Natural Gas: Water & Climate Impacts

Lesson Plans

Grades6, 7, 8Earth and Space Sciences, Health

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Project Look Sharp

Open Resource

What it is

In this activity from Project Look Sharp, students will examine and decode information on natural gas extraction from Wikipedia, America's Natural Gas Alliance, and Food and Water Watch.
This resource includes a lesson plan, a student handout, a student worksheet, and a PowerPoint presentation.

Teaching tips

Positives

The lesson plan offers discussion questions for many academic subjects.
Teachers can use this lesson for virtual learning or in-person learning.

Prerequisites

Teachers must create a free account to access the materials.
The worksheet asks students to evaluate the reliability of the sources; this handout will teach students how to analyze media messages.
Teachers may want to research the sources to understand the viewpoints and biases.

Differentiation & Implementation

Students can respond to questions individually or in small groups before discussing the answers as a class.
The reading for this activity is a bit dense, so a structured reading process may help some students.
Students can compare the Wikipedia article from the resource with the current Wikipedia article and note the differences. The class could discuss the pros and cons of using Wikipedia for scientific research.
Other resources on this topic include this interactive map on natural gas reserves, and this podcast on the health and climate risks of using natural gas.

From the scientist review

This resource illustrates the role that producers of natural gas play in providing smarter energy solutions while protecting U.S air, land, and water. In as much as natural gas comes from fossil fuel, this is still not smart. It is nonrenewable and contributes to climate change. It is good for students to understand this concept so they can engage in good climate conversations and advocate for clean energy that is pollution-free, environmentally friendly, and affordable. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Health
Other types: Articles/Websites, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets, Presentation Slides
Format: PDF, Microsoft Powerpoint
Language: English
Location: North America, North America > United States
Provider: Project Look Sharp
Authors: Project Look Sharp, Sox Sperry
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Eco.1.6-8 + 11 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Eco.1.6-8Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
D2.Geo.4.6-8Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
D3.2.6-8Evaluate the credibility of a source by determining its relevance and intended use.

National Health Education Standards

1.8.3Analyze how the environment affects personal health.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
MS-ESS3-C.1.Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)
MS-ESS3-D.Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities. (MS-ESS3-5)

Michigan Climate Education Hub

Michigan K-12 ELA Standards

RI.6.6.Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
SL.7.1.Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
RSLHSS.6-8.6.Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
RSLHSS.6-8.7.Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

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Teaching tips

From the scientist review

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