Climate Change in the Classroom

9 Replies to “Climate Change in the Classroom”

1. Hello Professor Stohr-Hunt, I love that you chose this topic to talk about. I feel like there are so many topics including global warming that should introduced to students during grade school that just is not part of the curriculum. I believe the education system was built to inform student’s on how to be successful in their daily lives. With that being said, I think students need to be introduced to all national challenges like climate change, cyber issues, etc. Teachers can incorporate these topics in all instructional blocks not just in science. The article ” The climate change lesson plans teachers need and don’t have” gives the perfect example. It talks about the fact that there is an increasing interest in topics related to extreme weather and lessons that relate to non-science subjects like writing and public speaking. I think a good idea to find create way to have students write about their thoughts on the subject or for younger students, they can draw pictures of their take on the topic. This is going to open the door for a discussion into global warming. I believe that climate change can be introduced to grade levels as low as kindergarten. Obviously, the lesson would have to be simplified but they can still gain some basic knowledge. As students progress to higher grade levels, their lessons on climate change would have more depth and complexity. To conclude, teachers should/can introduce national issues that are not necessarily part of the curriculum in a creative way while still teaching the curriculum.

2. Hi Dr. Stohr, thank you for starting this conversation about climate change in the classroom. Reading through this post, I was shocked that climate change doesn’t appear in the elementary science curriculum and fascinated with the teacher surveys about how few incorporate it into their classrooms. That being said, the suggestions for how to teach climate change are reassuring because they seem in line with any other science lesson. Teaching climate change is like any other topic in science, there are just more misconceptions around the topic than others. When looking at the survey responses as to why teachers do not teach it, the varying reasons show how teachers may not feel equipped or educated enough to tackle climate change. As this post shows, the resources are out there to educate yourself to teach climate change on how to do that with students.

3. Hi Dr. Stohr! Your post about climate change in the elementary classroom was exciting to look into. Since climate change isn’t in the science curriculum currently, teachers may have difficulty finding time to teach students about the impact climate change has on Earth. In the article titled “Bringing Climate Change Into the Elementary Classroom”, Kylie Wash speaks on how complicated teaching climate change is in school due to the complexity and student families’ feelings on the topic; however, she realized that students were already being exposed to this topic through direct experiences and the media. She recommends using community science (participating in scientific research) in the classroom to build student’s science skills. Students would be able to share the data they find on the effects of climate change in their local environments. This would be a great activity to get students learning about and interested in climate change. I would say this type of activity would be best for grades 3-5 since this is when they learn a lot about energy/natural resources and their impacts on the environment as well as being able to participate in gaining scientific research. I would argue for the review committee to include climate change in the science standards in Virginia, especially in the upper elementary grades. Overall, these resources listed can be helpful for teachers trying to include climate change content in their classrooms in an appropriate way.

4. Hi Dr. Stohr,
   Thank you for bringing up this interesting topic! I think it is very important to teach climate change in the classroom so that we can educate the younger generation about the impacts of climate change and build their awareness and motivation to help combat climate change. While climate anxiety is a real factor and we need to be aware of presenting climate change in a way that motivates children to want to combat climate change as opposed to making them fear for the planet and feel hopeless. I think that a community science method as suggested in the article “Bringing Climate Change Into the Elementary Classroom” would be a good way to introduce climate change to young scientists, as it is exciting to them to be doing “real science” and it helps them to explore data on their real environment to see how climate change actually affects their own environments. I think climate change is a complex topic, and can be tough for the youngest students to understand, but I think by second or third grade it is appropriate to incorporate climate change into the curriculum, and important, as students are the next generation tasked with the climate change issue, so it is important for them to be as educuated on the topic as possible.

5. Good afternoon Dr. Stohr-Hunt. I agree that “… now is the time to include climate change content when the current science standards in Virginia come up for review and revision” (Stohr-Hunt, 2024) I am shocked, just as Lucy is, that climate change is not included in the elementary science curriculum. I asked my daughter if she was taught about climate change in elementary school, and she said, “no.” I asked several more questions, not even in X’s class? Are you sure?

   The argument I would make to the review committee for the inclusion of this content is that it should be made a requirement by ALL states and/or nationally, since it is important to the future existence of the planet, for students to understand climate change and it seems silly that one would have to argue the point; when the future of humanity is at stake as well as many others that could become endangered or extinct. We’re improving materials of homes and businesses to withstand stronger storms, etc., but at what point is there no return? Earth only has so many natural resources and it’s important that we sustain them for the present and the future.

   We can teach climate change in the classroom through organic conversations in small groups or through classroom discussions surrounding age-appropriate lessons in each grade-level. In my opinion, it’s appropriate to introduce these ideas in kindergarten with living and non-living and expand on it; think dinosaurs. Be mindful that some students have anxiety around climate change. The weather, food chain, and life cycles, current events in the news and around the world. Students need to know that if one piece is out of balance or changes, it affects various other things due to its connectivity. There are numerous ideas and resources to introduce students to this topic: CLEAN, environmental sustainability lesson plans, books, movies, projects, labs, etc.

   Teachers can use a wide variety of resources; starting with United Nations Climate Action: What is Climate Change? Learning about Greta Thunberg, an activist, protesting to stop climate change to the environment and promoting activities to start the process of slowing down climate change and hopefully reversing the negative effects we are experiencing globally. Reduce, reuse, and recycling. Teaching students why the temperatures are warmer in oceans and how it affects the ecosystems and each plant, coral reef, sea life, etc., and each one serves a purpose. If one is affected greatly, the plants in the ocean for example, then the sea life cannot eat those plants if they die, etc.

   We can move beyond Earth Day by helping students see what we can and must change on a daily basis by establishing new habits and routines in their daily lives. Through education and awareness, even of travel, their carbon footprint when going on vacation. This can incorporate several subject matters into a project theme. This can incorporate other subjects, not just science.

   We can help them make a difference by following one small change by each student or family at home and recording and calculating the results of the change so they can understand how they’re helping any living organism survive and thrive to fulfill their purpose within the environment. IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair, Hans-Otto Pörtner, said, “Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change and provide life-critical services such as food and clean water.” “… effectively and equitably conserving 30 to 50 per cent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean habitats, society can benefit from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon, and we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development through essential financial and political support.”

6. Hi Dr. Stor-Hunt, This post was fascinating. Elementary science standards must include climate change instruction to prepare kids for current issues. Climate change affects every element of our life and is not just a scientific topic. Early introduction of these principles gives kids the information and critical thinking abilities to comprehend how environmental systems and human activities are intertwined. Teaching climate change promotes environmental responsibility and enables students to improve their communities. Beginning these ideas in elementary school helps pupils build environmental literacy and ethics, laying the groundwork for future study and action. Teachers would find it easy to introduce and include these topics creatively with materials like the ones you provided. Therefore, I strongly support climate change instruction in Virginia primary science although it is outside of the curriculum.

7. Hi Dr. Stohr, I think this is a really great topic and one I think it very important to talk about. I believe that depending on the class/age of students it is critical that teachers have the opportunity to introduce discussions on concepts such as greenhouse gasses, deforestation, and renewable energy. They can utilize interactive tools like online carbon footprint calculators tailored for kids to make the concept tangible. In younger classes, teachers can incorporate literature such as “The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge” which can engage students with storytelling and make it more exciting. Additionally, hands-on activities, like starting a classroom garden or participating in local clean-up efforts, can instill a sense of responsibility and action. Educational websites like NASA’s Climate Kids offer games and activities explaining climate concepts in fun ways. If they have the means to use more advanced technology like VR, these systems can give access to things like virtual field trips to ecosystems affected by climate change can provide immersive learning experiences, though this is not feasible for most classes it does sound cool! Lastly, inviting guest speakers such as local environmentalists or scientists can inspire students with real-world examples of climate action. A combination of approaches, that do not have to be extreme by any means, can empower young learners to grasp the urgency of climate change and the importance of sustainable practices and is better than doing nothing.

8. Hi Dr. Stohr,
   Interesting post! I think that climate change is a highly debated topic as far as whether or not folks agree that it should be taught to children. I, however, believe that it is essential for children to learn about what impacts they can make on ensuring a future that has the Earth being more protected. And while I believe climate anxiety is a real thing and that this is one of the main reasons teachers avoid mentioning it, there is a way to do it that is less scary, especially for young minds. We have to remind them that there are so many ways that they can make an impact, and that their impacts build up to an even greater one, so no task is too small. I think there are many Children’s TV shows now that address climate change in a less harsh way, which is essential for students who already have anxiety, so that they can learn in a way that does not make their anxiety levels rise even more. It can also help children by use of characters that are accessible to them, as they are likely to want to “help” that character in making sure they take all the necessary steps to make sure they are treating the Earth well. I also think this topic could make for a great field trip to a science museum, if accessible/affordable, because they can supplement their knowledge with a great deal of visual information and simple charts, which can help them to understand even more.

9. Hi Dr. Stohr-Hunt,
   I enjoyed reading your post about including the topic of climate change in the classroom. I remember growing up, the idea of climate change seemed to be made up because it just was not talked about and something I was not worried about in the slightest. There is concern to the amount of damage climate change can cause and if we bring this up in the classroom it may scare the children. I think looking at the resources provided on how to effectively bring the conversation up in the classroom is beneficial for all grade levels and should not just be a one-time lesson. I think students grasp the idea of saving the planet by recycling fairly well and that wasn’t a term that scared me as a child, I think furthering this idea and showing hands-on other beneficial ways to help slow down climate change could mean a lot.

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