This reading helps students explore the many ways human activities harm the environment and how those problems are connected. Students learn about climate change, greenhouse gases, coral bleaching, deforestation, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, nutrient pollution, plastic waste, overfishing, resource extraction, and landfill methane. This resource includes a reading passage, 10 comprehension questions, 5 extension questions, and a full answer key.

The reading also explores important real-world environmental issues connected to human impact, including how burning fossil fuels, cutting forests, polluting ecosystems, overusing natural resources, and creating waste all contribute to larger environmental damage. It is a strong fit for environmental science, Earth science, biology, and sustainability discussions because it connects major environmental problems to clear real-world examples students can understand.

This resource covers the following topics:

✅ Grade 10 and Up Reading on climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, overfishing, resource extraction, and waste.
✅ No-Prep, Editable Resource: Easy to assign as print or digital literacy practice.
✅ Includes Reading Comprehension & Extension Questions: Comes with 10 comprehension questions, 5 extension questions, and a full answer key.
✅ Helps students strengthen science literacy, critical thinking, vocabulary, and evidence-based reasoning.

How this product will help your students:

• Students will build a stronger understanding of how humans negatively impact the environment by reading about major environmental problems and the science behind them.
• They will also practice reading comprehension, scientific vocabulary, and critical thinking as they connect human actions to climate change, ecosystem damage, biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste.

How this product will help you:

• This resource gives you a ready-to-use science reading that works well for independent work, homework, class discussion, sub plans, enrichment, or cross-curricular literacy practice.
• The included questions and answer key make it easy to assign and assess.
• Provide you with a concise introduction to your topic.
• Provide you with an engaging and easy-to-leave substitute plan which will keep your students engaged and on task.
• Provide you a means of measuring your students’ literacy skills.

This resource covers the following topics:

• Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions
• Coral bleaching
• Deforestation and land-use change
• Biodiversity loss and extinction risk
• Air, water, and plastic pollution
• Nutrient pollution and dead zones
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
• Overfishing and resource extraction
• Waste, landfills, and methane
• How environmental problems are connected

Google Classroom and Distance Learning Ready

• This resource is perfect for in-class or distance learning and integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom.
• Automatically creates a copy of the reading and puts it directly into your Google Drive with a single click.
• Purchase --> Open --> Click --> Assign to your students
• The reading also includes a Microsoft Word and PDF version.

Having all three options allow you to assign the reading to your students without worrying about formatting issues as all the work has already been done for you. It also allows you, as well as your students, to access everything no matter where you are or what kind of equipment is being used.

No prep, no formatting, no issues. Simply download, print (or upload to your class site) and you're all set.

The Problem You Face - Not having the time to properly teach scientific literacy (disciplinary literacy) or improve your student's reading comprehension and analysis skills.

The Solution

This fully editable, NO PREP reading comprehension article is composed of relevant, applicable, and engaging reading activities which can be used to:

• introduce your topic

• improve your student's reading comprehension and scientific literacy skills

• improve your students' analysis skills

• provide an extension activity to students who move at a faster pace

• provide extra credit to students in need

• measure your student's literacy skills

This resource will take your students between 60-90 minutes to complete and includes some open-ended questions. An answer key is also included for your reference.

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You might also be interested in my other individual reading comprehension articles. Each one can be found inside my Grade 8 and Up Reading Mega Bundle.

The bundle includes readings from:

• Chemistry
• Energy
• Biology
• Health
• Earth and Space
• Physics
• Ecology and the Environment
• Natural Disasters
• General Science