About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 3–12
- Subjects
- science (biology and life science, environmental science, geology, natural history, oceanography), social studies (global education)
- Provider
- National Geographic Society
- Special requirements
- This interactive site requires Shockwave Macromedia Flash. RealPlayer is required for audio portions of the site.
Legal
This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.
EarthPulse is a multi-faceted public awareness campaign to address pressing conservation issues facing planet Earth. National Geographic Society and Ford Motor Company are teaming together in this endeavor. Through EarthPulse, people worldwide can be educated on environmental issues. By increasing understanding and making people care, this site is designed to foster global change and encourage ecological stewardship.
Find virtual worlds, where you can explore the rainforest at night, urban sprawl, the Monterey Bay kelp forest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Columbia River. Check out sights and sounds from the Mesoamerican Reef, Amazon River and flooded forests, Southeastern U.S. rivers and streams, Eastern Himalayan forests, Madagascar dry forests, Sulu-Sulawesi seas, Southwestern Amazonian moist forests, and the Bering Sea. Take an expedition to Belize or Taku. Read about the latest in conservation news and conservation themes in areas such as oceans, climate, energy, fresh water, technology, wild lands, ecosystems, and more.
Educator's guide
By exploring Earth's "vital signs," EarthPulse is undertaking an educational and editorial journey in conservation. EarthPulse, National Geographic's Home for Conservation, is a highly interactive collaboration with Ford Motor Company that debuted early in 2001. Each feature includes an interactive virtual world addressing conservation issues related to oceans, fresh water, living creatures and more. There are also links to related feature articles in the National Geographic Magazine as well as a resources and links page specific to the topic.
A featured virtual world is the Columbia River of the Pacific Northwest. This river shows the controversial nature of progress, as an area formerly rich in salmon is dammed to provide hydroelectric power, water reservoirs, and improved shipping. Students can move upstream or downstream, and as they navigate, different aspects of the river appear as hotlinks. These hotlinks open informational exploration windows including profiles of the fish and wildlife in the species gallery, and information about both sides of the dam debate. Both a Full and Light version are available to allow for varied connection speeds. The printable image gallery provides access to the information and images without the interactive enhancements of Flash.
Related National Geographic resources are linked on a monthly basis according to the focus of the theme. There are also links to news, an Ecoregions map, and other virtual worlds.
Where does this fit in our classrooms? Students in North Carolina are asked to "exhibit a positive attitude for the need for conservation, preservation, and wise use of natural resources" in grades K through 5. Both Earth Science and Environmental Science also require the study of water use issues. Linked Educational Activities on the EarthPulse site include both a teacher and a student access point for exploring these concepts. Three levels of materials are presented to appeal to students from Kindergarten through high school.
