Whole classroom support to help you teach effective environmental education.
Every educator is an environmental educator.
Standards Alignment Guides
Suggested outlines for incorporating our free materials into your standards-aligned curriculum.
AP Environmental Science Unit 8: Plastic Pollution and Solid Waste
This guide outlines our suggestions for how to incorporate our resources into your Advanced Placement Environmental Science Unit 8 curriculum on aquatic and terrestrial pollution.
Grades 10 to 12
2 to 6 hours
NGSS MS-PS1-3 Synthetic Materials
This guide will outline our suggestions for how to use a few of our resources to teach about the following Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Performance Expectation: MS-PS 1-3 Gather and make sense of info to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
Grades 6 to 8
Variable Timing
NEW!
NGSS MS-ESS 3-3 Human Impact - "Plastic Ocean"
This guide will outline our suggestions for how to use a few of our resources to teach about the following Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Performance Expectation: MS-ESS 3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
Grades 6 to 8
Variable Timing
How-to Guides
Here you’ll find how-to guides to help you maximize the resources and support found on Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education.
What to expect from Wayfinder Society toolkits
What are Wayfinder Society’s Toolkits? Our toolkits provide educators with out-of-the-box activities that help students explore environmental issues.
Get the most out of Wayfinder Society lessons
What are Wayfinder Society’s Lessons? Free, Digital, but also printable, Ready to use, Editable, and more!
Ideas for using the Student Hub to empower your students to take action
All you need to know about how to use our Student Hub in your classroom, with sign instructions and inspiration.
Insights
Here we’ll share our collective thoughts, advice, and inspiration that we think will advance our ability to teach effective environmental education.
Maintaining Balance During Challenging Times: A Review of Andrea Bell’s Talk
Last week, we held our first of a series of talks with Andrea Bell, an Ecopsychologist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. This series will explore the concept of ecopsychology…
Recap of our talk with Capt. Charles Moore on role of environmental educators
For our first guest talk, we invited founder of Algalita, 30-year Captain of the Oceanographic Research Vessel Alguita, originator of…
Realizations from 10 years of plastic pollution presentations
I began my own Wayfinder journey over 10 years ago as a second-year college student. In 2010, the topic of plastic pollution was still a fringe issue. In high school, a...
Free Upcoming Events
Connect with our network of environmental educators!
Check out our upcoming events to meet other educators on this journey - virtually or in-person.
Virtual Event
WEDNESDAY, December 13, 2023 4 -5 PM PT
Uplifting Policy Updates to Inspire Your Students
Join us for our next virtual professional development event for educators all about uplifting policy updates to inspire your students! We’ll get you up to date on local California legislation, national policy, and global treaties including the Break Free From Plastic Act, The UN Global Treaty on Plastic, and more. Together, we'll delve into how we can use these policies to bring hope, inspiration, and motivation to your students. Simply register below to join us for this free virtual event for educators!
REGISTER
In-Person Event
SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 11AM -1 PM PT
Educator Lunch and Learn: Synthetic Sand
Come collect your very own synthetic sand samples to take back to your classroom at our upcoming Educator Lunch and Learn: Synthetic Sand event! After sifting through and collecting our beach samples, we'll make our way back to our research and education center to enjoy lunch while we put together the teaching toolkits. This toolkit is a great resource for students to learn about microplastics and their impact on our environment. Interested in joining us? Register in the link below.
REGISTER
Virtual Event
WEDNESDAY, February 7, 2024 4-5 PM PT
Student Mini-Grant Information Session
Attention Environmental Educators and Students: we'll be awarding a total $15,000 in mini-grants to students around the world looking for financial support for their personal education, school and community projects, internships, networking events, etc. connected to addressing the plastic crisis. Register for our virtual information session using the link below to learn everything you need to know about eligibility, requirements, and the application process.
REGISTER
“Because of Algalita, I don’t feel alone in trying to solve one of the most difficult issues facing our environment today.”
-Christine Davis, Student