This article provides elementary school teachers with background knowledge about science concepts needed to understand the first of seven essential principles of climate literacy--the sun is the primary source of energy for our climate system. Graphs, diagrams, and oneline resources provide more background for the teacher. The article appears in a free online magazine that focuses on the seven essential princples of the climate sciences.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about the role the sun plays in our daily lives and how solar energy can be used.

SCIENTIST NOTES: In this lesson, students learn about the role the sun plays in our daily lives and how solar energy can be used.

POSITIVES:
-Students participate in whole and small group discussions and exploration.
-Students explore topics through hands-on inquiry-based activities.
-Students share information and encourage positive climate action.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Most required materials are typical classroom items. However, the teacher will need to source some additional materials to complete the mini-lessons and stations, such as pizza boxes, aluminum foil, thermometers, etc.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-This lesson was designed to be used in a kindergarten classroom but can easily be modified for first and second grade. See Station and Mini-Lesson Guide for more information about scaffolding the lesson up or down for students.
-Students work at their own pace in stations.
-Students choose a method of sharing knowledge according to their personal learning.
-Additional or alternative texts:
-Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty
-This text focuses on the sun and space, with the sun serving as the narrator.
-The Sun Is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch
-Narrative with beautiful imagery.
-Simple text. It may be appropriate for some students to read independently.
-Running on Sunshine: How Does Solar Energy Work? by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
-nonfiction text
-This book can be quite dense, so it may be best to read it in chunks for younger students.

This regular column, called Take Action, in the magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle suggests actions K-5 teachers can take to incorporate the guiding principle for informed climate decisions in the classroom. The principle, which appears in the document Climate Literacy, states that humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.

The Take Action column in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle suggests actions young people (K-grade 5) can take to reduce the impacts of climate change. The magazine examines the recognized essential principles of climate literacy and the climate sciences as well as the guiding principle for informed climate decisions.

The Take Action column provides resources that help teachers engage students in activities that connect their science learning to their lives. In this article, students are introduced to household appliances and devices, called energy vampires, that continue to draw electrical current even when turned off. The article offers a few simple activities that students can take to reduce the impact of energy vampires. The Take Action column regularly appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which focuses on the essential principles of climate literacy.

This music video features a rap song about some of the causes and effects of climate change with the goal of increasing awareness of climate change and how it will impact nature and humans.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces students to the relationship between health and climate change through play and movement.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson allows students to learn about the importance of trees in addressing climate change and improving air quality. Students get to play an interactive game to understand why we should conserve and restore the forests. The lesson has no scientific misconceptions, and all materials are well-sourced. This is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson can be adapted to all environments and spaces.
-Students will understand the importance of trees.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers should be familiar with the basics of climate change and the carbon cycle.
-Teachers should become familiar with the Take It to the Forest Game and set up the game before students arrive to class.
-Make sure to steer students away from possible misconceptions. Some students may think that:
-Fewer trees is a good thing so there is more carbon dioxide for humans to breathe.
-Breathing is bad because humans are creating more carbon dioxide.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The game is designed to have independent work happening within a group and whole class setting. As such, modifications for students with needs are inherently built into the game, as each student is performing what they need to be successful.
-The game can be modified for classrooms and gyms that have limited space by adjusting the exercise activities and reducing the size of the circle pattern the students travel through.
-Safety issues about spatial awareness and proper exercising techniques should be reviewed before starting the game.
-Reminders for students to "honor the game" might be necessary.
-Students with mobility limitations can go at their own pace and work with a partner if needed. Depending on the situation, the partner can assist or take directions from the student.

This interactive visualization provides information in text, graphic, and video format about renewable energy technologies. Resource in the Student's Guide to Global Climate Change, part of EPA Climate Change Division.

This video series highlights the travel, science, and life at the South Pole research station. In this 10-part series, topics are explained in 3-4 minute, digestible segments which include photos and videos from the narrator's trip, as well as anecdotes to help viewers get a personal perspective of Antarctica.

SYNOPSIS: In this final lesson in the green spaces unit, students will use their knowledge to take action.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson emphasizes ways to create awareness to localize green spaces in classroom or community. This technique is suitable for students to adopt. This lesson has no scientific misconceptions and is recommended for use in the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-Students have great agency and control over their projects.
-Students can have a direct and positive impact on their classroom space.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 6 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-Students should be familiar with green spaces by completing the previous lessons in this unit plan.
-Following up with all the students and their projects will most likely take a lot of time. For example, writing a short letter to the principal is very different from planning and executing a school garden. Make sure to provide reasonable guidelines for how much extra class time can be spent on the projects.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can pursue their projects individually or in groups.
-Weaker students may need more support than others, depending on which project they choose to pursue.
-Some students may have difficulty choosing a topic. Finding them a good partner or partners might help them fully engage in this project.

In this lesson, students collect outdoor observational data to create a song about climate change. Intermediate music students will not only earn a greater appreciation for Alaska, but also for nature. These activities help students to learn how to use sound and sight maps in order to identify aspects of our region in Southeast Alaska. In addition, students learn about the basic concepts of climate change in order to write creative lyrics for songs for the entire school. At the end of the unit, students perform their unique songs in a school wide assembly.

Although written for Alaska, the lesson could easily be adapted for many other locations.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces the concept of weather to students.

SCIENTIST NOTES: Observing the weather to track changes is an important activity. This lesson allows students to understand the local weather and observe the patterns and their impact on their daily activities and the environment. All materials are suitable techniques for qualitative weather forecasting. On that account, this lesson has passed our scientific credibility process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students as they are introduced to weather and its importance.
-This lesson features sensory learning as students use their five senses to make observations about the weather.
-This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.
-This lesson provides an introduction to the relationship between climate and weather.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-You can place a thermometer in an easily accessed outside location (e.g., near the recess area) and check the temperature daily.
-It is necessary to print the weather journal and weather wheel ahead of time.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You can have students think-pair-share during the read aloud. Students can make predictions or answer questions.
-You can pause the read aloud before the text is read for students to make observations and predictions about the story.
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their weather wheel and their future climate prediction.
-Possible Extension: Work with the school administration to find a way for students to share a daily weather report with the school (e.g., live morning assembly, email blast, TV announcement, etc.).

This unit will help 4th or 5th grade teachers prepare students to explore two big questions related to the Earth’s changing climate. The primary goal is to nurture an understanding of the element carbon, Earth’s carbon cycle, and how carbon dioxide and other gases contribute to the planet warming greenhouse effect of Earth’s atmosphere. The questions are:

1) What is carbon and why are all living things on Earth considered to be carbon-based lifeforms?

2) What is the greenhouse effect and why should we care about how much carbon is in our atmosphere?

These questions align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for 4th grade that many states have adopted or adapted.1 An annotated list of the applicable NGSS and state science standards can be found in the appendix of this curriculum unit.

Under the NGSS, 4th grade students study concepts related to energy and learn that all fuels used to meet our continuously growing energy demand are derived from natural resources. Consequently, the production and usage of some energy resources adds more carbon dioxide to Earth’s atmosphere. Students are just beginning to develop an understanding of how human activities can impact the Earth and result in either positive or negative consequences.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson promotes students' understanding of the power and influence of the media. Students will leverage this understanding to develop their own media campaigns for their reimagined metro systems.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson enables students to reimagine and pitch ways to advertise public transportation as a key strategy for sustainable green transportation. All materials have been verified and are accurate. For that reason, the lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-Students connect professional media practices to their own opinions, ideas, questions, and values.
-Students explore different types of media messages and critically think about their influence on consumers.
-This lesson supports collaboration amongst peers.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-Students should have an understanding of various platforms or settings people might view advertisements.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can use personal devices and work in pairs or small groups to jigsaw the advertisement analysis for each example.
-Teacher can provide an extension activity for advanced students to look for alternative transportation advertisements that highlight sustainable options like public transportation or bikeshare.
-There are differentiated products for culminating projects that are attuned to diverse strengths from students. Students have the option to complete a poster, TikTok, billboard, video ad, or social media post to market their design.

Suggestions are made on how to use the resources featured in the issue of Beyond Weather and the Water Cyle in a unit on the greenhouse effect. Hands-on experiences and nonfiction text are provided to help students answer the question "How is Earth like a greenhouse?" Suggestions are also made for formative and summative assessments.

Unit plans at two levels, K-grade 2 and grades 3-5 develop understanding of the issue theme, We Depend on Earth's Climate, by focusing on adaptations and environments of local plant species and polar mammals. The units are modeled after a learning cycle framework built around five key steps: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Assess. The lessons are aligned with national standards for science education and English language arts.

Unit plans for Grades K-2 and 3-5 are a regular feature of the magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The plans draw on articles and resources in a themed issue and are aligned with national science and language arts standards. This unit is designed to provide elementary students with the opportunity to investigate how the annual rings in trees help scientists learn about past climates. It uses hands-on experiences and nonfiction text to answer the unit question: How do trees help scientists learn about the past?

In this resource, students learn about freshwater resources, how NASA uses satellites to measure precipitation, and how that data can be used in agricultural practices. Students use data from the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement satellite to explore precipitation patterns in two parts of the world and then make recommendations for how to reduce water use in agriculture and in their own lives.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students use a base number (1,000, 100, or 20) to compare the numbers of extinct, endangered, and vulnerable species and consider how their actions can help protect animals and plants.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson lets students build their capacity to quantify and have a sense of the state of biodiversity in their community. This activity enables them to have a grip of species richness and conditions that impact biodiversity, track changes to biodiversity loss, and learn ways to protect biodiversity loss. All materials embedded in the lesson are credible. As a result, this lesson has passed our credibility review process.

POSITIVES:
-Students will consider how responsible decision-making impacts them and their environment directly.
-Students will link the math skills of writing and comparing numbers to real-life applications.
-Students at all levels of proficiency with number sense can participate using differentiated materials.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 3 in our Number Sense and Biodiversity unit.
-This lesson reinforces concepts of place value by giving students partner and independent practice. Students should already have an understanding of place value to at least 1,000 to fully engage with the materials.
-The Teacher Script can be used as a guide during the Investigate section.
-Work in the 1,000 Number Packet could be done outside of the designated time for lessons if students are working independently and the given time isn’t sufficient.
-The Number Packets include teacher keys.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can work independently or in groups to complete the Number Packet.
-The Number Packet has some numbers filled in for students to stay on track. More numbers could be added for support.
-For K-1st, there is a 100 Number Packet that converts the number of species on the list to 100, instead of 1,000.
-For early kindergarten, there is a 20 Number Packet that converts the number of species on the list to 20 and does not specify by category. The packet uses simple terms such as “in danger,” “not enough information,” and “not in danger.” If you choose to use this resource, do not use the IUCN category vocabulary cards.

This article provides tips and strategies for effectively integrating digital media into classroom instruction. Resources provided are suitable for preschool and elementary students.