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It is highly recommended that all activities on this page be paired with trauma informed practices the can help students navigate any emotions that surface in response to learning about the climate crisis. It is absolutely critical that our students learn about global warming and climate change, but just as critical that it is paired with appropriate social and emotional learning support. Find an overview to trauma informed practices and climate change here, as well as sample nature connection activities here.
INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Introductory Activities for Grades K-12
The following resources are entry-level resources for introducing global warming and climate change. There are A LOT more resources that can be found in the "Additional Resources" section at the bottom of this page. Explore the "Additional Resources" section at the bottom of this webpage for well vetted Climate Literacy Resources that provide students with a basic introduction to Climate Change.
Climate Change WebQuest: This student facing WebQuest can be used directly by students (most appropriate for grades 6-12), or by teachers in building their background knowledge of climate change - Part 1, "Understanding Global Warming and Climate Change" provides introductory resources for exploring the fundamentals of climate change.
PEAK Shoebox Global Warming Experiment: This activity provides a great entry point for younger learners in grades 3-5 (although can also be done in 6-12), as it models what is actually happening with global warming.
Solutionary and Environmental Books: This book list includes climate fiction and non-fiction that is appropriate for young children as well as young adult readers.
Climate Mitigation Activities
The following resources are hands-on experiential activities that support students to identify pathways for climate mitigation, and built solutionary campaigns for action.
En-Roads Climate Simulator: This tool allows students to step into the role of a global or local decision maker who needs to figure out how to get their government or local jurisdiction to adopt policies and practices that keep global warming to a minimum of 1.5 degrees celsius.
There is Hope Project Examples: Students will work individually or in groups to make a claim for why environmental and climate action solutions that already exist can be taken to scale. They will pair the solution with an example from history where humans were able to implement a policy, behavior, or cultural change.
Youth Climate Movement: Support students to explore resources for getting involved with the Youth Climate Movement. After exploring resources have students design an advocacy campaign that targets local leaders (i.e. school board/superintendent, municipal/county decision makers, state congress, federal congress, etc.
Using the IPPC Report as a Teachable Moment for Educational Leaders and Students
The following resources are for educators who are looking to do more with the IPCC reports.
IPCC Report Summary and Top Ten Actions: In early August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), "The Physical Science Basis". This report addresses the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change, and lays out stark key findings that have serious implications for the K-12 Education system. The report also calls on every country, every sector, and every individual to education themselves on the severity of this crisis, and to take actionable steps to help ones' community to both mitigate and adapt in the climate era. The following are a starting point for different audiences:
IPCC Report's Five Scenarios: The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report outlined five future scenarios, known as shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). Each scenario makes different assumptions about shifts in policy, economics, and technology. These visions of tomorrow emphasize that humans have profoundly and irreversibly changed the world, but also that much of the potential warming is still in our hands.
In order to help secondary and post-secondary students grapple with these scenarios, and be a part of shaping the future that they are inheriting, it is recommended that educators provide an opportunity for students to explore the five scenarios, as well as participate in responsive solutionary design challenges. A summary as well as sample activities can be found here: IPCC AR6 Five Scenarios - Summary and Suggested Activities.
CLIMATE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION SOLUTIONARY SIMULATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
CLIMATE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION SOLUTIONARY SIMULATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
The following resources are hands-on experiential activities that support students and educators to grapple with a climate ready adaptation mindset - meaning the mindset needed to deal with the impacts of climate change. Each resource has a brief overview and support materials for running activities with students and colleagues.
Climate Impacts Simulation: An interactive simulation to explore and respond to the impacts of climate change
Climate Ready Impacts Simulation Facilitator's Guide: This experiential roleplay simulation explores the potential effects of climate impacts across California. Participants assume various roles and engage in four rounds that project climate data for 2025 to 2055. Through reflection in each round, participants consider the emotional impact of these challenges, and consider how they would address the needs of the community. The simulation also includes trauma informed activities and extension activities for supporting participants to launch solutionary advocacy and action based campaigns. This guide includes links to resources slide decks and data as well as procedures and additional resources for facilitation.
Data resources in the simulation are focused on the state of California:
The simulation also includes a version of the data for two different CA counties (California coastal community in San Mateo County, and California Inland/Valley Community in San Joaquin County), and pairs the data with realistic narratives.
Climate Impacts: Design and Engineering Activities for Climate Adaptation
Sustainable and Resilient Communities Design Challenge Unit Exemplar (15 Lesson Sequence): This unit exemplar is focused on the integration of green and resilient principles and practices in community planning and urban design. The purpose is to introduce students to how designers and planners can address the complex challenges of rebuilding communities after climate-related disasters, and create sustainable, adaptive, and inclusive environments that have long-term benefits for individuals, communities, and the natural environment. Note this curriculum is part of a larger Green Career Curriculum Project that was led by the San Mateo County Office of Education, and has 12 unit exemplars.
Climate Impacts and Adaptation Topical Design and Engineering Challenge (45-90 min Activity): This activity has been developed by content coordinators (2021) at the San Mateo County Office of Education. It is an extension activity after learning about the causes and effects of climate change, and is focused on adapting to the impacts of the climate crisis. The central focus of the activity is to expose students to designing thinking for adapting to extreme weather and sea level rise. Note the activity guides are written for San Mateo County, but can be adapted and used in other counties using this Climate Impacts Data.
Support Materials for the Climate Adaptation Design and Engineering activity can be found below:
Design Challenge Disasters (may need to simplify for grades K-5): One: Sea Level Rise; Two: Heat; Three: Storm based Flooding; Four: Food Insecurity; Five: Drought; Six: Fire and Air Pollution
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Action Based Resources for Climate Adaptation in Schools
Climate Impact Focus Areas Overview and Analysis: This document was developed by San Mateo County Office of Education's (SMCOE) Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative (ELSI), and it supports educational leaders, school safety officers, and those involved in emergency planning for San Mateo County TK-12 Schools with data and strategies for preparing their school community to be climate resilient. The document includes both the imperative overview for how the climate crisis impacts K-12 schools, as well as an analysis of the climate impact focus areas - for example: Sea Level Rise, High Heat, Storm-based flooding, Wildfires, etc. Each focus area included in the document includes the following analysis: definitions, considerations for disruption to schools, data projections for San Mateo County, and adaptation strategy ideas.
Climate Literacy Principles and Standards
NOAA - Essential Principles of Climate Literacy: Note, this is the 2024 Version of the Guide before the language was changed in Feb 2025. This version is no longer easily available on US Climate Government websites.
Supplemental Curriculum Resources for Climate Literacy
Acterra's You(th) Be the Change: The Acterra You(th) Be the Change Program is a three week long educational program for middle school students, consists of six, two-hour interactive sessions where students learn about climate science, climate effects, and climate action from a global and local perspective.
Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE): Our Climate Our Future is a multimedia experience that educates young people about the science of climate change and empowers them to take action. Our Climate Our Future brings the award-winning ACE Assembly on climate science and solutions to your classroom. This online multimedia experience includes ACE’s signature mix of dynamic animation, music, video and interactivity. ACE also offers a number of other resources such as live assemblies and teacher trainings.
The Carbon Almanac: The Carbon Almanac is a source of reliable and easily understandable knowledge on climate change…that you can share to create meaningful impact. The website also has an Educator’s Guide helps teachers turn some of the content of The Almanac into lesson plans. In addition, the creators involved in the Educators’ Group at the Carbon Almanac have put together several interactive lessons on SeeSaw. The website also has a resources section broken into topics, including one called Education Resources About Climate & Sustainability.
CLEAN - Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network: The CLEAN Collection is a high-quality and rigorously reviewed collection of climate and energy educational resources aligned with the Climate Literacy and the Energy Literacy frameworks, and the Next Generation Science Standards. You can search by keywords, grade level, or resource type.
Climate Generation: Resource library with climate literacy materials and action tools for all ages
drawdown.org: 100 solutions to reverse global warming and begin to mitigate climate change.
NSTA Climate Education Resources for Teachers: The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) provides climate connections to NGSS, e-books, family resources and more.
Other Media and Reading Resources Focused on Climate and the Environment:
How Global Warming Works (Video resources ranging from 52 Seconds to 5 Minutes)
Stone Soup Leadership Institute: The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization that has worked alongside high school youth and educators who are on the front lines of climate change, social justice, and economic equity. By listening to and learning from these young people and their community’s leaders, the Institute has become a leader in developing sustainable education and sustainable workforce development educational tools. Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes features 100 climate change trailblazers, green inventors and entrepreneurs, environmental justice changemakers, and sustainable business leaders from 38 countries. View the K-12 Resources, or Stone Soup Virtual Lessons Plans, and the Youtube Channel.
SubjectToClimate: This organization is an online connector for K-12 teachers of all subjects to find credible, unbiased, and engaging materials on climate change. Our goal is to enhance climate knowledge and inspire action by making climate change teaching and learning accessible to all. Check out resource database and lesson plans.
UN CC Learn: Resources from the UN on Climate Change Education - this includes suggestions for climate documentaries that could be used in the classroom.
Youngzine: Promotes climate literacy in classrooms through comprehensive and age-appropriate core content as well as news articles written specifically for students. Resources and lesson plans allow K-12 teachers to engage their students on all aspects of the issue from science to solutions and inspire them to action. View news content here.
Zinn Education Project - Teach Climate Justice: The climate crisis threatens our students’ lives. And yet, throughout the United States, schools have failed to put the climate at the center of the curriculum. To address this gulf between the climate emergency and schools’ inadequate response, the Zinn Education Project has launched a campaign to “Teach Climate Justice.” How do we teach the climate crisis in a way that also confronts racism, economic inequality, misogyny, militarism, xenophobia, and that imagines the kind of world that we would like to live in? The Zinn Education Project offer classroom-tested lessons, workshops for educators, and a sample school board climate justice resolution.
Human Impact and Climate Change Literacy Resources
Understanding Global Change: This interactive module allows students and educators to build models that explain how the Earth system works. The Click & Learn can be used to show how Earth is affected by human activities and natural phenomena.
PBS Learning Media - Human Impact on the Environment: A collection of resources from PBS Learning Media that supports NGSS (and other subject areas) to cover standards related to Human Impact on the Environment.
Professional Development for Educators on Climate Literacy
CSTA Climate Summit: In 2018, the California Science Teachers Association, teamed up with several partners to develop and deliver the 2018 California Science Education Conference Climate Summit. The project helps educators implement climate science education consistent with the California NGSS.
Presidio Graduate Schools K-12 Climate Education for All Certificate Program: Teachers have a unique opportunity to educate and empower the next generation of citizens around climate change. The certificate program has fully online course offerings that are FREE to any K-12 educator.
NOAA Climate and NCA Teaching Network: NOAA's climate education site with professional learning, resources & data. They also have a wealth of resources about the causes, effects, risks and possible responses to human-caused climate change through the National Climate Assessment (NCA) teaching network).
Climate Change and Project Based Learning: PBLWorks (a program of the Buck Institute), builds the capacity of teachers to design and facilitate quality Project Based Learning (PBL) and the capacity of school and system leaders to set the conditions for teachers to implement great projects with all students. They have a blog that provides resources for teaching about climate change using PBL.
eePRO Climate Change: Discussion group for EE professionals engaging in climate education
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