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Middle School Climate Education

This is a curated collection of resources that aim to teach about Earth's climate for middle school students. Image credit United Nations

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Changing Planet: Adaptation of Butterflies
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This video addresses the impact of climate change on several butterfly populations. Warming temperatures lead to shifts in location of populations of butterflies or die-offs of populations unable to adapt to changing conditions or shift to new locations.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
National Earth Science Teachers Association
Windows to the Universe/NBC Learn
Date Added:
09/24/2018
Changing Planet: Fading Corals
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This video provides a comprehensive introduction to the role of coral reefs, the physiology of corals, and the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on coral survival. It highlights experts from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the University of Miami.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC Learn/Windows to the Universe
Date Added:
09/24/2018
Changing Planet: Infectious Diseases
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This video illustrates conditions under which two infectious diseases - cholera and dengue fever - flourish, and how climate change is likely to exacerbate those conditions. Note: you may need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC Learn
Windows to the Universe
Date Added:
09/24/2018
Changing Planet: Melting Mountain Glaciers
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This NBC Learn video features climate scientists doing their research on Mt. Kilimanjaro to study the climate of the past. The scientists put the recently observed changes on the glacier into perspective by comparing past climate fluctuations, stressing that the current observed rate of change is unprecedented. Note: you will need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

Subject:
Applied Science
Archaeology
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Geography
Physical Science
Social Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC Learn video - Changing Planet
Windows to the Universe
Date Added:
09/24/2018
Changing Planet: Ocean Acidification
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This video addresses acidification of the ocean and the ecological and economic implications of the resulting pH change on marine life. It includes information about how ocean acidification resulting from increased absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere is affecting ocean species such as sea urchins and oysters. Scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara discuss their experiments with sea creatures in acidic sea water. There is an associated lesson plan and classroom activity that has students test the effects of CO2 on water pH.

Subject:
Oceanography
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC News
Windows to the Universe
Date Added:
10/27/2014
Changing Planet: Ocean Temperatures
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This video follows Bermuda scientists into the field as they collect data that documents a warming trend in ocean temperatures. BIOS Director Tony Knapp discusses some of the impact of warming temperatures on sea levels, storms, and marine ecosystems.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Oceanography
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NASA/Windows on the Universe
NBC Learn
Date Added:
10/27/2014
Changing Planet: Permafrost Gas Leak
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Educational Use
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This is a multi-faceted activity that offers students a variety of opportunities to learn about permafrost and the role of methane in thawing permafrost.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Jennifer Bergman
Missy Holzer
NESTA/Windows to the Universe
Roberta Johnson
Date Added:
05/15/2012
Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level
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This video discusses the social and economic impacts (worldwide and in the US) of sea level rise caused by global warming (aired April 1, 2011). Note: you may need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Geoscience
History
History, Law, Politics
Oceanography
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC Learn
Windows to the Universe
Date Added:
10/27/2014
Changing Planet: Thawing Permafrost and Methane
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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This video examines the thawing of permafrost due to changes in climate and shows examples of the impacts that warming temperatures have on permafrost in the Arctic, including the release of the greenhouse gas methane. Dramatic results are shown, including sink holes forming on the landscape and beneath buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, causing some communities to relocate.

Subject:
Applied Science
Environmental Science
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
NBC Learn
UCAR
Date Added:
06/19/2012
Changing Planet: Warming Lakes
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The video addresses impact of warming temperatures on major lakes of the world with specific focus on Lake Superior and Lake Tanganyika. It discusses the science of water stratification and its impact on lake ecosystems and on human populations whose livelihoods depend on the lakes.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Geoscience
History
History, Law, Politics
Life Science
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA)
Windows to the Universe/NBC Learn
Date Added:
10/27/2014
The Chemistry of Landfills
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC
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SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students use chemical reactions that occur in landfills and composting as a vehicle to learn about chemical changes found in their daily lives.

SCIENTIST NOTES: Students learn how to distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter through this lesson. They can comprehend the chemical makeup, interactions, and changes that take place in landfills and other waste disposal facilities thanks to the films, articles, and class activity. Disastrous gases like methane are emitted into the atmosphere after the breakdown of various products and materials at waste disposal facilities due to their distinctive chemical properties. The environment and human health are likely to suffer as a result. So, it's crucial to separate these wastes since some of them can be reused or recycled to lower the amount of methane in the environment. Above all, students will be able to create a model for trash management, promote sustainably managed waste, and present solutions to local communities. To prevent injuries in the classroom, the teacher should oversee the balloon activity that involves using objects like banana peels and balloons on bottle mouths, among others. The lesson, including all accompanying materials and videos, has all been fact-checked, and it is appropriate for use in a classroom.

POSITIVES:
-Students work collaboratively in groups and with partners to share diverse ideas and perspectives.
-Students participate in hands-on learning to aid in understanding and participation.
-Students learn through a variety of pathways including kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning to reach diverse and unique individuals.
-Students are given a variety of optional extensions to create the most meaningful change in their communities.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers can use this as a multi-day lesson in two to three parts. Each of the Inquire, Investigate, and Inspire sections can be completed on a separate day.
-Teachers can cut the chemical or physical change sorting game cards out prior to teaching the lesson.
-Materials required for the hands-on landfill activity include the following:
-Clear plastic tub (~12-in long × 6-in wide × 5-in deep) (~30-cm x 15-cm x 13-cm) with about 1 inch (2.54 cm) of sand in the bottom
-Clay (~750 cubic cm); this clay does not need to be the high-quality type used for modeling; clayey or silty soil from your backyard works fine
-Sand (~1500 cubic cm) (available at home and garden stores)
-Gravel (~100 cubic cm) (available at home and garden stores)
-~15 cotton balls
-(Optional) Tiny houses and buildings (such as Monopoly game houses and hotels), or any other simple representation to simulate the presence of a town sitting on the sand base
-Materials required for the balloon activity:
-Plastic (or glass) bottles
-Balloons
-Food scraps
-Tape (for securing the balloon around the top of the bottle)

DIFFERENTIATION:
-All hands-on activities can be taught as demonstrations.
-Lab groups may be created with students of mixed abilities.
-Articles may be read in small groups, whole groups, or individually based on students’ needs.
-Students can do the optional activity listed in the Inspire section and complete another balloon activity with food waste.
-Students can explore deeper the differences between methane and carbon dioxide outputs as greenhouse gases in landfills versus composting.

Subject:
Chemistry
Physical Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
SubjectToClimate
Author:
Mallory Swafford
Date Added:
06/30/2023
Chicago fights extreme urban heat with greener ideas
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As a segment in PBS's Coping with Climate Change series, Hari Sreenivasan reports on the actions the city of Chicago is taking to mitigate climate change in an urban landscape.

Subject:
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
PBS News Hour
Date Added:
09/24/2018
China: In With the New
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Educational Use
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In this video clip from Earth: The Operators' Manual, host Richard Alley discusses China's efforts to develop clean energy technologies and to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, by building coal plants using CO2 sequestration technology. (scroll down page for video)

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Material Type:
Diagram/Illustration
Reading
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Earth: The Operators' Manual
Date Added:
08/29/2012
Choosing Earth's Climate Future
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Educational Use
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Students focus on the three interconnected choices global society faces as Earth's climate continues to changeâsuffer, adapt, and mitigateâto analyze and predict current and future impacts to Earth's systems. Using videos excerpted from NOVA: Decoding the Weather Machine, students explore ways that adaptation and mitigation strategies can work at various levels to minimize suffering and then develop an evidence-based action plan for their local community.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
PBS
WGBH Educational Foundation
Date Added:
03/02/2020
Cities, Trees & Inequality
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CC BY-NC
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SYNOPSIS: This lesson is about the distribution and density of trees in urban areas and how that relates to environmental justice.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson uses data from peer-reviewed research that breaks down the forest cover in cities as it correlates to income. The evidence is clear and convincing that more affluent neighborhoods have more tree cover, which has a documented benefit on the residents. All external links are scientifically sound, and this lesson has pass our science quality assessment.

POSITIVES:
-This is an engaging lesson because it is so personal. Students will think about tree cover where they live and how that relates to demographic data.
-Students will practice their data analysis skills.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-It is necessary to share the Student Slideshow with your students and give them editing access before beginning the lesson. All students will be writing in the same slideshow.
-The videos list the benefits of trees pretty quickly. It might be hard for students to type fast enough to keep up. You could play the videos at 0.9 speed or replay parts of the videos as necessary.
-The following is a list of benefits of trees. Students will create a similar list while they are watching the two videos outlining the benefits of trees.

-Reduce nearby outside temperatures
-Reduce amount of energy used for heating and cooling buildings
-Absorb carbon dioxide, thus mitigating climate change
-Filter urban pollutants and fine particulates
-Provide habitat, food, and protection to plants and animals
-Provide food for people
-Increase biodiversity
-Provide wood that can be used at the end of a tree’s life
-Improve physical and mental health of people
-Increase property values
-Create oxygen
-Provide shade for people and animals
-Control stormwater runoff, protecting water quality and reducing the need for water treatment
-Protect against mudslides
-Help prevent floods
-Improve air quality
-Increase attention spans and decrease stress levels in people
-Improve health outcomes in hospital patients

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can use the glossary at the end of the slideshow at any point throughout the lesson to help students understand vocabulary.

-The spreadsheet and the graph on slide 11 might be tricky. Encourage your students to turn and talk to one another for help.

-Many students will not have a good understanding of Celsius. Easy reminder: Multiply the temperature in Celsius by 1.8 to get degrees Fahrenheit. Example: 2.5°C x 1.8 = 4.5°F (The temperature difference between poorest and richest census blocks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.)

Subject:
Physical Geography
Physical Science
Social Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
SubjectToClimate
Author:
Dan Castrigano
Date Added:
06/28/2023
Citizen science project - Tree bodyguards
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC-SA
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Here we propose carrying out a project based on citizen science, where students conduct real research on the impact of climate change on the predation of caterpillars.

Subject:
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Studies
Physical Geography
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
UNESCO
Provider Set:
Office for Climate Education
Date Added:
03/29/2022
Clean Coal?
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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This video and accompanying essay examine ways to reduce the environmental impact of burning coal. Two technologies are discussed: turning solid coal into a clean-burning fuel gas (syngas), and capture and storage of CO2.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Teachers' Domain
WGBH - PBS
Date Added:
06/19/2012
Clearing the Air
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In this activity, students learn about the scientific evidence supporting climate change, use this information to evaluate and improve conclusions some people might draw about climate change, and participate in a role-play to negotiate solutions to climate change.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
PINEMAP Project
University of Florida, Project Learning Tree
Date Added:
09/24/2018
Climate: A Balancing Act
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Educational Use
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In this activity students learn how Earth's energy balance is regulating climate. This activity is lesson 4 in the nine-lesson module Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change.

Subject:
Applied Science
Atmospheric Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
The King's Center for Visualization in Science
Date Added:
12/08/2013