As part of a language arts series for kindergarten through grade nine, this ninth grade guide examines environmental values, concepts, and problems according to a common conceptual scheme: all living things, including humans, are interrelated and interdependent; heredity and environment interact to determine the characteristics of an organism and therefore a population; living things and environments are in a continuous state of change; the world has finite resources and almost infinite demands are made on these resources; and each individual, as an agent of change, has a responsiblity to the environment. The guide offers a series of environmental activities that stress the development of reading, writing, and discussion skills and emphasize the discovery method of observation. The guide includes background information, a teacher's outline, student task sheets, and appendixes containing various types of word puzzles for the students. (MAI)