Geoscience teaching has primarily been oriented toward the value of science to explain natural systems. However, many kinds of values guide people's responses to environmental problems, which originate when human expectations fail to match the behavior of natural systems. Examples from the literature show that practical environmental decision-making recognizes, and is formed on the basis of, diverse values. We propose a "values of nature" framework based on Stephen Kellert's (1996) values of life to provide a set of concepts and a terminology that engages students to recognize the values they bring to environmental issues. We show from our experiences in two different introductory courses that students using the values framework can develop thoughtful attitudes about the environment and can appreciate the views of those with different values.