Human Activities & Climate Complete Science Lesson - New TEKS 8.11B

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach weather and climate unit is included in this resource! Students will use scientific evidence to explore how human activities—including the release of greenhouse gases, deforestation, and urbanization—impact the climate. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is both comprehensive and low-prep.

Through differentiated, student-led learning, your middle schoolers will stay engaged while you focus on student success.

Essential Question

• How does the release of greenhouse gases, deforestation, and urbanization influence the climate?

Aligned with 2021 TEKS Standard 8.11B

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials for learners who need more support

• Multimodal activities to keep students engaged

• Maximum flexibility—printable and digital formats included

• Editable PowerPoints to adapt to your classroom needs

• Spanish translations for vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages

This resource follows the 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), giving you a research-based structure for meaningful instruction.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher file with discussion prompts, classroom activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations let students investigate how human activities influence climate through multiple modalities:

Input Stations

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) with comprehension checks

• Research It! – Website-based task with guided questions

• Watch It! – Short video with reflection prompts

Output Stations

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer responses

• Illustrate It! – Student-created sketches or diagrams

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Fun extension activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive versions)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on how human activities impact the climate

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for practice, homework, or test prep

Flexible for Any Classroom

This resource is designed for both in-person and virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and presentations are fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

Low prep. Differentiated. Student-centered.
This complete lesson gives you everything you need to confidently teach how human activities influence climate systems in your middle school classroom.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.