Getting Started
Climate Learning for the Next Generation
Every student deserves a climate change learning experience that helps them build robust science knowledge and a sense of agency to use their knowledge to act in their lives and communities.
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We are co-creating learning experiences by partnering with teachers to design standards-driven localized climate education pathways. These pathways combine a globally focused base curriculum with teacher-designed local lessons. The base curriculum provides pre-designed foundational, research-based lessons, allowing teachers to commit more resources to designing local lessons and customizing learning experiences so they are meaningful for students.
When students learn about things, it’s more fun to learn about something in your community. It’s important because it teaches you something you’re surrounded by. Instead of learning about something that we will never see or has nothing to do with us, we’re learning about something that is in our environment.
~ Georgia High School Student
Key features of Localized Climate Education Pathways
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Lessons at the start and end of the unit that are designed by teachers to anchor student learning in local climate phenomena and solutions.
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A base unit connecting global perspectives on climate change to the local issues and solutions.
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Over half of the instructional time dedicated to investigating solutions.
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The storyline instructional model in which students ask questions that help motivate investigation.
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Flexible design so that teachers can innovate year-after-year, without having to create full units on their own.
Teacher Perspectives on Selecting a Localized Anchor
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Watch this video to hear from two teachers who designed local Climate Education Pathways. One teacher teaches in a small urban community in the Southeast US. The other teacher teaches in a large suburban area in the Midwest. Each teacher describes how they chose a local anchoring climate issue for their units and the role of student interest and experience in making their decision.