Technology, Media & Environment

D10 P4: Contextual & Ecological Awareness

The tools and media humans make, the living systems we are part of, and our responsibility to both humanity and the Earth.

Humans have always made tools; today those tools remake the world faster than ever. We teach technology and media with critical judgment — neither worship nor fear — and we teach the living systems we depend on, so that learners grow into stewards rather than consumers. Ecology is not a chapter; it is the ground we stand on.

K–12 objective ladder

D10.S1 Technology & Society

Understanding tools and technologies, how they change human life, and how they are designed and governed.

44 lessons

K D10.S1.K.01 Name a tool or device people use and tell what it helps them do.
1 D10.S1.01.01 Name a tool people use at home or at school and tell what job it helps them do.
1 D10.S1.01.02 Describe one way a tool makes a task easier or faster than doing it by hand.
2 D10.S1.02.01 Explain that tools and machines are made by people to solve a problem, and give an example.
2 D10.S1.02.02 Compare an old tool and a new tool for the same job and say what changed.
3 D10.S1.03.01 Name a simple machine, such as a lever, wheel, or ramp, and tell how it makes a job easier.
3 D10.S1.03.02 Describe how one tool or machine changed the way a job was done long ago compared with today.
4 D10.S1.04.01 Explain what it means to design a tool (making something to meet a need) and describe one step in designing.
4 D10.S1.04.02 Compare two tools for the same job and say which works better and why for a given person or situation.
5 D10.S1.05.01 Explain how a technology people use every day, such as a phone or a water pump, has changed daily life over time.
5 D10.S1.05.02 Compare how people in two different places in the world use a similar technology differently, and suggest why.
6 D10.S1.06.01 Explain that technologies are designed by people with particular needs, wants, and values, and give an example.
6 D10.S1.06.02 Analyze who gets to use a technology and who does not, and why that matters for fairness.
7 D10.S1.07.01 Trace how one technology spread across the world and changed the societies that adopted it, using a non-Western example where possible.
7 D10.S1.07.02 Explain the difference between an intended effect and an unintended effect of a technology, with an example of each.
8 D10.S1.08.01 Analyze the benefits and harms of a technology for different groups of people, and weigh them.
8 D10.S1.08.02 Explain how design decisions involve trade-offs among cost, safety, access, and the environment, using a real example.
9 D10.S1.09.01 Explain how software and algorithms, such as recommendations and feeds, shape what people see and choose, and their effect.
9 D10.S1.09.02 Analyze who controls a digital platform and what power that control gives them over users.
10 D10.S1.10.01 Analyze how data, surveillance, and automation affect privacy, freedom, and who has power in a society.
10 D10.S1.10.02 Evaluate an emerging technology, such as AI or genetic tools, by weighing its promises and risks for humanity and the environment.
11 D10.S1.11.01 Analyze how technologies are governed — by law, standards, and markets — and evaluate a debate over regulating one.
11 D10.S1.11.02 Analyze how the benefits and harms of technology are distributed unevenly across the world, and argue for fairer access.
12 D10.S1.12.01 Analyze technology as a system shaping society, weighing design, governance, and their own choices, and argue for a humane direction.
12 D10.S1.12.02 Reflect on their own relationship with technology — what it gives and what it costs — and how they will use it as a steward rather than a consumer.

D10.S2 Media & Information Literacy

Reading media critically: distinguishing fact from fiction, evaluating sources, and creating media responsibly.

46 lessons

K D10.S2.K.01 Tell the difference between a real thing they see and a made-up picture or story.
1 D10.S2.01.01 Tell the difference between a real photo and a drawing or a pretend story, and give one reason.
1 D10.S2.01.02 Say who made a simple picture, poster, or story and who it was made for.
2 D10.S2.02.01 Tell where a piece of information came from, such as a book, a grown-up, or a screen, and ask one question about it.
2 D10.S2.02.02 Tell whether a simple message is trying to give you true information or to sell you something.
3 D10.S2.03.01 Tell the difference between an advertisement and information, and give one clue that something is an ad.
3 D10.S2.03.02 Explain that a message has a purpose and an audience, and name both for a simple message.
4 D10.S2.04.01 Identify the author, purpose, and audience of a message and explain how they shape it.
4 D10.S2.04.02 Check whether a simple claim is true by finding a second source and comparing them.
5 D10.S2.05.01 Evaluate whether a claim is likely true by checking more than one source and noting where they agree or disagree.
5 D10.S2.05.02 Recognize when a message favors one side, and explain what fair reporting would include.
6 D10.S2.06.01 Distinguish between news, opinion, and advertisement, and identify clues for each.
6 D10.S2.06.02 Identify a persuasive technique, such as a loaded word or an emotional image, and explain how it tries to shape a view.
7 D10.S2.07.01 Explain what makes a source trustworthy, and compare two sources on the same topic for reliability.
7 D10.S2.07.02 Explain the difference between misinformation (false by mistake) and disinformation (false on purpose), with an example of each.
8 D10.S2.08.01 Analyze how a photo, video, or story can be framed or edited to change its meaning, and explain how to check it.
8 D10.S2.08.02 Evaluate whether an image or video might be altered or misleading, such as a deepfake, and describe one way to check.
9 D10.S2.09.01 Explain how algorithmic feeds and "echo chambers" can narrow what people see, and name a way to break out of them.
9 D10.S2.09.02 Evaluate a viral claim by tracing it to its source and checking it against independent reporting.
10 D10.S2.10.01 Apply a fact-checking method to a real claim, tracing evidence and separating fact from interpretation.
10 D10.S2.10.02 Analyze who owns the media people consume and how concentrated ownership can shape what is reported and left out.
11 D10.S2.11.01 Analyze propaganda and information manipulation in a historical or current case, and how a free press and literacy resist it.
11 D10.S2.11.02 Evaluate the responsibilities of creators and platforms when information spreads harm, and argue for what should change.
12 D10.S2.12.01 Practice responsible media creation by making and sharing a message that is accurate, fair, and honest about its sources.
12 D10.S2.12.02 Reflect on how they will stay informed in a flood of information, holding claims open to evidence rather than settling into certainty.

D10.S3 Ecology & Environmental Systems

Understanding living systems, ecosystems, and the interdependence of all life with its environment.

42 lessons

K D10.S3.K.01 Observe and name a living thing and something it needs to live (sun, water, food).
1 D10.S3.01.01 Tell the difference between a living thing and a nonliving thing, and give an example of each.
1 D10.S3.01.02 Name two things a plant and an animal both need to live, such as water, food, light, or air.
2 D10.S3.02.01 Describe a habitat and name one plant and one animal that live there and why it suits them.
2 D10.S3.02.02 Explain that animals get energy from eating plants or other animals, and give one example.
3 D10.S3.03.01 Build or draw a simple food chain with a plant and an animal and show the direction energy moves.
3 D10.S3.03.02 Explain that green plants make their own food using sunlight, and that all living things depend on plants or on animals that eat them.
4 D10.S3.04.01 Describe an ecosystem as living and nonliving parts that depend on each other, and name two of its parts.
4 D10.S3.04.02 Explain the jobs of producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem, with an example of each.
5 D10.S3.05.01 Trace the path of energy or matter, such as water, through a simple cycle or food web, and explain why it cycles.
5 D10.S3.05.02 Explain how living things in an ecosystem depend on one another and what can happen when one part changes.
6 D10.S3.06.01 Explain the difference between a population and a community, and describe one relationship among organisms, such as predator and prey.
6 D10.S3.06.02 Explain what biodiversity means and why a variety of living things can help an ecosystem stay healthy.
7 D10.S3.07.01 Explain how matter and energy move through an ecosystem, such as the carbon in a forest, and are reused rather than created new.
7 D10.S3.07.02 Describe a symbiotic relationship, such as pollination, and explain how both organisms benefit or are affected.
8 D10.S3.08.01 Explain how an ecosystem responds to a disturbance, such as fire or flooding, and what helps it recover (resilience).
8 D10.S3.08.02 Compare two biomes or climate zones and explain how the living things there are adapted to their conditions.
9 D10.S3.09.01 Explain the greenhouse effect and how the carbon cycle connects living things, oceans, atmosphere, and rock over time.
9 D10.S3.09.02 Explain what a feedback loop is and give one example of how warming can speed up more warming.
10 D10.S3.10.01 Explain what ecosystem services are, such as pollination, clean water, and soil, and how biodiversity underpins them.
10 D10.S3.10.02 Explain what a tipping point is and why crossing one in an ecosystem or climate can be hard to reverse.
11 D10.S3.11.01 Trace a global cycle (carbon, nitrogen, or water) through its parts and explain how human activity has altered it.
11 D10.S3.11.02 Explain the idea of the more-than-human world and why some traditions treat land, water, and other species as beings owed care.
12 D10.S3.12.01 Explain Earth as one interconnected system and how human activity is pushing against the planetary boundaries that sustain all life.
12 D10.S3.12.02 Reflect on their place within the living world and how understanding interdependence shapes how they choose to live.

D10.S4 Sustainability & Stewardship

Caring for the Earth and its resources, and acting so that all life — present and future — can flourish.

39 lessons

K D10.S4.K.01 Do one small act of care for the environment and say why it helps.
1 D10.S4.01.01 Name one way to waste less, such as turning off water or reusing a bag, and do it.
1 D10.S4.01.02 Help care for a plant or animal and say what it needs each day.
2 D10.S4.02.01 Name one way people use water or energy and one way to save some of it.
2 D10.S4.02.02 Follow what happens to a piece of litter and explain why putting it in the right place matters.
3 D10.S4.03.01 Tell the difference between a natural resource that can run out and one that comes back, such as sunlight, with an example of each.
3 D10.S4.03.02 Name one resource people use every day, where it comes from, and one way to use less of it.
4 D10.S4.04.01 Explain what happens to trash after it is thrown away and name "reduce, reuse, recycle" in order of what is best to do first.
4 D10.S4.04.02 Investigate how one human action, such as littering or planting, can help or harm a local place.
5 D10.S4.05.01 Describe a form of pollution or habitat loss and one thing people can do to reduce it.
5 D10.S4.05.02 Explain what it means to use a resource carefully so it lasts, and give one example from their own life.
6 D10.S4.06.01 Explain what a footprint (the resources a person or place uses) is and compare the footprints of two different lifestyles.
6 D10.S4.06.02 Evaluate a simple everyday choice, such as walking versus riding, for its effect on people and the planet, and explain the trade-offs.
7 D10.S4.07.01 Explain the basic science of climate change (greenhouse gases trapping heat) and the main human activities that add to it.
7 D10.S4.07.02 Compare individual actions and collective actions for caring for the environment, and explain why both matter.
8 D10.S4.08.01 Explain what sustainability means (meeting today's needs without robbing the future) and apply it to one resource.
8 D10.S4.08.02 Analyze a community's practice for caring for land or water, from any culture, and what makes it work.
9 D10.S4.09.01 Compare fossil fuels and renewable energy sources in how they work, their limits, and their effects on people and the planet.
9 D10.S4.09.02 Analyze how the burdens and benefits of environmental change fall unevenly on different people (environmental justice).
10 D10.S4.10.01 Evaluate a real sustainability solution, such as a circular economy or a restoration project, for its benefits, limits, and fairness.
10 D10.S4.10.02 Explain the idea of a circular economy (designing out waste) and compare it with a "take, make, waste" linear economy.
11 D10.S4.11.01 Analyze global environmental policy, such as a climate agreement, and the coordination and justice questions it raises.
11 D10.S4.11.02 Compare indigenous and other place-based stewardship practices with industrial resource use, and what each teaches about sustainability.
12 D10.S4.12.01 Design and defend a stewardship plan for a real place or resource, weighing fairness to present and future generations.
12 D10.S4.12.02 Reflect on their own responsibility as a steward of the Earth and how they will act — individually and with others — for all life.

Technology, Media & Environment

This domain file is part of the standards tree. It declares the strands and the full K–12 grade-level objectives for Technology, Media & Environment.

Strands

D10.S1 — Technology & Society

Tools and technologies and how they change human life.

D10.S2 — Media & Information Literacy

Reading media critically and creating it responsibly.

D10.S3 — Ecology & Environmental Systems

Living systems and the interdependence of life and environment.

D10.S4 — Sustainability & Stewardship

Caring for the Earth so all life can flourish.

Progression (spiral)

In Kindergarten, children meet technology as helpful tools, media as story to be questioned, and the Earth as a home to care for. In Grades 1–2, they name tools and the jobs they do, tell fact from fiction in simple media, distinguish living from nonliving things and what they need, and practice small acts of care such as saving water and keeping litter out of the wrong places. In Grades 3–5, they meet simple machines and the idea of design, learn that messages have purposes and audiences and that claims should be checked against a second source, trace food chains, ecosystems, and cycles of energy and matter, and connect human actions to their effects on a local place with a sense of what they can do. In Grades 6–8, they analyze who designs technology and who can and cannot use it, separate news from opinion from advertisement and meet misinformation and disinformation, study populations, biodiversity, symbiotic relationships, and how ecosystems respond to change, and weigh everyday choices and footprints, learning the basic science of climate change. In Grades 9–12, they analyze algorithmic power, surveillance, and the governance and global distribution of technology, verify claims in a flood of information, trace global biogeochemical cycles, feedback loops, and tipping points, and evaluate solutions — renewable energy, circular economies, climate policy, and indigenous stewardship — through the lens of justice across generations. By Grade 12, learners analyze technology as a system shaping society, explain Earth as one interconnected system pressing against planetary boundaries, and practice the habits of stewards who create media honestly and act — individually and with others — for all life, with critical judgment and inquiry, not worship or fear, as their guide.