• Develops literacy, vocabulary, geography, politics!
• Improves research skills!
• Explains the global issue simply and clearly, without bias!
• Helps make the current situation clear to the student!
• Encourages the student to "connect up", understand & look for solutions to problems!
• Hands-on activities make civics relevant to the student!
• Develops critical thinking skills!
• Develops study in a self-determined manner!
• Lesson plans are complete and ready to use!  Start now!

Another in STEPS series of Current Events courses for ages 9-adult, used with success by hundreds of students.

These courses each start by defining a global problem. Then, the course leads the student through directed research, so that the student can get a real grasp of the current situation for that issue. The student follows this up with creative exercises which help define the issue and the student's response to it as a concerned citizen of the world.

What is the "environment", and how and why is it changing? (Everyone does agree that the environment changes, by the way. That is not in question.) What are human beings doing to the environment? Can human beings change an entire planet? What is air pollution, water pollution and land pollution? What is the Ozone Hole? Most important of all, what is Global Warming, how does it work, and what can (and should) be done about it?

This course offers lots of information about a complex subject. Then the student uses a structured research approach with lots of things for the student to do, which will allow the student to dig in and discover his own facts, and what he’d like to do about them.

In 14 comprehensive lesson (15-30 hours of study and work), this course provides an easily understood scientific view of our world as an interrelated and complicated system that we depend upon, and that depends upon us. The student confronts some of the most difficult situations facing all life on Earth, and decides how he/she wants to help solve the problems our environment presents, today.

Subjects covered in this course include:

• Defining what the "environment" is
• A look at Earth and what it provides us
• Things that can change our environment: Natural things like volcanic eruptions; man-made pollution
• An assessment of the current condition of the world as to environment
• What is Global Warming
• Is Global Warming taking place - the proofs
• Why we must stop polluting, global warming or not
• The Ozone layer and what we've done to it
• Air pollution defined and examined
• The biggest abusers in air pollution
• Water pollution and the results to human and other life
• Land pollution and the results
• Nuclear radiation, nuclear power (an even-handed look) and bombs and their results
• What we can do