Teaching Activities

National Center for Science Education
This lesson plan is the second in a series of 6 modules on climate change. This lesson plan defines common vocabulary such as model, trend, projection, prediction, weather, and climate. Students will ...

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Informal, College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)
Online Readiness: Online Ready, Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

What Can a Tree Do For You? part of CLEAN Collection

https://scied.ucar.edu/activity/what-can-tree-do

Using real data, this hands-on activity investigates different types of trees and forests as carbon sinks and stores.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Informal, Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Online Ready, Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climatology , Climatology :Climate sensitivity and feedbacks
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Weather Stations: Winds part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/solar_system/...

Lunar and Planetary Institute
Children use a toaster to generate wind and compare the appliance's heat source to Jupiter's own hot interior. They discover that convection drives wind on Jupiter and on Earth.

Grade Level: Informal, Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Atmospheric and oceanic circulation, Geoscience:Oceanography:Ocean-Climate Interactions, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Solar radiation, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Atmospheric circulation
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Weather Stations: Storms part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/solar_system/...

Lunar and Planetary Institute
Children test how cornstarch and glitter in water move when disturbed. They compare their observations with videos of Jupiter's and Earth's storm movements.

Grade Level: Informal, Intermediate (3-5), Primary (K-2)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography:Ocean-Climate Interactions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Atmospheric and oceanic circulation, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Atmospheric circulation
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Educator Guide: Lab 1- Launching an Expedition part of CLEAN Collection

https://serc.carleton.edu/trex/labs/lab1_launch.html

Nicole Davi, Pat Pringle, Frank Wattenberg
Students are charged with thinking about what it takes to 'do science'. They are introduced to the science of dendrochronology and learn how tree-ring science is executed.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), Middle (6-8), Informal, High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Biology, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Ecosystems
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Food and Climate Change part of CLEAN Collection

https://climate.mit.edu/til-about-what-eat-educator%20guide

Environmental Solutions Initiative
In this activity, students listen to a podcast and then investigate causes of and solutions to food waste, plant-based recipes to get excited about, and the diversity and variety of heirloom foods.

Grade Level: Informal, High School (9-12), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Mitigation of climate change, Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Carbon Travels - Then and Now part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.baesi.org/carbon-travels-then-and-now/

Bay Area E-STEM Institute
Students play the role of carbon atoms to learn about the carbon cycle and how it is changing. Students create two carbon cycle diagrams—visual models of the cycle before and after the Industrial ...

Grade Level: Informal, College Lower (13-14), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Greenhouse gas emissions, Impacts of climate change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes, Greenhouse gas emissions, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

NASA Global Warming Demonstration part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/global-warmi...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
This demonstration shows how water absorbs more heat than air. The corollary that is made is that the oceans are absorbing a lot of the heat related to climate change. The video tutorial shows an ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), Informal, Intermediate (3-5)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Oceanography, Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Land Ice/Sea Ice/Grounded Ice: How does melting ice affect sea level? part of CLEAN Collection

http://icedrill-education.org/portfolio/land-ice-sea-ice...

Louise Huffman
Students create a model of sea level rise based on the melting of land ice, sea ice, or grounded ice. Student predictions are recorded and models are run. Making explanations based on data, cause and ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), Informal, Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Sea Level Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Shine - Mini climate change musical part of CLEAN Collection

https://insidethegreenhouse.org/shine/assets/shine_wanna...

Beth Osnes, Shira Dickler
This learning activity is a climate change musical for K-12, youth groups or faith organizations. Shine weaves together climate science and performance art into a fun and powerful story, which spans ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), Informal, High School (9-12), Intermediate (3-5)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary