1. Tell students that this lesson will look at some of the connections that can exist in an environment, and how changes to the environment can affect those connections. Begin by asking students to think about a familiar local environment. You might have them look specifically at the area in which the school is located, or a larger area with more features. If possible, have students walk around the schoolyard or look out of a window to make their observations. Ask students to take notes about everything they see, such as animals, plants, people, soil, water, climate, and human-built objects. You may also want to give students the Observing Your Environment Worksheet PDF Document so they can take notes while they observe or think about a specific environment.

2. Bring the class together to discuss what everyone noted about the environment. On a piece of chart paper, write down some of the students' key observations. Post the completed list in the classroom for reference.

3. Tell students that they will now consider how the plants, animals, and physical factors they observed in their environment are connected. Begin by looking at an example together as a class. On a new piece of chart paper, lead students to identify one connection between two things from their list of observations. You may want to draw a diagram to help students visualize the connection. For example, you could write "squirrel" on the right side of the paper and "tree" on the left, then draw a line between them. On the line, write "squirrel uses tree for shelter and food." Then pass out a poster board and set of markers to each group. Have students meet in their small groups to identify more connections that they observed in their environment. Each group should pick two items that are connected from their list of observations and describe that connection on a poster. They can draw a diagram or other picture to help explain the connection. When everyone is finished, have the groups display their posters around the room. Then ask students to take a quick walk around to see the connections that everyone else found.

4. Select one of the connections described on a poster, and lead the class in a discussion about what would happen if one of the two things that were connected were removed from the environment. How would that affect the other thing in the connection? What would happen to the rest of the environment?

5. Let students know that they will be seeing a video that shows examples of a Pacific Northwest cold-water environment, a New England coastal environment, and a Hawaiian tropical environment. Divide the class into groups of three or four students and assign each group one of these coastal environments. [Depending on the size of your class, you may end up having several groups assigned to the same region.]

Before showing the video, brainstorm with students the types of things they should observe and record to illustrate a particular environment (animals, plants, soil, water, food sources, shelter, other structures, and interrelationships, for example). Encourage them to think about what they were looking for when they observed their own environment. Write these categories on the board or on another piece of chart paper. Then show the Living on the Coast QuickTime Video. Ask students to take notes about the things they see for their assigned coastal environment.

6. Pass out another poster board to each group. Have students find two or three examples of connections in their assigned environment based on what they observed in the video and what they already know about this particular environment. If time permits, students can do additional research as needed using the Internet or reference books. When they finish, have the groups present to the rest of the class so that everyone can see examples from all three environments.

7. Environments change over time. Some changes are seasonal (shifts in animal populations) or natural (volcanic eruptions). Other changes are the result of human activity. In this case study, we will focus on one example of how human activity has affected a local environment. The Bowhead Whaling and Its Impact Flash Interactive illustrates a very specific change that happened in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas that surround Alaska: the introduction of commercial whaling. The study by researchers John Bockstoce and Daniel Botkin is based on a sample of actual journals and logbooks kept by commercial whalers. Show students the slideshow and distribute the Bockstoce Study Chart PDF Document. Discuss with students how the commercial whaling industry affected whale populations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What effect do you think this had on the Iñupiaq people who hunted the whales to meet their needs? What other animals might have taken the place of the whale in Iñupiaq life?

8. Tell students that they will now look at the present-day environment in this Alaskan region. Begin by having students find Barrow, Alaska, on a map. Then show the Iñupiaq Whale Hunt QuickTime Video and have students read the background essay. Have the students form small groups again, and ask them to discuss the following questions.

1. What does whaling provide to the people of Barrow today? In what ways are Iñupiaq people dependent on the whale?
2. How might changes to the whale population affect these communities?

9. The Bockstoce study analyzed changes that happened in the past. How would we learn about environmental changes happening in Barrow, Alaska, today? Show students the Arctic Climate Perspectives QuickTime Video. Then, discuss the following questions:

1. What changes have the Iñupiaq people observed in their environment?
2. What is the benefit of multiple ources of dataâfor example, observational data and data gathered using tools (e.g., satellite images) — when looking at environmental change? How do the Iñupiaq people's observations and historical regional knowledge work together with the data and analyses developed by the visiting scientists?
3. Barrow, Alaska, and other Arctic regions may seem far removed from where you live. How is the information about environmental change in Barrow relevant to your local environment? What might the changes in Barrow mean for the rest of the world?

Have students end by reading the Arctic Climate Perspectives QuickTime Video background essay to help them synthesize their thoughts about Arctic climate change and what it means to them.