Resources

The Reason for the Seasons: How the Earth and Sun Interact to Create Seasons

Topic(s): Seasons, Solar Radiation, Seasonal Variability

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), Informal Education

This is an excellent interactive simulation of the earth moving around the sun.

What makes a gas, a greenhouse gas?

Topic(s): Greenhouse Effect, Greenhouse Gases, Climate System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)

Students act out 4 different molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor) to discover which ones are greenhouse gases and which ones are not.

Drought Affects California's Water Availability

Topic(s): Measurements and Observations, Measuring and Modeling Climate, Drought, Drought

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional, Informal Education

In this resource, students learn about changes in water availability due to drought in California from 2013 to 2017. This resource provides opportunities for students to interpret data and analyze imagery for observational evidence of drought conditions through maps, satellite images, and photographs.

International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration: What is happening at Thwaites Glacier?

Topic(s): Measurements and Observations, Sea Level Rise, Melting Ice and Permafrost, Climate Impacts, Human Responses to Climate

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)

This resource is an informational video about the impact of climate change on the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica.

Do Different Colors Absorb Heat Better?

Topic(s): Albedo, Solar Radiation, Measurements and Observations, Human Responses to Climate, Energy Use

Grade Level: Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)

This is a STEM activity to learn how different colors absorb light better than others. Vocabulary and investigating questions are included to facilitate discussion, and a rubric is provided for assessment.

Merging Social Justice with Environmentalism

Topic(s): Climate Impacts, Mitigation Strategies, Adaptation Strategies, Human Responses to Climate

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

Students will learn about the environmental justice movement from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries through reading about key movements in time.

Renew-a-Bead Game

Topic(s): Mitigation Strategies, Human Responses to Climate, Fossil Fuels, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Other Alternatives, Energy Use

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)

Students work in pairs to pick black and white beads out of a bag to represent the percent of renewable and nonrenewable resources used in different countries, and then graph the information.

Is Earth Running Out of Water?

Topic(s): Drought, Drought, Availability of Water Resources, Mitigation Strategies, Adaptation Strategies

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12)

This video is an episode of Above the Noise from PBS Digital Studios that engages students in thinking about drought and water shortages worldwide. Supporting materials include background reading on water shortages, a transcript of the video, a handout for viewing Above the Noise episodes (not specific to water shortages), teaching tips, activities, and discussion questions. The video is an engaging introduction to the topic and is best used as part of a larger lesson plan.

SciJinks: What causes a thunderstorm?

Topic(s): Atmospheric Circulation, Water Cycle, Climate System

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5)

This short video demonstrates what causes a thunderstorm.

TU Delft - OTEC

Topic(s): Thermohaline Circulation, Human Responses to Climate, Other Alternatives

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

This video presents a brief introduction to an alternative energy source - ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).

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Climate Literacy Principles

Energy Literacy Principles

Resources