Middle school students are gaining a deeper sense of themselves as members of communities – both human communities and natural communities. They are becoming aware of how people’s actions impact others, and friends and relationships consume a lot of their thought and energy.

Students this age understand that problems have multiple solutions, and are able to see different perspectives on an issue. They should also be able to back up personal opinions with evidence and to distinguish between opinion and fact. Forest literacy activities at the middle school level may focus on:

• What social, economic and environmental benefits do forests provide?
• How do human activities affect forests?
• What can we do to protect Oregon’s forests?

Forests can become a meaningful context for middle schoolers to design and conduct investigations, use evidence to analyze results, and examine issues from various perspectives. Activities such as these will help students gain a deeper appreciation of the interconnected relationships between people and the environment.

A group of students with blue hard hats

Grades 6-8 Programs & Resources

 
Cover for Fire Among Us website

Fire Among Us

Being safe with fire is one of the most important ways to reduce the threat of human-caused fire. This illustrated microsite joins the characters of the forest as they walk you through the basics of fire science, and how to make smart choices with fire in
Resource type
Grade
"

Fire Among Us Website

Being safe with fire is one of the most important ways to reduce the threat of human-caused fire. This illustrated microsite joins the characters of the forest as they walk you through the basics of fire science, and how to make smart choices with fire in
Resource type
Grade