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Lesson Plan
Rainforest Alliance

Climate Educator Guide

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Climate change is a hot topic in the news. Class members examine carbon dioxide data to analyze trends of our atmospheric makeup over time. They also discuss climate and climate change, and determine how these changes are affecting life...
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Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

Introduction to Environmental Engineering

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
A series on environmental engineering introduces the class to issues that environmental engineers work to solve. This first lesson focuses on air and land issues, and looks at ways to reduce pollution.
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App
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

EarthViewer

For Students 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Can you imagine Washington DC and London as close neighbors occupying the same continent? Learners will be fascinated as they step back in time and discover the evolution of the earth's continents and oceans from 4.5 billion years ago to...
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Unit Plan
Government of South Australia

Don't Waste Your Energy

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Don't lift another finger, this physical and environmental science unit has everything you need to begin teaching your class about energy. Starting with a look at the greenhouse effect, these lessons and activities take young scientists...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

High School EcoHouse Curriculum

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How has the level of carbon dioxide changed over recent years, and what is contributing it? Groups work together to research and present their findings in a creative way. Also built into the lesson plan is a visit to a sustainable house,...
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Lesson Plan
US Environmental Protection Agency

Sea Level: On the Rise

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
With the global temperature on the rise, the effects of climate change are starting to be seen. However, many people have a difficult time conceptualizing the long-term effects, such as sea levels rising. Given an easy and effective...
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Lesson Plan
US Environmental Protection Agency

Carbon Through the Seasons

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Meteorologists view an animated video by the Environmental Protection Agency to learn how the carbon cycle works, and then move into groups to analyze and graph actual data of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from Hawaii's...
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Lesson Plan
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Global Warming in a Jar

For Teachers 4th - 8th
This well-organized lab activity introduces earth science pupils to the greenhouse effect. They will set up two experiments to monitor temperatures in an open jar, a closed jar, and a closed jar containing water. Ideally, you would have...
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Lesson Plan
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Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Carbon Dioxide & Krill: Impacts

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What effects do temperature and carbon dioxide levels have on the zooplankton of Antarctica? This concluding lesson plan in a short unit on climate change and the ocean helps environmental scientists answer these questions. After...
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Lesson Plan
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Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Ocean Acidification: Whats and Hows

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Open this lesson by demonstrating the production of acidic carbon dioxide gas by activated yeast. Emerging ecologists then experiment with seashells to discover the effect of ocean acidification on shelled marine organisms. They measure...
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Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

International Perspectives to Climate Change 2

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
A couple PowerPoint presentations are used to stimulate discussion about the perspectives of different countries on the issue of energy consumption. Afterward, they play a game in which each team is assigned a country, considers its...
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Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

International Perspectives to Climate Change 1

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
After a lecture about how the first industrial revolution triggered the path to climate change, your environmental studies class discusses what the impacts are. In a culminating activity, they get into groups and identify countries on a...
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Lesson Plan
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Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Plankton to Penguins: Antarctic Food Web

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A well-written lesson plan, second in a series of four, gets high schoolers exploring how the Antarctic food web is impacted by climate change and the associated melting of polar ice sheets. It begins with a PowerPoint presentation about...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Coral and Chemistry

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Ice is nice, and its condition on the planet has a significant effect. Junior geoscientists experiment with ice melting in both water and on land to discover how each affect the rising sea level. This detailed lesson outline even...
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Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Plugged In To CO2

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Watt is going on here? Middle schoolers are learning about energy use and carbon dioxide emissions! In the first part of this lesson, learners measure how much energy different appliances consume and calculate the amount per day. In the...
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Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Investigating the Climate

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What do graphs of atmospheric gases over time show us? Do they indicate that carbon sources and carbon sinks are not in balance? Up-and-coming meteorologists watch video clips, read information, and analyze data from the HIPPO (HIAPER...
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Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Torrents, Droughts, and Twisters - Oh My!

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is causing the extreme weather happening around the planet? Middle and high schoolers read about climate change as a possible link to such phenomena. Then they form groups to discuss and research one of the types of weather events....
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Climate Change as a Scientific Theory

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Get your class thinking about climate change as a scientific theory. Guided by a handout, emerging earth scientists read articles and take notes about glaciers and sea ice. To conclude, they write an evaluation of the evidence for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Real Ice Ages Longer Than Movie Ice Ages

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
If your class's knowledge of the Ice Age is limited to animated movies, use this lesson plan to strengthen their knowledge. After sharing what they know about the Ice Age, young readers explore a news article seeking to dispel...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution: The Issue of Global Warming

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using the Carbon Cycle Interactive Game in the Classroom

For Teachers 4th - 9th
An online reading and interactive game bring the path of a carbon molecule to life for your earth science explorers! As an assessment, learners can map out or write about their experience in the carbon cycle. Thoroughly written...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing the Changes: The Warming of the North

For Teachers 1st - 7th
After reviewing the causes and effects of climate change, students become observers for "Plant Watch," a program to monitor the effects of climate change on plants. Students record blooming and leafing dates for selected local species...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels

For Teachers 5th - 9th
As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...