Climate Change & Sustainability Curriculum

Students will read the story My Wounded Island and create initial models to explain the phenomenon of climate change based on evidence and ideas drawn from the text. These preliminary models serve as the foundation for inquiry and exploration throughout the unit.

Student Materials:

Intro Lesson: My Wounded Island

Educator Materials: 

Intro Lesson Plan

Intro Lesson Slides

Students will use an online simulation to model the effect of increased greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere on Earth’s surface temperature. Students will use evidence from the Keeling Curve to describe trends in atmospheric CO2 concentration over time and construct an explanation about the relationship between CO2 concentration and Earth’s surface temperature.

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.1: The Greenhouse Effect

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 1.1

Lesson 1.1 Slides

Students will role play a carbon atom moving through the carbon cycle in this stations-based learning activity. Students will then debrief the role-playing game and use their experiences to explain the differences between the fast and slow carbon cycle and to explain the impact of human activity on both cycles. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.2: The Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle Passport

Educator Materials: 

Carbon Cycle Station Handouts

Lesson Plan 1.2

Lesson 1.2 Slides

Students will observe and discuss trends in climate change data visualizations. Students will then use evidence from the data to explain the connection between human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.3: Global Climate Change

Climate Change Data Visualizations 

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 1.3

Lesson 1.3 Slides

Students will explain how changes in global temperature and precipitation patterns cause extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes. Students will use evidence to make a prediction about the global climate 50 years from now. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.4: Climate Change & Extreme Weather

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 1.4

Lesson 1.4 Slides

Students will create a model of ocean acidification to understand how an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide can decrease ocean pH. Students will explain the impact that ocean acidification has on marine organisms. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.5: Ocean Acidification

Educator Materials: 

Readings: Ocean Acidification Impact on Marine Organisms

Lesson Plan 1.5

Lesson 1.5 Slides

Students will collect and analyze data on the temperature of different surfaces to understand the relationship between surface temperature and albedo. Students will use their understanding to explain why it is hotter in cities than in nearby rural areas and to explain how melting sea ice creates a positive feedback loop that further warms the planet.

Student Materials:

Lesson 1.6: Albedo & Surface Temperature

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 1.6

Lesson 1.6 Slides

Students will revise the climate change models they made after reading My Wounded Island. The revisions should incorporate new ideas they’ve learned during this learning sequence. 

Note: This mini-lesson could be taught at the beginning of another lesson or before or after another assessment.

Student Materials:

Formative Assessment: Climate Change Model Revision

Educator Materials: 

Formative Assessment Lesson Plan

Formative Assessment Slides

Students will compare and contrast linear vs. circular economies and consider which is better for the Earth and why. Students will then develop a spaceship model—which serves as an analogy for the Earth—in which inhabitants must survive in a closed system with limited resources and no resupply. Students will reflect on their models and consider what lessons we can take from it to manage Earth’s resources. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 2.1: Systems Thinking

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 2.1

Lesson 2.1 Slides

Students will create two models of global resource distribution: the first based on their initial beliefs & prior knowledge and the second based on current data. Students will identify trends in the data and consider whether the current situation is fair and what could be done to promote equality and justice.

Student Materials:

Lesson 2.2: Global Resource Distribution

Global Resources & Climate Change Impacts Data

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 2.2

Lesson 2.2 Slides

Students will use an online tool to calculate their ecological footprint (including carbon footprint) and their personal Earth overshoot day. Students will then compare their own footprint to others’ around the world, learn about solutions, and consider what they can do to reduce their footprint. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 2.3: Your Ecological Footprint

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 2.3

Lesson 2.3 Slides

Students will use the data analysis from the “Albedo & Surface Temperature” lesson to understand the urban island heat phenomenon and explain why urban areas are hotter than their rural counterparts. Students will also be introduced to the concept of environmental justice and learn about strategies to keep cities cool.

Student Materials:

Lesson 2.4: Urban Island Heat Effect

Strategies to Keep Cities Cool

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 2.4

Lesson 2.4 Slides

Students will learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and our global progress on these goals. Students will also consider how their local community is—or isn’t—meeting these goals. This lesson will prepare students  for the summative assessment on imagining a sustainable future. 

Student Materials:

Lesson 2.5: The Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Educator Materials: 

Lesson Plan 2.5

Lesson 2.5 Slides

This multi-day lesson incorporates place-based learning and future thinking. Students will use the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) to consider ways to make our local community more sustainable. Students will research our community’s past, observe our present, and imagine a sustainable future. Students will produce a Photo Essay showcasing our community’s past, present, and imagined future.

Student Materials:

Summative Assessment: "Our Place in Time" Photo Essay

Place-Based Exploration Graphic Organizer

Photo Essay Rubric

Educator Materials: 

Summative Assessment Lesson Plan

Summative Assessment Slides

Resources for NYC: Exploring the Past & Envisioning the Future

HS-ESS2-2. Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. 

Examples should include climate feedbacks, such as how an increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in global temperatures that melts glacial ice, which reduces the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface, increasing surface temperatures and further reducing the amount of ice. Examples could also be taken from other system interactions, such as how the loss of ground vegetation causes an increase in water runoff and soil erosion; how dammed rivers increase groundwater recharge, decrease sediment transport, and increase coastal erosion; or how the loss of wetlands causes a decrease in local humidity that further reduces the wetland extent.

HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate. 

Examples of the causes of climate change differ by timescale, over 1-10 years: large volcanic eruption, ocean circulation; 10-100s of years: changes in human activity, ocean circulation, solar output; 10-100s of thousands of years: changes to Earth's orbit and the orientation of its axis; and 10-100s of millions of years: long-term changes in atmospheric composition. Assessment Boundary: Assessment of the results of changes in climate is limited to changes in surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution.

HS-ESS2-6. Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. 

Emphasis is on modeling biogeochemical cycles that include the cycling of carbon through the ocean, atmosphere, soil, and biosphere (including humans), providing the foundation for living organisms.

HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.

Examples of key natural resources include access to fresh water (such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater), regions of fertile soils such as river deltas, and high concentrations of minerals and fossil fuels. Examples of natural hazards can be from interior processes (such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes), surface processes (such as tsunamis, mass wasting and soil erosion), and severe weather (such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts). Examples of the results of changes in climate that can affect populations or drive mass migrations include changes to sea level, regional patterns of temperature and precipitation, and the types of crops and livestock that can be raised.

HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity. 

Examples of factors that affect the management of natural resources include costs of resource extraction and waste management, per-capita consumption, and the development of new technologies. Examples of factors that affect human sustainability include agricultural efficiency, levels of conservation, and urban planning. Assessment Boundary: Assessment for computational simulations is limited to using provided multi-parameter programs or constructing simplified spreadsheet calculations.

HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Examples of data on the impacts of human activities could include the quantities and types of pollutants released, changes to biomass and species diversity, or areal changes in land surface use (such as for urban development, agriculture and livestock, or surface mining). Examples for limiting future impacts could range from local efforts (such as reducing, reusing, and recycling resources) to large-scale geoengineering design solutions (such as altering global temperatures by making large changes to the atmosphere or ocean).

HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems. 

Examples of evidence, for both data and climate model outputs, are for climate changes (such as precipitation and temperature) and their associated impacts (such as on sea level, glacial ice volumes, or atmosphere and ocean composition). Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to one example of a climate change and its associated impacts.

HS-ESS3-6. Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity. 

Examples of Earth systems to be considered are the hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, and/or biosphere. An example of the far-reaching impacts from a human activity is how an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide results in an increase in photosynthetic biomass on land and an increase in ocean acidification, with resulting impacts on sea organism health and marine populations. Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include running computational representations but is limited to using the published results of scientific computational models.

Umhverfið—Við lok 10. bekkjar getur nemandi:

Environment—By the end of 10th grade, students can:

Loftslagsbreytingar: útskýrt loftslagsbreytingar, ástæður, afleiðingar og mótvægisaðgerðir

Climate Change: Explain climate change, its causes, consequences, and mitigation strategies.

Náttúruauðlindir og sjálfbær nýting: gert grein fyrir verndun og nýtingu náttúruauðlinda í tengslum við sjálfbæra þróun, sjálfbæra nýtingu og rýnt í eigin neysluvenjur

Natural Resources & Sustainable Use: Explain the protection and utilization of natural resources in relation to sustainable development, sustainable use, and reflect on their own consumption habits.

Einstaklingurinn og umhverfið: rætt á gagnrýninn hátt tengsl einstaklinga, nærumhverfis og umhverfismála á heimsvísu

Individual & Environment: Critically discuss the relationship between individuals, their surroundings, and global environmental issues.

Geta til aðgerða: skipulagt og tekið þátt í aðgerðum er varða náttúruvernd og umhverfismál í nærumhverfi og í alþjóðlegu samhengi.

Ability to Take Action:  Organize and participate in actions related to nature conservation and environmental issues both locally and globally.