Students learn about five types of renewable energy that are part of engineering solutions to help people in rural communities use less and cleaner energy for cooking and heating. Specifically, students learn about the pollution and health challenges facing families in rural China, and they are introduced to the concept of optimization. Through an energy game, students differentiate between renewable and non-renewable sources of energy.

These two visuals illustrate quantities of freshwater vs saltwater availability worldwide through graphs and charts. There are resources included that support conversations around the graphics.
These graphics are part of a larger collection of resources titled "Climate Change Impacts and Solutions: Drought"

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students reflect on how salt affects plants, learn how some communities are finding ways to grow plants in saltier conditions, and create a mural to share their learning with the community.

SCIENTIST NOTES: Soil is an important component for plants' survival. This lesson allows students to evaluate the impact of saline soil on plant growth. It explores two country case studies on ways farmers adapt to soil salinity to grow crops, especially testing out crops that can tolerate saline conditions. This lesson has passed the science credibility process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students to share information about their learning with their community.
-Students do an art experiment to learn how salt affects plants.
-Students think about plant adaptations and changes to landscapes over time.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 4 in our K-2nd grade Water and Plant Survival unit.
-It is necessary to prepare materials for the Inquire section before class:
-Distribute 3 containers of water to each group.
-Add 2-3 drops of food coloring to each container to make red, yellow, and green paint. Alternatively, students can use watercolor paints.
-Distribute paintbrushes or manipulatives to paint with (ex. plant material, grasses, leaves, sponges, or Q-tips).
-Distribute cardstock for each student.
-Prepare a small container of salt for each table, but do not distribute it until it is time for students to sprinkle the salt on their paintings.
-In the Investigate section, students will read about farming in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The texts explain that both countries are in Asia, but you may want to show students where the countries are located on a globe or a world map to give them a more precise understanding of the countries' locations.
-Students need a large section of butcher paper for the final version of their group’s mural. Additional materials may include markers, paint, or crayons.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can read on their own using the leveled texts about Bangladesh or Pakistan, or the teacher can read aloud to the whole group using the Farming in Bangladesh slides.
-Students can dictate their ideas to an adult to write about the mural.
-Students can answer specific questions about the mural one by one or work to put their ideas in paragraph form using either option in the Individual Writing Sheet.
-Possible extension: Share the mural with a group or organization in the community by displaying it in the neighborhood, in a city building, in a store, or in another school.

This video adapted from Bullfrog Films examines the effects of global warming on the Pacific island of Samoa with testimonials from an expert in both western science knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge. Background essay and discussion questions are included.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces students to sea turtles and the human-caused dangers they face while encouraging them to create a way to help save these beautiful creatures.

SCIENTIST NOTES: There is an intrinsic benefit in conserving sea turtles, and this lesson lets students to understand the impact of sea turtles in our ocean. It would equip them to design a real-life project to save sea turtles from extinction. All accompanying materials in this lesson are appropriate to provide better understanding on the subject. Above all, there is a high confidence in using this lesson in the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson allows for a collaborative hands-on learning environment for students as sea turtle conservation is introduced.
-This lesson features creative learning and engagement for all students.
-Students develop a strong connection to student-led activism through the book Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson.
-This lesson features a step by step guide to follow the engineering design process.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teacher needs a copy of the book Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson.
-Students should have a basic knowledge of sea turtles and global problems like pollution and plastic in the oceans.
-Teacher can print out worksheets prior to the lesson if desired.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can think-pair-share during the reading, making predictions or answering questions.
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate throughout this lesson.

School librarian Marcia Mardis describes what the library can offer to teachers and students who want to produce a focused, engaging, and effective science fair. This article appears in the free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which explores the seven essential principles of the climate sciences for K-grade 5 classrooms.

Science and education experts caution that climate-change topics can overwhelm and frighten young children. Science lessons chosen for this article focus on general environmental issues, such as the effects of litter, air pollution, and water pollution. The lessons also include actions and solutions to environmental issues. The free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle focuses on integrating age-appropriate science learning with literacy experiences.

This very short video introduces the concept of sea level rise and ties it back to global warming. The video is brief, basic, and clear. It can be used for a quick introduction, but nothing deeper than that.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students investigate why sea level rise is occurring and consider how people’s actions can alter its course.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson allows students to observe and measure the mean sea level, analyze the changes in the sea level, and convey the analysis using arts and painting. It improves their interdisciplinary skills and enables them to develop local strategies to respond to sea level rise impacts on their environment. All materials and videos have been reviewed and have passed the science credibility review.

POSITIVES:
-Students work collaboratively to collect and report their observations.
-This lesson features hands-on interaction with students’ predictions in order to dissipate misconceptions.
-Students learn how art can be a powerful motivator for change.
-Students collect data and build science practice skills.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 4 in our K-2nd grade Water and Plant Survival unit.
-You will need to assemble a number of materials to set up the stations. A list of supplies and directions is provided in the Station Directions document.
-You will need ice for a number of stations. Remember to plan ahead in order to freeze it!
-Station 4 (optional) must be run by an adult because it uses boiling water. Alternatively, you can do the experiment from Station 4 as a demonstration in front of the whole class.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You can set up the stations in the classroom or outside.
-There are two versions of the Observation Journal, one with more room to write and the other with more room to sketch. Choose the one that is best for your students.
-All of the stations can be completed as whole group demonstrations.
-Possible extension: Ask students to consider how to test their ideas from the Inquire section. Try some of their ideas and discuss if the results proved or disproved their hypothesis.

This article describes glaciologist Lonnie Thompson's discovery of an ancient plant in Peru. It also illustrates some important characteristics of good science that can be seen even in a serendipitous discovery.

This learning activity is a climate change musical for K-12, youth groups or faith organizations. Shine weaves together climate science and performance art into a fun and powerful story, which spans 300 million years of geological time to convey how humanity, energy, and climate are interrelated.

These 'warming stripe' graphics are visual representations of the change in temperature as measured in each country over the past 100+ years. Each stripe represents the temperature in that country averaged over a year.

This lesson has activities where students will learn about buoyancy and explore how hot water rises and cold water sinks. As an extension and real-life application, students will see that glacial run-off is occurring at a rapid pace and the cold glacial water could potentially change ocean currents thus influencing global climates.

This article describes the work of Dr. Jason Box, a researcher studying summer melt ponds on Greenland's ice sheets and the response of glaciers to try to explain the changes in climate that are being observed in the polar regions.

This article describes the energy that radiates from the sun, the concept of albedo, Earth's radiation budget, and the effect of decreasing albedo on Earth's climate.

This video segment from 'What's Up in the Environment,' shares how an entire home can be constructed using green energy sources (solar and geothermal energy). Video is narrated by young boy whose father is the chief engineer on the project.

This short video clip summarizes NOAA's annual State of the Climate Report for 2009. It presents a comprehensive summary of Earth's climate in 2009 and establishes the last decade as the warmest on record. Reduced extent of Arctic sea ice, glacier volume, and snow cover reflect the effects of rising global temperature.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about the Indigenous peoples of Oregon’s distinct ways of knowing and living, how colonization damaged Indigenous lands and natural resources, and what can be done to start to repair some of the damage.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson underscores the importance of strengthening and building the capacity of the Indigenous peoples of Oregon to protect their lands, territories, and natural resources. It allows students to gain insights into the history of the Indigenous peoples, reflect on how they were colonized, and understand how the nine tribes have evolved from the past to the present. It also stretches students' ability to develop tactics to help support the Indigenous peoples to protect their lands from degradation. The materials, images, and videos used in creating this lesson were fact-checked, and this lesson has passed our science review process.

POSITIVES:
-Students will learn that even though Indigenous people’s land was forcibly taken from them, they continue to maintain and pass on their ways of living and doing.
-Students will gain a greater sense of place as they discover which federally recognized Native American reservations are located near their community.
-Students will have the chance to reflect on their feelings and emotions as they learn about colonization and forced relocation.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Speaking about colonization can raise emotions. Both educators and students need to understand that colonization is an ongoing process with many lands still being occupied due to broken and deceptive treaties.
-Teachers may wish to view the film, Broken Treaties, before teaching this lesson to gain a greater understanding of the history of the Indigenous peoples of Oregon. The film includes information about violent massacres that may not be appropriate for younger students. The two short segments of the film that are included in the lesson were selected because they are age-appropriate.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can complete the research activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You can also choose to go over the research materials (articles, videos, etc.) as a class and have students answer the research questions after.
-You can give students the chance to choose any project in the Inspire section, you can limit the choices to one or two project ideas, or you can choose to have the students all complete the same project.
-As an extension, invite a Tribal member to visit the class in person or via video call.

This NASA video reviews the role of the sun in driving the climate system. It uses colorful animations to illustrate Earth's energy balance and how increased greenhouse gases are creating an imbalance in the energy budget, leading to warming. The video also reviews how the NASA satellite program collects data on the sun.

This short video features the Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observatory Network (ALISON project), a citizen science program in which 4th and 5th graders help scientists study the relationship between climate change and lake ice and snow conditions.