In this video we learn with an expert about climate change and its impact on indigenous populations.

In this video we learn with an expert about climate change and its impact on lands. Claire Fyson is a researcher at Climate Analytics.

In this video we learn with an expert about climate change and its impact on the permafrost.

In this video we learn with an expert about soils and its exploitation.

In this video we learn with an expert about soils and permaculture. Mette Fraurud is a permaculturist.

In this video we learn with an expert about soils and biogas. Frank Hofmann is an international Consultant, working at the German Biogas Association.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about climate change, calculate their carbon footprint, and take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

SCIENTIST NOTES: After introducing students to climate change, this lesson immediately makes the climate crisis personal, challenging them to analyze how their behavior affects the climate. Excellent video resources from National Geographic and Rutgers are presented that explain the climate crisis and how it impacts New Jersey and provide actionable steps to conserve energy and mitigate climate change. Individuals are tasked with calculating their climate footprint and then creating a weeklong journal that aids them in discovering ways to reduce carbon emissions. These journals provide students with practice constructing and then solving their own word problems before comparing their results with other students. Finally, groups create posters that demonstrate how they can affect change in their community. This lesson plan is well-sourced, offers multiple opportunities for collaborative learning, and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson includes hands-on activities that relate to students’ daily lives and the real world.
-Materials are easily accessible for teachers without much planning.
-The lesson is intended for students to be reflective, creative, cooperative, and innovative.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers should have a basic understanding of climate change.
-Students should understand cooperative learning essentials, including how to be a good teammate and how to work in groups.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Two carbon footprint calculator options are provided. Students can use one or both.
-Children’s literature can be used to support English Language Learners or provide supplements for enrichment. Possible books include:
-The Tantrum that Saved the World by Megan Herbert and Michael E. Mann
-Winston of Churchill: One Bear’s Battle Against Global Warming by Jean Davies Okimoto
-The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole
-What Is Climate Change? by Gail Herman
-It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired, & Get Going by Chelsea Clinton
-The Last Wild by Piers Torday
-Our House Is on Fire by Jeanette Winter
-Saving Earth Climate Change and the Fight for Our Future by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
-Additional resources for enrichment can be found at NOAA.gov and EnergyStar.gov.

In this nonfiction story, young readers and listeners learn how scientists use cross sections from trees to reconstruct past climates. Versions are provided for readers at two levels, k-2 and 3-5, and in text-only and illustrated formats. The story is also available as an electronic book with recorded narration. An original story is a regular feature of each issue of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The story can be used in science and literacy lessons and activities throughout the magazine.

This video focuses on animals that have quickly evolved in order to meet their needs from the impacts of climate change.

Students will learn that there is a finite amount of carbon on earth, which moves around in the environment, from one place to another. Activity is scaleable from elementary to high school with options to introduce advanced content. Wrap up includes role playing the carbon cycle with the addition of human influences (e.g. burning of fossil fuels). Activity can be done in classroom or outside, includes working in a group and role playing. Grades 3-12. This resources is part of the Our Changing Ocean and Estuaries Series

This lesson engages students with an environmental issue and allows them to use their artistic skills to create an artwork about caring for the oceans.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students read Somebody Swallowed Stanley and discuss the colors and emotions in the book.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students practice art techniques.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students create artworks about oceans and display them around their school or local community for others to view.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson builds on students’ understanding of the cardiorespiratory system, showcases how climate change impacts cardiorespiratory health, and concludes with students exploring ways they can expand their actionable responses to climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson teaches students about what is in the air we breathe, how trees are important to keeping the air clean, air pollution, and how to solve some of the big global problems. Links to local New Jersey organizations are provided. The TedEd video also links to more resources about air pollution. This lesson also includes some movement and a game to help students visualize how pollutants can be removed for the air. The videos contain accurate and thought-provoking information. This resource is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson incorporates play and fun into learning about air quality and how it relates to the cardiorespiratory system.
-Students will draw direct connections between health and climate.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers should have access to a play space large enough to accommodate the “Catch Your Breath Game."
-Teachers should have access to balls or objects that students can throw or catch.
-Teachers should be familiar with facilitating a Socratic seminar style discussion.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can write an analysis on why they think the game is called “Catch Your Breath.”
-Teachers can assign the groups to strategically place students who need support in certain areas with students who can provide that support.
-Teachers can print out the cardiorespiratory system diagram for students who would benefit from a hard copy.
-Other resources related to this lesson include this video about a nonprofit detecting deforestation and this resource to determine the tree equity score of your city or neighborhood.

Students model the effect of greenhouse gases on Earth's atmosphere. They find that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are uniquely shaped to catch and pass on infrared radiation, and so they are responsible for the warmth we enjoy on Earth. The children discuss how the addition of greenhouse gases by human activities leads to further warming and what steps we can take to slow it.

This activity is a classroom and schoolyard investigation where students collect daily temperature and precipitation readings, weather observations, and weekly phenology reports in a phenology binder and in nature journals. Students then analyze this data and compare to recorded values in the Weatherguide calendar.

Students observe and discuss a simple balloon model of an electrostatic precipitator to better understand how this pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution.

This article continues an examination of each of the seven essential principles of climate literacy on which the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured. Principle 2 covers the complex interactions among the components of the Earth system. The author discusses the scientific concepts underlying the interactions and expands the discussion with diagrams, photos, and online resources.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students watch videos and learn about photography to implement photography techniques in their stop motion projects.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson focuses on photographic stop motion animation techniques. Climate change can be a part of this lesson. All materials used in the lesson have been verified and are suitable for teaching. In this light, this lesson is credible and recommended for the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-The photography and stop motion video examples are all related to climate change to spark intrigue and start discussions.
-There is deep learning about photography techniques.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 4 in our 3rd-5th grade Animate for the Animals unit.
-The teacher will need to organize worksheets for students.
-The teacher will need to ensure that there are devices available if the Investigate section is done individually or in small groups.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Student partners could be chosen by the teacher to ensure good academic and social balance.
-Students could explore the Investigate section in groups instead of having the teacher lead the discussion. The whole class could come back together to discuss their new knowledge after the groups are finished.

This graphic indicator describes trends in average precipitation for the United States and the world.

This article features children's literature about weather, climate, and climate change. What’s the difference between weather and climate? How do scientists observe, measure, and predict weather phenomena? How is Earth’s climate changing, and why? This month’s bookshelf will help students develop a solid grasp of weather-related concepts. It will also introduce students to global warming and climate change and inspire them to do what they can to combat the problem.