Life Science of Climate for Middle School

A collection of resources for middle school students to learn about the life science aspects of the climate and climate change. Cover image credit United Nations

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Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web
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Educational Use
Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web
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In this video, students learn that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 was not the sole cause of the decline of species in the local ecosystem. Rather, an explanation is posited for why some animal populations were already in decline when the spill occurred. Many of these animals share a common food: the sand lance, a fish whose populations have shrunk with the steady rise in ocean temperature that began in the late 1970s.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
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:
KTOO
Teachers' Domain
WGBH Educational Foundation
Date Added:
05/15/2012
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Warmer Water Kills Salmon Eggs
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Warmer Water Kills Salmon Eggs
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In this video segment, adapted from a student video produced at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham Washington, Native American elders discuss the impact of climate change on salmon populations and the importance of restoring balance in the natural world.

Subject:
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Oceanography
Physical Science
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Teachers' Domain
WGBH
Date Added:
09/24/2018
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A Warmer World for Arctic Animals
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A Warmer World for Arctic Animals
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This video documents the challenges that climate change presents for four specific Arctic predators: polar bears, Arctic foxes, beluga whales, and walruses.

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:
KQED
Teachers' Domain
Date Added:
09/24/2018
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The Water Cycle
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Educational Use
The Water Cycle
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This visualization, from the US Geological Survey, provides a simple schematic of the various pathways that water can take as it cycles through ocean, lakes, atmosphere, surface and ground.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Hydrology
Physical Science
Material Type:
Reading
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
US Geological Service (USGS)
Date Added:
05/15/2012
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What is coral bleaching?
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What is coral bleaching?
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This infographic provides an overview of what coral bleaching is and its causes. The resource combines short summaries of the steps of coral bleaching with more in-depth (though still succinct) explanations for what is happening to cause the coral to appear white. A short list of causes for coral bleaching is also provided.

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:
NOAA
National Ocean Service
Date Added:
09/24/2018
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Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals
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Why fly south? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals
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This activity introduces students to plotting and analyzing phenology data. Students use 30 years of data that shows the date of the first lilac bloom and the number of days of ice cover of nearby Gull Lake.

Subject:
Applied Science
Biology
Career and Technical Education
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Dustin Kincaid
Liz Schultheis
Michigan State University; Kellogg Biological Station
Date Added:
09/24/2018
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Wildfires Out West
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Educational Use
Wildfires Out West
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This video from ClimateCentral looks at the way climate conditions can affect vegetation in the West, and what influence this has on wildfires. Drought and rainfall can have very different wildfire outcomes, depending on vegetation type, extent, and location.

Subject:
Applied Science
Atmospheric Science
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
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:
Climate Central
Date Added:
08/29/2012
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Witnessing Environmental Changes
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Witnessing Environmental Changes
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This video segment examines the issue of climate change from the perspective of Native Americans. The video segment was adapted from a student video produced at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.

Subject:
Applied Science
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:
Haskell Indian Nations University
Date Added:
09/24/2018
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The (Young) People's Climate Conference
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Educational Use
The (Young) People's Climate Conference
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This resource is based on the 2015 Climate Change Summit, and it shares both environmental and social concerns related to climate change. This is an activity for elementary school students to role-play. It is a UN-style discussion of climate change from different cultures and perspectives around the world.

Subject:
Applied Science
Atmospheric Science
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Rowan Shafer
Zinn Education Project
Date Added:
07/13/2022
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Your Place in Focus | Adaptation
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Educational Use
Your Place in Focus | Adaptation
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This lesson guides students to connect the PBS Adaptation video series on climate adaptation to their own community. Students describe their community, identify climate impacts faced by their community, research how their community is adapting to those impacts, and then create a digital story about what they found.

Subject:
Agriculture
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Oceanography
Physical Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Provider Set:
CLEAN: Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network
Author:
Public Broadcasting Service
Shari Carswell
Date Added:
08/01/2022
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