Human Impact on Earth Bundle

About this resource

5 mystery-driven Science Unlocked lesson sets for middle school (grades 6-8), about 5 weeks of human impact on earth instruction. Each set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students cracking the case in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.

Topics: natural resources, natural hazards, human impact, climate change, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.

Bundle price: $12.50 for 5 sets ($2.50 a set). Bought one at a time, these sets cost $15.

Sets in this bundle

• Earth’s Treasure Map (MS-ESS3-1, Earth's Natural Resources Distribution). Your phone’s battery needs lithium. Huge amounts of it sit in the crater of an ancient volcano in Nevada and under salt flats high in the Andes — but not in most places. Why is Earth’s lithium piled up in just a few spots?
• Warning Signs (MS-ESS3-2, Natural Hazards & Forecasting). In June 1991, Mount Pinatubo — quiet for about 500 years — blasted out the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 1900s. Yet tens of thousands of people had already left. How did scientists know it was coming — and why can’t they do that for earthquakes?
• The Wrong-Way Turtles (MS-ESS3-3, Human Impact: Monitor & Minimize). On some Florida beaches, baby sea turtles hatch at night and crawl the WRONG way — toward roads, pools, and parking lots instead of the sea. What is pulling them off course, and how could a beach town measure the problem and fix it — without turning the whole town dark?
• Outweighed (MS-ESS3-4, Population, Consumption & Earth's Systems). Around 2020, everything people have made — concrete, gravel, bricks, asphalt, metal, and plastic — caught up with the weight of every living thing on Earth. In 1900 it was only about 3%. How did the human-made stuff catch up with all of life — and what does it do to Earth’s systems?
• Who Turned Up the Heat? (MS-ESS3-5, Rising Global Temperatures). Earth is about 1.2 °C warmer than in the late 1800s, and 2024 was the warmest year on record — yet satellites show no upward trend in the Sun’s energy since 1978. If the Sun didn’t turn up the heat, who did?

Every set includes

• An editable Teacher Deck with answers highlighted and speaker notes (what to say, support and GT tips).
• An interactive Student Deck (PowerPoint + PDF) where students type, drag and rate their confidence.
• Google Slides versions of both decks, with make-a-copy links.
• A Teacher Guide with a run-of-show for every level, materials, misconceptions, answer keys and sources.
• A Student Printable in 12 pt type, plus a low-ink greyscale copy, for paper days and sub days.
• A self-grading digital activity: SCORM 2004, SCORM 1.2, a web package and a single HTML file.
• Two whole-class review games (Jeopardy-style and Trashketball), plus Kahoot! and Blooket import files with an answer key.
• Leveled lessons with "I can" targets, notes, practice, checkpoints, exit tickets, a Mini Quiz and a Stretch beyond grade level.

By the numbers

• 5 one-week units, each with 5-6 levels (about one 45-50 minute class per level).
• 5 of the 5 sets include a hands-on lab with a materials list and safety notes.
• 248 Kahoot!/Blooket review questions across the bundle.

Try the digital activity first

• Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.

Save more

• Middle School Earth & Space Science (15 sets, $30)
• Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (89 sets, $133.50)

More from Mystery Lab Learning

• See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.

Good to know

• When a set in this bundle is updated, you get the update for free in My Purchases.
• The illustrations in these resources were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in each Teacher Guide and proofread.
• Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. These resources are not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
• License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.