Ecology: Humans and the Environment PowerPoint and Notes

Topic: Humans and the Environment

51-slide PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

What is the ecological impact that humans have upon our fragile environment? This lesson is designed to teach students about the human behaviors that have consequences for our planet, such as the burning of fossil fuels, overfishing, the clear cutting of forest areas and more. Our students are the decision makers of tomorrow. It is imperative that we give them the ecological knowledge (global warming, greenhouse effect, habitat destruction) they need so that they can make informed decisions about our future.

There is so much material to teach in a unit on Ecology that it can be overwhelming. I have divided the information into 6 separate units of instruction:
1. Introduction to Ecology
2. Population Ecology
3. Community Ecology
4. Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 1: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter
5. Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 2: Biomes of the World
6. Humans and the Environment

Please Note: This product is just for the sixth topic of instruction: Humans and the Environment

If you have never taught a lesson using a Powerpoint presentation, you have to give it a try! My students always prefer this to a traditional lecture. The use of eye-catching photos and diagrams rarely fails to stimulate a lively class discussion.

This PowerPoint is on "Humans and the Environment". It consists of 51 slides that are colorful, informative and visually stimulating. Pictures and diagrams are included that will greatly enhance your instruction to your students. This product also includes a set of notes for the teacher (6 pages) and a set of notes for the student (9 pages). Graphics, diagrams, clip art, and photographs were chosen to capture the attention of the student as the lesson is being taught.

Topics covered in this lesson are:
1. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources: Definitions and examples.
2. Land resources: The importance of land, land as a renewable resource, composition of soil, human impact on soil, erosion, desertification, good land management.
3. Forest resources: The importance of forests as a producer of human good and services, the ecological role of the forests, renewable forests, nonrenewable forests, old growth forests, deforestation, good management of forests.
4. Fishery resources: The importance of fisheries to humans and to the environment, overfishing, fisheries as a renewable resource, aquaculture.
5. Air resources: Air quality, smog, the pollutants in smog, the burning of fossil fuels, acid rain.
6. Freshwater resources: Water use by humans, how pollutants enter the water supply, the role of nature in the cleaning and purifying of water.
7. The Human Influence on the Biosphere: Ozone depletion, rising levels of carbon dioxide, population growth.
8. Ozone Depletion: Definition of ozone, importance of ozone in our atmosphere, the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, how humans are causing the destruction of the ozone, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), global regulations of CFC's.
9. Increasing Levels of Carbon Dioxide: The role of carbon in the carbon cycle, the addition of too much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, the danger of rising carbon dioxide levels, global warming, greenhouse effect.
10. Human Population Growth: Estimation of future population size and the effect this will have on our planet.
11. Biodiversity: Definition of biodiversity, how biodiversity is measured, the importance of biodiversity, ways biodiversity is lost, extinction, the threat of pollution to biodiversity, the use of DDT in the environment, biological magnification, the threat of invasive species.

This PowerPoint was written with a typical biology I class in mind. It can easily be edited to meet your needs.

Also included is a set of notes to accompany this PowerPoint. It includes a complete set of notes for the teacher, and an outline of the notes for the students. Students will use the outline as the PowerPoint is being presented and will fill in the notes as the lesson is being taught. I always include both the Word document and a pdf of the notes.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for looking.

Related products include:

Introduction to Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Population Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Community Ecology PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Ecosystems and the Biosphere Part 1: Energy Flow and the Recycling of Matter PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

Ecosystems and the Biosphere: Biomes of the World PowerPoint with Notes for Teacher and Student

FREE Set of Six Ecology Crossword Puzzles

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Humans and the Environment Review PowerPoint Questions and Answers

Quiz: Humans and the Environment

Amy Brown (Science Stuff)