Climate Change Curricula*

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Grades K-4

Am I Hot or Am I Cold?
In this lesson developed by the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network, students will be able to tell how the air around the earth gets heated and cooled by the sun, and practice using a thermometer to keep track of the daily temperature for two weeks.  Aligns with several state and national learning objectives.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program
Scientists in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program are studying the natural phenomena that occur in clouds and how those cloud conditions affect the sun's incoming and outgoing energy and, in the longer term, our climate.  Complementing their research, the goal of the Education and Outreach Program is to develop basic science awareness and increase critical thinking skills focusing on environmental science and climate change for K-12 students. In addition, the program supports relationship building between teachers, students, scientists, and communities.

Climate Change Kids
Designed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Climate Change Kids Site serves as an encyclopedia of resources and games for students and teachers on the topic of climate change.  Best for elementary and middle school age levels.

Journey North
Teachers and students are invited to participate in Journey North's 15th annual global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Journey North enables students in 11,000 schools to track the seasons on a real-time basis. Students monitor migration patterns of monarch butterflies, bald eagles, whooping cranes, and other animals; the budding of plants, changing sunlight, temperature patterns, other natural events. They share their local observations with classmates across North America and analyze current and long-term data from other classroom and professional scientists. As they do so, participants are better prepared to recognize indicators of climate change and consider its implications.  Each Journey North study features many entry points and resources that address learning standards.

Kid's Crossing: Living in the Greenhouse
Developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Office of Programs, the Living in the Greenhouse website provides a wealth of information about the global climate.  Click the links to explore climate, how Earth's cycles affect climate, the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases, ancient climate changes, climate events and news.

Oceans Effect on Climate and Weather: Global Circulation Patterns
This brief lesson plan explores ocean circulation patterns and the effect oceans have on climate. Learning outcomes include explaining how the oceans might influence and affect local weather and climate; describing the cause of hurricanes and frequency of hurricanes; explaining how changes in ocean temperatures influence weather patterns; and listing the major variables that affect the transfer of energy throughout the ocean.  Available for free via the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore.  Correlates with three Earth Science National Learning Standards.

Living in the Greenhouse
In this lesson developed by the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network, students will define climate, tell why the earth is like a greenhouse, describe the factors that make climates different from each other, tell why certain plants and animals can only live in specific climates, match people's activities to a favorable climate, and explain how man's activities can change the environment and the climate.  Aligns with several state and national learning objectives.

Teaching about Climate Change
The editors combed North America for the best K-12 learning strategies and activities associated with climate change and the related topics of energy conservation, renewable energy and transportation.  "Green Teacher en Español," a new section of the website http://www.greenteacher.com/, includes freely-downloadable Spanish translations of most of Green Teacher's climate change lessons.  The articles and activities reflect the high standards of the Guidelines for Excellence developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education. 

Grades 5-8

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program
Scientists in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program are studying the natural phenomena that occur in clouds and how those cloud conditions affect the sun's incoming and outgoing energy and, in the longer term, our climate.  Complementing their research, the goal of the Education and Outreach Program is to develop basic science awareness and increase critical thinking skills focusing on environmental science and climate change for K-12 students. In addition, the program supports relationship building between teachers, students, scientists, and communities.

Climate Change: Connections and Solutions
An interdisciplinary, self-contained 2-week unit produced by Facing the Future that lays the foundation for understanding some of the forces behind climate change and its connections to numerous social, economic, and environmental factors.  Funding provided by Hewlett-Packard Company.  This lesson is best suited for grades 6-8 and adheres to National Science and Social Studies Education Standards.

Climate Change Kids
Designed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Climate Change Kids Site serves as an encyclopedia of resources and games for students and teachers on the topic of climate change.  Best for elementary and middle school age levels.

Climate Controls
This lesson from National Geographic has students consider how various parts of the world and the United States are affected by climate controls such as world air currents. They will read about climate controls and will create maps showing how these controls affect the climate in various places around the country.  Adheres to National Geography Standards.

Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere
This online teaching module is for middle school science teachers and provides background information and supporting classroom teaching materials.  The contest focus is climate change and issues related to both stratospheric and tropospheric ozone.  Many activities align with National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061 (AAAS).

Evidence for Trends in Climate Change
The purpose of this unit from the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network is to allow 8th grade students to experience processes by which evidence is gathered about climate change over time.  The students will be supported in their science research and data collection by activities in their math class.  With information gathered, students will then use various techniques to assess trends in climate change.  Aligns with several state and national learning objectives.

Global Climate Change
Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, this Global Climate Change exercise is a 5-8th grade curriculum that explores the relationship between the carbon cycle, fossil fuels, and levels of CO2 in the atmosphere through experiments and graphing.  Students follow up by using a personal trip log to discover their own CO2 production and how to minimize it.  Correlates to several math, science, and geography state standards in Connecticut.

Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy
Most scientists believe that Earth's climate is changing and in fact heating up. However, they don't all agree about the rate of change, the extent of the impact on our environment, or what can or should be done about it. This module is based on the premise that understanding what influences Earth's energy balance is necessary (though not sufficient) to make sound decisions about climate change. Among the key concepts: how weather and climate relate to transfer of energy in and out of Earth's atmosphere, and how human activities have changed Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere.  This resource is available for purchase at the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore.  Aligns with three Earth Science National Learning Standards.

Journey North
Teachers and students are invited to participate in Journey North's 15th annual global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Journey North enables students in 11,000 schools to track the seasons on a real-time basis. Students monitor migration patterns of monarch butterflies, bald eagles, whooping cranes, and other animals; the budding of plants, changing sunlight, temperature patterns, other natural events. They share their local observations with classmates across North America and analyze current and long-term data from other classroom and professional scientists. As they do so, participants are better prepared to recognize indicators of climate change and consider its implications.  Each Journey North study features many entry points and resources that address learning standards.

Micro?  Local?  Macro?
In this lesson from the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network students will define climate and climatology, identify factors that affect climate, differentiate between microclimate, local climate, and macroclimate, interpret a climate graph, outline Nebraska's climate for the last 12,000 years, discuss how climate can change humans activities, identify human activities that can change the climate, and identify local and national strategies for dealing with potential climactic changes.  Aligns with several state and national learning objectives.

NOVA Online: Warnings from the Ice
Explore how Antarctica's ice has preserved the past - from Chernobyl to the Little Ice Age - going back hundreds of thousands of years, and then see how the world's coastlines would recede if some or all of this ice were to melt. This site for kids also includes a guide and resources for educators.

Oceans Effect on Climate and Weather: Global Circulation Patterns
This brief lesson plan explores ocean circulation patterns and the effect oceans have on climate. Learning outcomes include explaining how the oceans might influence and affect local weather and climate; describing the cause of hurricanes and frequency of hurricanes; explaining how changes in ocean temperatures influence weather patterns; and listing the major variables that affect the transfer of energy throughout the ocean.  Available for free via the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore.  Correlates with three Earth Science National Learning Standards.

Teaching about Climate Change
The editors combed North America for the best K-12 learning strategies and activities associated with climate change and the related topics of energy conservation, renewable energy and transportation.  "Green Teacher en Español," a new section of the website http://www.greenteacher.com/, includes freely-downloadable Spanish translations of most of Green Teacher's climate change lessons.  The articles and activities reflect the high standards of the Guidelines for Excellence developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education.

Grades 9-12

Earth Day Network Climate Lessons - Featured resource!
In honor of EE Week's Carbon Footprints theme, the Earth Day Network has developed a special series of high school lesson plans on the following climate-related topics: Biodiversity and Climate; Invasive Species and Climate; Food, Water and Climate; Equity and Climate; and Green Building and Climate.  These lessons are best suited for grades 9-12 and adhere to National Science Education Standards. 

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program
Scientists in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program are studying the natural phenomena that occur in clouds and how those cloud conditions affect the sun's incoming and outgoing energy and, in the longer term, our climate.  Complementing their research, the goal of the Education and Outreach Program is to develop basic science awareness and increase critical thinking skills focusing on environmental science and climate change for K-12 students. In addition, the program supports relationship building between teachers, students, scientists, and communities.

Climate and CO2: Analyzing their Relationship
In this lesson from the National Geographic Society, students will speculate on various scenarios if the world's greenhouse gases continue to increase.  Aligns with National Geography Standards.

Climate Change: Connections and Solutions
An interdisciplinary, self-contained 2-week unit produced by Facing the Future that lays the foundation for understanding some of the forces behind climate change and its connections to numerous social, economic, and environmental factors.  Funding provided by Hewlett-Packard Company.  This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12 and adheres to National Science and Social Studies Education Standards.

Crazy Climates
Sunny and 92 degrees on Monday--Rainy and 67 degrees on Tuesday?!? Just what kind of weather is being described here? Not to worry, it's only June in Nebraska. Temperatures here can vary as much as 30 degrees in a 24 hour period. But what about longer periods of time--say from year-to-year or from 10 years to the next ten years? These longer periods of time are described as climate rather than weather. This unit from the Nebraska Earth Science Education Network will help you and your students investigate climate changes happening now, those that happened in the past, and help you predict what will happen in the future.  Aligns with several state and national learning objectives.

Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy
Most scientists believe that Earth's climate is changing and in fact heating up. However, they don't all agree about the rate of change, the extent of the impact on our environment, or what can or should be done about it. This module is based on the premise that understanding what influences Earth's energy balance is necessary (though not sufficient) to make sound decisions about climate change. Among the key concepts: how weather and climate relate to transfer of energy in and out of Earth's atmosphere, and how human activities have changed Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere.  This resource is available for purchase at the National Science Teachers Association online bookstore.  Aligns with three Earth Science National Learning Standards.

Industrial Revolution and Climate Change
In this lesson from the Nebraska Earth Science Education Network students investigate climate change from the view of the Industrial Revolution in Earth Science, English, and Social Studies disciplines.

Journey North
Teachers and students are invited to participate in Journey North's 15th annual global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Journey North enables students in 11,000 schools to track the seasons on a real-time basis. Students monitor migration patterns of monarch butterflies, bald eagles, whooping cranes, and other animals; the budding of plants, changing sunlight, temperature patterns, other natural events. They share their local observations with classmates across North America and analyze current and long-term data from other classroom and professional scientists. As they do so, participants are better prepared to recognize indicators of climate change and consider its implications.  Each Journey North study features many entry points and resources that address learning standards.

Koshland Science Museum Global Warming Webquest
Have your students ever wondered how global warming works or how it will impact their lives?  Using this Internet-based webquest activity, students will learn about climate change, energy use, and global warming, including how scientists, business leaders, and policy makers study and respond to climate change, how society and the environment will be impacted by global warming, and how we can help people to make better decisions regarding all the complicated issues involved with climate change and global warming.  More importantly, students will have an opportunity to play a role on a fictitious climate action team, where they will make some of the same discoveries and decisions that a real scientist, business leader, or policy maker would make.  Adheres to National Science Education Standards.

NOVA Online: Warnings from the Ice
Explore how Antarctica's ice has preserved the past - from Chernobyl to the Little Ice Age - going back hundreds of thousands of years, and then see how the world's coastlines would recede if some or all of this ice were to melt. This site for kids also includes a guide and resources for educators.

Teaching about Climate Change
The editors combed North America for the best K-12 learning strategies and activities associated with climate change and the related topics of energy conservation, renewable energy and transportation.  "Green Teacher en Español," a new section of the website www.greenteacher.com, includes freely-downloadable Spanish translations of most of Green Teacher's climate change lessons.  The articles and activities reflect the high standards of the Guidelines for Excellence developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education.

The People Speak
During the 2007-2008 academic year, high school students across the U.S. will have the opportunity to participate in The People Speak: Global Debates.  The fall Global Debate will occur ten days in October 2007 and will focus on global climate change.

Weather and Agriculture
In this lesson from the National Geographic Society, students will research, discuss, and write reports on the relationship between climate and agriculture. They will pretend that they have just purchased farms in specific parts of the United States and will investigate that region's weather and climate in order to maximize the chances that their farms will succeed.  Adheres to National Geography Standards.

Who Will Take the Heat?
In this activity from the PBS Nova program, students will learn about the environmental, economic, and political issues surrounding global climate change policy and will specifically compare the emissions of the U.S. and China, the two largest producers of emissions that cause global warming.  Aligns with several national standards for social studies teachers.

Do you have climate change curricula you'd like to share?  Email it to us!

*The curricula listed on this webpage have been selected in light of their adherence to state, national, and/or NAAEE educational standards and are thus suitable for classroom use.