The document provides the top 10 reasons to teach climate change in schools. The top reasons include: #10) Aligning climate change education with California science standards; #9) Aligning with Common Core standards; #8) Promoting 21st century skills; #7) Promoting global literacy; #6) Engaging students through real-world examples; #5) Illustrating the interdisciplinary nature of science; #4) Illustrating the scientific process and uncertainty; #3) Addressing skepticism from some students; #2) Responding to parental concerns about their children's future; #1) Addressing the reality that climate change is occurring now and solutions are needed. The document cites supporting evidence from standards and research

1. Climate Change Education
@CarolTang1
Director, Coalition for Science After School
May 2012

3. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
Wikimedia Commons

4. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#10
•Aligns to California
math & science
standards

5. Math standards
• Data analysis
• Statistics and probability
• Graphs

6. CA History-Social Science
“Climate” mentioned 10 times in 9
standards
3rd grade: American Indians
4th grade: California regions
5th grade: American Indians + early settlers
7th grade: Middle Age Islam + Medieval Europe +
Meso-America
8th grade: Industrial Revolution in America
10th grade: World War I
5

7. California State Science
Standards
Adopted in 1998 (print version 2003)
“Climate” is mentioned:
7 times
3 standards
6

8. Seventh Grade
Earth and Life History
4. Evidence from rocks allows us to
understand the evolution of life on Earth. As
a basis for understanding this concept:
4f. Students know how movements of
Earth’s continental and oceanic plates
through time, with associated changes
in climate and geographic connections,
have affected the past and present
distribution of organisms.
7

9. High school standards
•Ecology 6.
•Stability in an ecosystem is a balance
between competing effects. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
•b. Students know how to analyze
changes in an ecosystem resulting
from changes in climate, human
activity, introduction of nonnative
species, or changes in population size.
8

10. High school standards
Energy in the Earth System
6a.Students know weather (in the short run) and climate (in the long run)
involve the transfer of energy into and out of the atmosphere.
b. Students know the effects on climate of latitude, elevation, topography, and
proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm ocean currents.
c. Students know how Earth’s climte has changed over time, corresponding to
changes in Earth’s geography, atmospheric composition, and other factors, such
as solar radiation and plate movement.
d.Students know how computer models are used to predict the effects of the
increase in greenhouse gases on climate for the planet as a whole and for
specific regions.
9

11. High school standards
Climate NOT in Biogeochemical cycles
b. Students know the global carbon cycle: the different
physical and chemical forms of carbon in the
atmosphere, oceans, biomass, fossil fuels, and the
movement of carbon among these reservoirs.
d. Students know the relative residence times and flow
characteristics of carbon in and out of its different
reservoirs.
So climate and carbon NOT linked in
Calif standards explicitly
10

12. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#9 Aligns with Common Core stds

14. Common Core ELA
Grades K-5
Students Who are College and Career Ready in
Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, &
Language

15. Common Core ELA K-5
• They demonstrate independence.
• They build strong content knowledge.
• They respond to the varying demands of audience,
task, purpose, and discipline.
• They comprehend as well as critique.
• They value evidence.
• They use technology and digital media strategically
and capably.
• They come to understand other perspectives and
cultures.

16. Common Core ELA K-5
• They demonstrate independence.
• They build strong content knowledge.
• They respond to the varying demands of audience,
task, purpose, and discipline.
• They comprehend as well as critique.
• They value evidence.
• They use technology and digital media strategically
and capably.
• They come to understand other perspectives and
cultures.

17. Common Core ELA
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-10
Grades 11-12

18. ...students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and
use language effectively in a variety of content
areas...
...specify the literacy skills and understandings
required for college and career readiness in multiple
disciplines
Literacy standards for grade 6 and above are
predicated on teachers of ELA, history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects using their content
area expertise to help students meet the particular
challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
language in their respective fields.

19. 42

20. 32

21. Assessment
•Mixing up of environmental/health issues
•Don’t smoke
•Don’t litter
•Don’t kill animals
30

22. October 2008
3829 votes
$463.69
Included $20 bill!
43

23. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#8 Promotes 21st
Century Skills
#7 Promotes
Global Literacy

25. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#6
Students are more
engaged in science
learning if real-world
examples are used

26. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#5 Ultimate inter-discplinary science
#4 Illustrates process of science...and
uncertainty
Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

27. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

28. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#3
Some students don’t
believe in CC

31. • Children have “phase”
where justice and
fairness are important
• Environmental
education
• Success of recycling
programs
37

32. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#2
Parents care about
their children

33. What are you doing to help solve the climate change crisis?
• Educating my children about a green-friendly lifestyle
• Recycling
• Driving a hybrid
• Investing in green-friendly companies
• Not enough
• Do not know
26

34. •Parents cited
their children as
a top source of
information
regarding
climate change
38

35. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
#1
CC is happening now
and we need solutions
http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

36. Maldives

37. Burundi: “When will aid come?”

38. Top 10
Reasons to Teach Climate Change
‣#10 Aligns to CA science standards
‣ #5 Ultimate interdiscplinary science
‣#9 Aligns to Common Core
‣ #4 Illustrates process of science
standards
‣#8 ‣ #3 Some students don’t accept CC
Provides 21st century skills
‣#7 ‣ #2 Parents listen to their kids
Provides global literacy
‣#6 ‣ #1 CC is happening and we need
Students are more engaged in
science learning if real-world solutions
examples are used

39. http://ncse.com/climate

40. http://ncseonline.org/program/Climate-Change-Education

41. http://www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators/climate-
literacy
• The Sun is the primary source of energy for
Earth’s climate system.
• Climate is regulated by complex interactions
among components of the Earth system.
• Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and
affects climate.
• Climate varies over space and time through both
natural and human processes.
• Our understanding of the climate system is
improved through observations, theoretical
studies, and modeling.
U.S. Global Change • Human activities are impacting the climate
Research Program system.
• Climate change will have consequences for the
Earth system and human lives.

42. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

45. Climate Change Education
@CarolTang1
LinkedIn
http://fora.tv/speaker/9442/Dr_Carol_Tang
May 2012