This article provides background information that will help teachers present the science associated with the study of climate, past, present and future. The magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured around the recognized principles of climate literacy. The author explains the science concepts included in the principle related to climate study and research and also identifies additional sources of information.

This list of carefully selected books for grades K-5 highlights nonfiction about climate proxies, those preserved physical characteristics, such as fossils, that scientists use to reconstruct past climates. Also highlighted are a few books that provide information about two past climatic events -- the last ice age and the Dust Bowl. In each issue of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, the virtual bookshelf recommends books that accurately portray the theme drawn from the principles of climate sciences.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn the importance of migratory hummingbirds and how to help them face the impacts of climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson teaches students all about hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are important pollinators, and climate change is hurting their habitat. This lesson passed the scientific review process.

Esta lección enseña a los estudiantes todo sobre los colibríes. Los colibríes son polinizadores importantes y el cambio climático está dañando su hábitat. Esta lección pasó el proceso de revisión científica.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson encourages students to look for hummingbirds in their local environment and feel connected to the natural world and their neighboring country, Mexico.
-The lesson exposes students to the diversity of Indigenous peoples in the Americas through Indigenous language names for hummingbirds in Mexico and the stories from three different Indigenous cultures.
-This lesson could connect with a Day of the Dead lesson by beginning with the video of the Aztec legend about the relationship between the cempasúchil flower and the hummingbird.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-The main species in this lesson, the ruby-throated hummingbird, is currently abundant. In fact, climate change may extend the range of this species farther north as the climate becomes hotter. Students have a high probability of encountering this hummingbird in New Jersey and thus appreciating its tenacity and beauty.
-Appreciating the local migratory hummingbird can help students understand the concept of interdependence within communities and across borders.
-Understanding interdependence and fomenting cross-cultural cooperation are important aspects of finding solutions to climate change.
-Other species of hummingbirds, as noted on the poster from CONABIO, are more acutely threatened by climate change. Students can discuss why. For example, the more a hummingbird depends on an endemic species of plant (a plant found only in its region) or a more specific microclimate, the more vulnerable it is to disruption from climate change.
-Teachers can use this resource from Rutgers to further their understanding of the ruby-throated hummingbird.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can use all the activities in the lesson or choose activities that are most apt for their class.
-Teachers should preview the videos that tell stories about hummingbirds from the Nasca culture and the Aztec culture. These stories include events that students may find sad or scary. For example, the Aztec story includes the death of a warrior whose soul becomes the hummingbird. Students can talk about how they and the characters feel at different moments.

This video explains what El NiÃo is and provides the definition of El NiÃo. It goes into detail about the devastating terrestrial and aquatic effects an El NiÃo can have on living organisms and the climate (disease, storms, floods, tornadoes, drought, wildfire, increased air temperatures, decreased water temperatures, etc).

This short video illustrates the phenomena of El NiÃo and La NiÃa: their relationships to tradewinds and surface water temperatures, and their effects on precipitation in North America.

This resource is designed as a module with a storybook or web story, and four activities. In the storybook, the GLOBE Kids investigate colors in the sky and learn how air pollution affects sky color and our health. Learning activities engage students in describing sky color and conditions in the atmosphere, creating a model to learn how sky color and visibility are affected by aerosols, using prisms to explore properties of light and colors, and collecting aerosol samples.

Through learning activities, students learn how weather over a long period of time describes climate, explore how sea level rise can affect coastal communities and environments, and describe how humans are contributing to climate change and how we can take action to solve this problem.

In these activities and story book, students wonder why hummingbirds have stopped visiting their school. They learn about the needs of the hummingbirds, the seasonal changes where they live, and the environment where the hummingbirds spend the winter. Students describe the seasonal changes in a local habitat, observe how colors in nature change through the seasons, and research hummingbirds.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students compare and contrast emissions from different modes of transportation and explore the concept of transportation planning.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson asks students to investigate the amount of carbon emitted by different forms of transportation. The numbers used for the calculations are backed by peer-reviewed science, and the methodologies come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This lesson has passed our scientific review process.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson builds upon students' understanding of place in the world and the impact of individual lifestyle choices.
-It features relevant real-world math problems.
-It offers career path integration in the sector of transportation planning and transit.
-Students creatively brainstorm solutions for real-world issues and civil concerns.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-Students should have knowledge of reading a bar graph and a basic understanding of interpreting data.
-If students do not have background knowledge of their community's public transportation systems, they should be appropriately introduced to the basics of how buses, metros, and railways work.
-The graph in the Inquire section uses the unit CO2e to measure emissions from different modes of transportation. CO2e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the measure of the impact of all greenhouse gases in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same amount of warming. For the purpose of this lesson and the age of the learners, it is probably best to just use the terms “carbon dioxide” and “CO2.”

DIFFERENTIATION:
-There can be number-set choices for math problems available for different abilities and skill sets.
-Students can work in pairs or small groups.

This video highlights the benefits of electric vehicles, including improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and lower maintenance costs.

In this lesson, students will learn what erosion is and how human actions influence erosion. Includes introduction, demonstration instructions, and questions for wrap-up discussion.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-1

Time: 50 minutes

Materials: plastic containers with sand and gravel, sponges, and plastic cups

This article aligns the concepts of Essential Principle 2 of the Climate Sciences to the K-5 content standards of the National Science Education Standards. The author also identifies common misconceptions about heat and the greenhouse gases effect and offers resources for assessing students' understanding of interactions among components of the Earth system. This article continues the examination of the climate sciences and climate literacy on which the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured.

This article explores the alignment of the sixth essential principle of the climate sciences to national science education standards and its connections to the K-5 curriculum. The article also identifies some common misconceptions young students have about weather and climate. The free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle focuses on the topics that are appropriate for young learners and introduce them to climate literacy concepts.

This article identifies age-appropriate national science education content standards and curriculum connections for introducing complex concepts contained in Principle 7 of the Essential Principles of Climate Sciences. The principle describes consequences of climate changes on Earth systems and human lives. The content standards will help teachers determine appropriate topics for their students. A number of resources from the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle are highlighted for their connection to the science curriculum in the early grades. In addition, the article identifies common misconceptions about weather and the water cycle often held by students.

Students observe the process of evaporation, make comparisons about the process, then construct a diagram and use it to describe the process of evaporation.

This 4-H project book includes a series of eight activities, focused on polar science, that youth can complete with an parent or mentor. Each activity includes a hands-on component and options for communication. The activities featured are appropriate for use outside of 4-H, for instance in science classrooms, with after school programs, or during enrichment camps. Each activity includes links to supplemental materials to extend learning.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This short video clip is part of a longer video series titled How Climate Effects Community Health. This clip focuses on human health risks from extreme heat events caused by increasing global temperatures.

This video documents the scope of changes in the Arctic, focusing on the impacts of warming and climate change on the indigenous Inuit population.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about how climate change is affecting flood risk in New Jersey.

SCIENTIST NOTES: In this lesson, students will learn about the common causes of flooding, how towns and cities can mitigate the effects of flooding, and how climate change is partially impacting flooding. As a note, another way climate change will impact flooding is by increasing the rates of prolonged drought and heavy rainfall. The videos and articles included in this lesson are accurate. The final article touches a lot more on emotions and a teenager’s perspective but includes key facts with references on the side. This resource is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students as they build model houses and test their flood mitigation tactics.
-Students will develop a strong connection to self and community through viewing the impact of increased flooding in New Jersey.
-This lesson allows for creativity, design, engineering, and free thinking.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Prior to the lesson, the teacher must have:
-Cardboard
-Scissors
-Tape/glue
-Modeling clay
-Sand
-Cement
-Sponges
-Plastic wrap
-Plastic tubs
-Pitchers of water
-These materials can be recycled or donated. Possible substitutions include Play-Doh instead of modeling clay, buckets/cups instead of pitchers, tinfoil instead of plastic wrap, etc. Materials are not set in stone and can be substituted with similar materials as needed.
-You can explain more about the causes of sea level rise prior to the lesson. This video may be helpful to show before teaching this lesson.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their section of the flood management article.
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their section of the flood management experiment.
-The flood management experiment could be done as a demonstration in front of the whole class if time, ability, or materials are limited. You can use different materials and flood the tub multiple times.

This video introduces viewers to oceanic thermohaline circulation - the system of global ocean currents that cycle warm and cold water across the planet.