Curriculum & Resources

Curricula and lesson plans on topics ranging from climate change to happiness.

Curriculum & Resources: Understanding Multiracial America

posted Mar 26, 2010

By the midcentury, people of color will make up the majority in the U.S. These resouces will help students understand race and the experiences of multiracial people.

YES! Recommends: Teaching Diverse Students Initiative

posted Mar 26, 2010

How can teachers effectively teach diverse students when they struggle with their own understandings of race?

YES! Recommends: No Impact Project

posted Jan 25, 2010

No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, and his family have inspired a nation to swap their old consumer habits for new environmentally-friendly ones. The recently launched No Impact Curriculum brings the lessons learned from this year-long journey to your classroom.

Curriculum & Resources: Green Jobs and Green Buildings

posted Jan 25, 2010

Lesson plans, hands-on activities, and award-winning projects on green building and economies will demonstrate to your students that there’s a better, sustainable, and just future that they can help build, shape, and design.

Visual Learning: Have Wheels, Will Travel

posted Jan 25, 2010

With this YES! lesson plan, you and your students can luxuriate—and pause—to truly understand an image, its message, and why it’s interesting (or not). In this case it's all about bikes.

Words That Inspire: The Once-ler, from The Lorax with photos by Chris Jordan

posted Jan 01, 2010

Quote from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and images from Chris Jordan's stunning series on America's obsession with consumption, Intolerable Beauty, with a note to educators.

Visual Learning: Gone Fishing

posted Dec 28, 2009

Use this photo to ask your students what they notice and are wondering. Then share the facts behind the image to connect to greater understanding and discovery.

Curriculum and Resources: Americans Who Tell the Truth

posted Dec 28, 2009

Robert Shetterly's remarkable collection of portraits reminds us of the dignity, courage and importance of America's truth tellers. Here we offer curriculum tools to support the series.

Curriculum and Resources: Climate Action

posted Dec 28, 2009

These curricula are bursting with impressive lessons, experiments, and visual tools to guide your students in their exploration of climate change and the influence of common plants on human kind.

2009 Brower Youth Awards

posted Dec 23, 2009

Earth Institute's Brower Awards annually recognize young people who create a project or campaign with positive environmental and social impact. Meet this year's outstanding recipients.

10 Little and Big Things You Can Do

by Annie Leonard

posted Dec 23, 2009

There is no one simple thing to do to change our consumption patterns, because the set of problems we’re addressing just isn’t simple. But everyone can make a difference, and the bigger your action the bigger the difference you’ll make.

Teaching With The Story of Stuff

by Annie Leonard

posted Dec 23, 2009

Watch The Story of Stuff, read our review of the film, and explore our selected YES! articles that address the complex issues that relate to our materials economy and how we can choose to live differently.

Curriculum and Resources: Service-Learning and Life Philosophies

posted Oct 30, 2009

Here are two dynamic organizations that offer your students opportunities and engaging resources to express and act on what they believe. Encourage your students to take on a service-learning project or submit a personal essay to "This I Believe."

Visual Learning: Walking Slowly

posted Oct 30, 2009

Use this photo to ask your students what they notice and are wondering. Then share the facts behind the image to connect to greater understanding and discovery.

Curriculum and Resources: Facing the Future

posted Oct 30, 2009

Here is a range of lessons from Facing the Future for grades K-12, including some projects for university level students.