GreenSparks

Sparking Environmental Interest

To help meet the educational needs of students in Title I schools, we at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) designed the GreenSparks program which provides engaging Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) environmental lesson plans and high-production quality videos to schools in need. Our mission is to introduce exciting and pertinent environment and sustainability concepts to students, topics likely not prioritized in Title I schools, while simultaneously supplementing teachers’ curricula.

We are able to field test lesson ideas with local, underserved Title I Los Angeles high schools thanks to a charitable contribution from Boeing. With their support, we are able to generate teaching modules and accompanying videos that address a wide range of environmental themes, including climate change, clean meat, water consumption, habitat restoration, environmental justice, and more.

After guest teaching and field-testing at local schools, we will distribute free lesson plans and accompanying videos through our partner educational organizations nationwide and host the modules on our website for anybody’s benefit. Teachers, get ready!

The GreenShorts film festival was an exciting component of the GreenSparks program in which students were encouraged to exercise their creative muscles and make short films reflecting their environmental interests.

The GreenSparks initiative raises awareness and creates hope for a more green future by enthralling today’s kids about the wonders of the environment.

Educational Videos

Our goal for GreenShorts in-class lessons is to discover what national Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) environmental science content we could bring to classrooms that high school students would find exciting. Science lessons often focus on developing technical skills but not on sparking interest — we aim to do both. A distinguishing feature of our efforts is that every lesson we develop is field-tested in Los Angeles classrooms. GreenSparks’ environmental science educational videos aim to be practical and engaging, and we are creating innovative formats. Produced videos will be widely distributed and accessible to anyone with internet access.

Climate Acceleration
You might be familiar with the speed a cheetah might run, or how fast your car can drive. But what might we mean when we talk about “accelerating climate change?” In this video, we explore how scientists measure climate change, the history of global temperatures, and how fast our climate is warming.

Habitat Restoration
Grasslands, lakes, oceans, and forests are ecosystems that provide food, natural resources like building materials, protect the earth’s climate and are home to millions of species. Destruction can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, ecosystem destruction is not always permanent; nature is resilient and with humans’ help, we can help that process along through restoration.

What is Environmental Justice?

Water Usage: Conservation, Agriculture, and Consumption

Lesson Plans

Curriculum Modules on Environmental Science

After field-testing various topics live in-class, our GreenSparks curricula are well on their way! We are drafting environmental curricula aligned with national Next Generation Science Standards. Modules will include NGSS-aligned lesson plans and accompanying short videos to inform and engage classrooms across the country.

All material will be distributed to the National Science Teachers Association, TenStrands, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Additionally it will be housed on our website, free and accessible to anyone with internet access.

Downloadable lesson plans include: