Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education is a free and open-source program that equips teachers and students with everything they need to explore the deepest depths of environmental education This program is much more than a simple website. It's a full ecosystem of services that provide meaningful and effective strategic, financial, and inspirational support for anyone looking to deploy real-time and real-world environmental education in any setting.
The platform is completely free to access, no login required, and all resources can be easily
downloaded and adapted via Google Workspace. The program also includes a Student Hub, that includes a growing collection of over 40 Actions, where students earn service-learning hours by taking action in their communities, or even internationally! The Actions are often co-created with our movement partners, and many lessons have been co-created with real environmental educators to ensure all content is relevant, inclusive, and authentic.
Standards Aligned:
NGSS (all below)
- 5-PS 1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials
based on their properties.
- MS-PS 1-3 Gather and make sense of info to describe that synthetic
materials come from natural resources and impact society.
- MS-ESS 3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for
monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
- MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating
and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic
circulation that determine regional climates.
- 5-ESS 3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual
communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and
environment.
- MS-ESS 3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how
increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural
resources impact Earth’s systems.
- MS-ESS 3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for
monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
AP Environmental Science (all below)
- 8.1 Sources of Pollution STB-3.A.2 Nonpoint-sources of pollution are diffused and can therefore be difficult to identify, such as
pesticide spraying or urban runoff.
- 8.2 Human Impacts on Ecosystems STB-3.B.8 Litter that reaches aquatic ecosystems, besides being unsightly, can create intestinal blockage
and choking hazards for wildlife and introduce toxic substances to
the food chain.
- 6.1 Renewable and Non-renewable Resources ENG-3.A.1 Nonrenewable energy sources are those that exist in a fixed amount and involve
energy transformation that cannot be easily replaced.
- 6.5 Fossil Fuels ENG-3.F Describe the effects of fossil fuels on the environment. ENG-3.F.1 Hydrologic fracturing (fracking) can cause
groundwater contamination and the release of volatile organic
compounds.
- 8.4 Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves
- 9.4 Increases in Greenhouse Gases
- 9.5 Global Climate Change
- 8.3 Endocrine Disruptors STB-3.C.1 Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the endocrine system of animals. STB-3.D.1
Endocrine disruptors can lead to birth defects, developmental
disorders, and gender imbalances in fish and other species.
- 8.7 POPS STB-3.H.2 Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can be toxic to organisms because they are soluble in fat, which allows them to
accumulate in organisms’ fatty tissues.
- 8.9 Solid Waste STB-3.L.2 Solid waste can also be disposed of through incineration, where waste is burned at high temperatures. This method
significantly reduces the volume of solid waste but releases air
pollutants. STB-3.L.4 Some countries dispose of their waste by
dumping it in the ocean. This practice, along with other sources of
plastic, has led to large floating islands of trash in the oceans.
Additionally, wildlife can become entangled in the waste, as well as
ingest it.
- 8.14 Human Health and Pollution EIN-3.C.1 It can be difficult to establish a cause and effect between pollutants and human health
issues because humans experience exposure to a variety of chemicals
and pollutants
NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
