Also available in Spanish. 200 pages.

View/Download the PDF (11.3 MB)

Spanish Version View/Download the PDF (2.3 MB)
Genetics & Epigenetics Grades 3-8 Poster, 8.5" by 11". A printable poster that provides a simple explanation of the difference between genetics and epigenetics. View/Download the PDF (122 KB)
The Health & Environment Activities Research Tool (HEART) Grades 6-8 Curriculum, 92 pages. A collection of worksheets and resources that helps teachers engage their students in locally relevant environmental health research projects. These inquiry-based materials provide the scaffolding necessary for students to successfully identify and investigate how things in their environment impact their health. Portions of the curriculum are also available in Spanish. 40 pages.

View/Download the PDF (5 MB)

Spanish Materials View/Download the PDF (1.2 MB)
Introduction to Environmental Health PowerPoint Presentation Grades 6-12 PowerPoint Slide Set, 46 Slides. This presentation was designed to introduce the seven core concepts of environmental health (toxicity, dose/response, exposure, individual susceptibility, risks & benefits, environmental justice, and resources & action) in a simple, engaging way. The slide set can be used as is or modified to suit your needs.

View/Download the PowerPoint (5 MB)

View/Download the PDF (1.2 MB)
Quicksilver Web Module Grades 6-8 Online Game. The Quicksilver Question Web Module introduces students to the connections between historic gold mining, mercury contamination, fish consumption and human health. In this web-based learning adventure, visitors explore the fictional town of Quicksilver, Washington, searching for a series of key documents that will help them decide if fish from the local lake are safe to eat. Link to online module (Flash plug-in required)
Quicksilver Web Module: Teacher's Manual Grades 6-8 Module Supplement, 122 pages. As a companion to the online module, the Quicksilver Teacher's Manual provides a collection of print-based extension lessons for teachers of science, language arts, math, and social studies in grades 6 through 8. View/Download the PDF (6.8 MB)
Role Play Activity: Seafood from Puget Sound - How Much Can We Safely Eat? Grades 6-12 Classroom Activity, 28 pages. This activity is designed to get students or community members thinking critically about the complex issue of seafood safety. Participants take on three different roles to explore a hypothetical situation related to the topic. View/Download the PDF (1.1 MB)
Role Play Activity: Your Money or Your Life? Grades 6-12 Classroom Activity, 7 pages. This activity is designed to get students or community members thinking critically about the complex issue related to workplace genetic testing for disease susceptibility. Participants read a two-part narrative, answer questions related to the reading, and are given an outcome based on their decision-making. View/Download the PDF (122 KB)
Social Studies Classroom Based Assessment: Constitutional Issues and Environmental Justice Grade 8 Curriculm Supplement, 10 pages. For this middle school "Constitutional Issues" Classroom Based Assessment (CBA), students are asked to take a position on an issue that considers both individual rights and the common good. Environmental Justice is a social movement that advocates for the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regarding the development and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. In this CBA, students explore how environmental justice relates to our nation’s constitutional principals and democratic ideals. View/Download the PDF (652 KB)
Social Studies Classroom Based Assessment: Why History? and the Quicksilver Question Web Module Grade 8 Curriculum Supplement, 11 pages. For the middle school "Why History?" CBA, students are asked to develop a position on how the knowledge of history helps them understand a current issue by analyzing related historical events. By exploring multiple resources from the Quicksilver Question Web Module, students unravel the legacy of mercury use through history and develop an understanding of its impact on today’s human health. View/Download the PDF (1.3 MB)
Social Studies Classroom Based Assessment: Why History? and Looking at Lead’s Legacy Grade 8 Curriculum Supplement, 11 pages. For the middle school "Why History?" CBA, students are asked to develop a position on how the knowledge of history helps them understand a current issue by analyzing related historical events. By exploring multiple resources from the Environmental Health Fact File: LEAD, students unravel the legacy of lead use through history and develop an understanding of its impact on today’s human health. View/Download the PDF (642 KB)
What is Environmental Health?
(8.5" by 11")		 All Grades Poster, 8.5" by 11". Features our EH Venn diagram that visually represents the relationship between environment, genes, choices and health. Available in two sizes. View/Download the PDF (4.7 MB)
What is Environmental Health?
(11" by 17")		 All Grades Poster, 11" by 17". Features our EH Venn diagram that visually represents the relationship between environment, genes, choices and health. Available in two sizes. View/Download the PDF (4.8 MB)