The Morpho Institute nurtures the ability of K-12 teachers to create environmental ripple effects in their home communities and the Peruvian Amazon by providing professional development and curriculum resources that inspire, empower, and engage teachers and students as environmentally responsible global citizens.
Morpho Institute Teaching Resources
Our RESOURCE BANK offers free downloads, including:
Sustainability and Conservation Activity Guides, which provide ideas and resources for weaving scientific and cultural aspects of the Amazon rainforest into science, geography, and social studies courses.
Interrupted Case Studies, which engage students in learning about the Maijuna indigenous people’s community-based conservation practices in the Peruvian Amazon and relate these to environmental issues in their own home communities.
On-demand Professional Development Webinars
Morpho Institute webinars provide insights into teaching about carbon, climate, and links to the Amazon Rainforest.
The Co-benefits of Planting Trees, with Dr. Alexandra Moore (Senior Education Associate, Paleontological Research Institution)
Dr. Moore presents the connections between trees, ecosystem services, climate change and how the act of planting trees can give us all hope – in and out of the classroom.
NSTA Teacher Tip Tuesday: Investigating the Value of Trees, at Home and in the Amazon Rainforest, with Morpho Institute teachers and faculty
Five teachers discuss ways of helping students recognize the ecological value of trees in their home communities, the Amazon rainforest, and other biomes.
What you need to know about the Amazon NOW, with Christa Dillabaugh (Director, The Morpho Institute)
Insights into current events related to the Amazon Rainforest and global climate change, including the key but threatened role of indigenous peoples in protecting invaluable forest resources. See Companion Resources
Online Resources
Morpho's picks for the best interactive online activities and other resources for teaching about global climate change.
NASA Global Climate Change Resources for Educators – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration provides links to recommended lesson plans, games, and other teaching resources.
NOAA Teaching Climate – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides a variety of useful resources, including a Global Climate Dashboard for tracking climate change and natural variability over time.
NSTA Climate Change Resources – The National Science Teaching Association provides links to journal articles, webinars, and lesson plans, and blog posts, for example:
1.5°C May Not Seem Like Much, But It’s a Really Big Deal. Here’s Why, by Ann Reid, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education
NCSE Climate Change Lesson Sets – The National Center for Science Education’s high school lesson set targets common misconceptions and addresses these 5 core principles: It’s Real, It’s Us, It’s Bad, Experts Agree, and There’s Hope.
PRI Teach Climate Science – The Paleontological Research Institution offers its Teacher-Friendly Guide™ to Climate Change as a free download, accompanied with links to resources and activities.
HHMI BioInteractive: The Science of Climate Change – This film begins with phenomena linked to climate change, highlights the work of scientists, and concludes with optimism about solving our climate challenges. Accompanying teaching resources include the What Is My Carbon Footprint? activity guide.
Do you know what your carbon footprint is? Try EPA's Household Carbon Footprint Calculator to estimate your annual greenhouse gas emissions.
