The Lorax Environmental Justice Project

Transform The Lorax into a 9-week Environmental Justice PBL for high school students!

Students move beyond literary analysis to investigate real environmental issues through fieldwork, data collection, GIS mapping, consumer science, and civic engagement—culminating in a choice-based capstone project.

Environmental Justice • Fieldwork • Data • Civic Engagement • Student Voice

• What if The Lorax could become more than a children's story?

• What if it could become a starting point for students to investigate environmental injustice in their own communities, collect real data, examine consumer choices, use technology and mapping tools, and develop solutions that lead to civic action?

The Lorax Environmental Justice Project is a field-tested, 9-week Project-Based Learning (PBL) framework designed for secondary students. Using Dr. Seuss's The Lorax as an accessible entry point, students move from literary analysis into environmental science, fieldwork, data analysis, technology, consumer science, and authentic civic engagement.

This is a high-interest, low-readability framework that helps bridge the humanities and STEM while giving students opportunities to develop empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and agency. The unit has been refined and tested with students over 20 years.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

The resource provides access to a structured collection of teacher and student materials, including:

• 9-Week Master Calendar

• Alternative Week 8 Guide

• NGSS & Common Core Standards

• Vocabulary Word Bank

• Bilingual Visual Dictionary Examples and Template

• Close Reading Activity

• Story of Stuff Video Lab

• Walkability Assessment

• GIS/Heat Canopy Mapping Labs

• Digital Nature Journal

• Capstone "Blockumentary" Prompt & Rubrics

• Video App Cheat Sheets

• Matrix Project Guide & Rubric

• Extension Activities

• Family Contact & Permission Slip

• NGO Communication Templates