Climate Change Curriculum Resources

In June 2020, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to incorporate K-12 climate change education across content areas when the State Board of Education adopted the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS). The New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub helps schools to effectively teach climate change and implement the Climate Change Education Student Learning Standards. It Includes:

Watch a recording of the launch of the New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub here.

The Climate Change Education Thought Leader Committee issued a statewide Report on K-12 Climate Change Education Needs in New Jersey in February 2022. The Hub was created as part of the New Jersey Climate Change Education Initiative; a coalition of non-profit and higher education institutions including Sustainable Jersey, New Jersey School Boards Association, The College of New Jersey School of Education, New Jersey Audubon, the National Wildlife Federation, and SubjectToClimate; formed to address the needs outlined in the report.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/climatechange/nj-scientific-report-2020.pdf

New Jersey Department of Education – Climate Change Education resources for New Jersey public schools. https://www.nj.gov/education/standards/climate/index.shtml

Bay Area Air Quality Management District “Protect Your Climate” Curriculum – 16 science-based lessons for grades 4 and 5. https://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/planning-and-research/climate-protection-program/protectyourclimate.pdf

Boston Public Schools, "Climate Curriculum Project" – open access K-12 science lessons on climate change. https://www.climatecurriculum.com/

Climate Generation’s Climate Change Curriculum Suite, including Humanities content, for grades 3 to 12. https://www.climategen.org/our-core-programs/climate-change-education/curriculum/

Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)

“Guide to Teaching Climate Science” includes essential knowledge, instructional support and links to resources. https://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/climate/index.html

“Food & Climate Change Curriculum” for grades 6 to 12; Six lessons work best with a school or community garden. https://cleanet.org/resources/56870.html

ClimeTime / Climate Science Learning is a Washington state initiative that provides virtual K-12 teacher training and resources linking Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and climate science. https://www.climetime.org/resources/

Cornell Climate Stewards - Climate Change & Youth: Cornell citizen science and learning resources, and peer reviewed curriculum collections. https://climatestewards.cornell.edu/resources-2/youth/

NASA Climate Change Resources for Educators – NASA’s Climate Kids and lessons and resources from other organizations such as NOAA, Jet Propulsion Lab, and US Department of Energy. https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/education/

National Education Association – “Climate Change Education: Essential Information for Educators” http://www.nea.org/climatechange

National Public Radio – “8 Ways To Teach Climate Change In Almost Any Classroom” https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/716359470/eight-ways-to-teach-climate-change-in-almost-any-classroom

National Science Teaching Association – resources, NSTA position statements, and Next Generation Science Standards linked to climate. https://www.nsta.org/topics/climate-change

National Wildlife Federation “Climate Change Education” presents curriculum for grades 3-12 and resources. https://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Resources/Curriculum/Climate-Change

Next Generation Science Standards

EQuIP Rubric for Science provides criteria to measure how well lessons and units are designed for the NGSS. https://www.nextgenscience.org/resources/equip-rubric-science

Science Peer Review Panel reviews free and publicly available lessons and units to determine the extent to which they are designed for the NGSS. https://www.nextgenscience.org/peer-review-panel/science-peer-review-panel

NOAA Climate.gov – Resources (demos & experiments, interactive tools, videos) and guidance for teaching about climate and energy. https://www.climate.gov/teaching

North American Association for Environmental Education – Guidelines for K-12 Global Climate Change Education https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Eco-Schools/NWF-NAAEE-CCE-global-guidelines.ashx

Ohio State University “Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum” – Lessons and activities that introduce students to the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes region. https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/products/byseries/great-lakes-climate-change-curriculum

Prince William County Public Schools’ “Climate Change Live” offers distance learning and teaching resources for teachers and students – K-12 lesson plans, toolkits, webinars, classroom webcasts. https://climatechangelive.org/index.php

Pulitzer Center’s 'Losing Earth': A Climate Change Curriculum – K-College lessons that explore climate change through creative and expository writing, media and communications, analysis of historical documents, and civic engagement. https://pulitzercenter.org/nytclimate

Purdue University, “Climate Change Research Center” – guidance and professional development toolkit for educators, and lessons and teacher guides for grades 7-12. https://ag.purdue.edu/climate/education/for-k-12-teachers/

Stanford University, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences “Climate Change Education” – curricula for middle and high schools. https://earth.stanford.edu/climate-change-ed/curriculum

STEM Teaching Tools, funded by federal research grants, provides open education resources to help with teaching of science, technology, engineering and math, and is currently focused on supporting the teaching of the Next Generation Science Standards. The website provides tools (practice briefs) at http://stemteachingtools.org/tools and virtual training modules at http://stemteachingtools.org/pd and http://stemteachingtools.org/

Subject To Climate assembles 100s of vetted teaching resources from different content providers, as well as original lesson plans for K-12 educators. Content is vetted by both teachers and climate scientists. Educators can search for materials by grade level, subject matter, standards, and more, and can rate and comment on resources. All resources are available for free. https://subjecttoclimate.org/

Vermont Energy Education Program – “Climate Change Understanding & Engagement Curriculum” offers 20 science-based lessons for grades 6-8. https://veep.org/for-teachers/resources/curricula-storylines-lesson-resources/climate-change-understanding-engagement

Young Voices for the Planet provides films and curriculum resources to educate and mobilize young people in civic engagement and democracy to combat climate change. The website includes links to inspiring movies about young people who have taken action in the US and around the world. It also provides standards-aligned lessons and other curriculum resources for learning connected to the films for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. https://www.youngvoicesfortheplanet.com/