Climate Change Education Programs of Relevance for use in Ontario Secondary Schools
a. Lesson Plans, Units, Learning Projects, Inquiries
Title / Grade and Description / Match to Ontario Curriculum[1] / Source/ContactACER …
Ecards / Middle school - an online and interdisciplinary activity designed to teach about energy use. / Middle school/grade 10, use in multiple subjects, / R4R website/Pembina Institute-Green Learning
http://www.greenlearning.ca/
The Energy Trail
**Substantial amount of material & background information for the lessons** / Grades 5-10 - helps students discover the links between consumer products, manufacturing and energy use, the burning of fossil fuels and the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. / Grade 10, Social Studies, Science, English Language Arts, Visual Arts / R4R website/Climate Change North
http://www.climatechangenorth.ca/
Renewable Energy & Your School / Grades 7-12 - The class explores renewable energy options and then researches, develops and installs a renewable energy system in their school or community. / Grades 7-12, Social Studies, Sciences, Geography, Northern Studies, English Language Arts / R4R/Climate Change North
http://www.climatechangenorth.ca/
Climate Change in Grade 10 Science – Applied and Academic / Grade 10 - climate change connections are made to specific topics in chemistry, biology, physics and earth science. Students then apply the knowledge and skills they gain to complete two suggested climate change action projects. / Grade 10, Science / R4R/ Ontario ecoschools
http://www.ontarioecoschools.org/
Global Warming: Early Warning Signs / Grade 9-12 - consists of four activities through which students explore global climate change and its impacts on their own region and around the world. / Grade 9-12, biology, environmental science, geography, earth sciences, / R4R/Union of Concerned Scientists
http://www.ucsusa.org/
In the Hot House / Grade 10 - on-line activity that introduces students to the basic scientific understandings behind the issue of climate change. Students also learn how climate change will affect Canada and other places around the world and why this is such an important issue. / Grade 10, / R4R/Pembina Institute-Green Learning
http://www.greenlearning.ca/
**Conducting an Ecological Inquiry Investigation
**These 2 resources from Evergreen could be placed together as both cover an area in Biology** / Grades 10-11 - Students design, plan and undertake their own ecological inquiries on the school grounds, learning and applying skills of scientific method and investigation, design and communication. / Grades 10-11, Science/Grade 10 Biology, / Evergreen
http://www.evergreen.ca
**Investigating Biological Communities in Natural and Artificial Ecosystems / Grade 10 - Students use the quadrat method to survey and compare plant and animal populations existing in natural and artificial micro-ecosystems on the school grounds. / Grade 10, Science/Biology, / Evergreen
http://www.evergreen.ca
Nice Niche! / Grade 10 - Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, including the relationship between ecological balance and the sustainability of life and Analyse issues related to environmental sustainability and the impact of technology on ecosystems / Grade 10, Science and Technology; English; French / Evergreen
http://www.evergreen.ca
Climate Change & Ozone Depletion / Grade 10-11? (UK curriculum) - overview of the greenhouse effect and global warming, discusses the complicated subject of ozone, predicted impacts of global warming, & how we reduce the threat of global warming. 5 lessons, most have experiments included / Grade 10-11?, Science and Geography / Atmosphere, Climate, & Environment
http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/resources.html
Sent to Stan but to big to print
The Science of Climate Change
**Powerpoint presentations for all of the Teaching Climate Change resources** / Grade 9-10 - students will learn about the earth’s climate system and the greenhouse effect. Students will use critical thinking skills to evaluate information and to draw conclusions about the causes of climate change / Grade 9-10 – Science, / Teaching Climate Change
http://www.teachingclimatechange.com.au/
The Impacts of Climate Change
**Powerpoint presentation** / Grade 9-10 - students will learn to assess the impacts of human-induced climate change on the natural environment. They will also learn about the relationship between human activities and complex ecosystems. / Grade 9-10, Geography, high level of match / Teaching Climate Change
http://www.teachingclimatechange.com.au/
The Ethics of Climate Change
**Powerpoint presentation** / Grade 9-10 - students will learn about our responsibility to conserve, protect and maintain the environment for the future. They will consider some of the key ethical questions, including who is responsible for the damage caused by climate change, and who will suffer most from the effects of climate change. / Grade 9-10, Geography, Politics, Global Studies, / Teaching Climate Change
http://www.teachingclimatechange.com.au/
The Economics of Climate Change
**Powerpoint presentation** / Grade 9-10 - students will learn about the operation of markets, types of market failure and the means available for governments to intervene in markets, all in reference to the problem of global warming. / Grade 9-10, Economics / Teaching Climate Change
http://www.teachingclimatechange.com.au/
Climate Change: Connections & Solutions / Grades 9-12 - An interdisciplinary, self-contained two-week unit that lays the foundation for understanding some of the forces behind climate change and its connections to numerous social, economic, and environmental factors. / Grades 9-12, Science, math, geography, & other social sciences / Facing the Future
http://www.facingthefuture.org/
Solving Inequalities: Carbon Emissions / Grades 9-10 - Students create connections between individual actions and climate change.
They work with algebraic inequalities to consider how many and what types of activities can be performed while staying within a limited carbon budget. / Grades 9-10, math / Facing the Future
http://www.facingthefuture.org/
**Climate Status Investigations - CO2 & Mass
**All of the resources from the Keystone Centre with stars refer to one’s that involve science & can be put together as a package of multiple lesson plans & presentations. Could possibly break them up into 2 groups such as Chemistry and other sciences. / - Students will examine if CO2 & other gases have mass & how that is connected with climate change. / science (chemistry), / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Dr. Climatic: Climate Change / Grades 9-12 - Gain an increased understanding of the science behind climate change. Includes lesson plan and PP presentations. / Grades 9-12, science,geography, global studies, / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
Identifying the 3E's – Environment, Economy, Equity / Grades 9-12 - Students will identify and classify the 3Es of sustainability as they relate to the possible climate change affects on a country and then develop criteria that will be used to evaluate potential solutions. / Grades9-12, social sciences; geography, global studies, politics, etc., / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Developing Models / Grades 9-12 - Introduce students to the concept of scientific model building as a platform for
understanding modeling for climate change. Includes lesson plan & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, sciences, / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
Population Growth / Grades 9-12 - Students will determine how population growth could affect global climate change. / Grades 9-12, social sciences; geography, global studies, / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Trapping CO2 / Grades 9-12 - Students will investigate the properties of carbon dioxide and methane in order to understand their role in global climate change. Includes lesson plan & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Chemistry), / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Too Cool for School – The Greenhouse Experiment / Grades 9-12 - Goal:To understand the definition, types and origins of the major greenhouse gases & to use a scienctific model to collect temperatures and investigate the greenhouse effect. Includes lesson plans & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Chemistry) / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
If.....Then / Grades 9-12 - Students will consider potential effects resulting from changing environments in various countries/regions. / Grades 9-12, Social sciences; global studies, geography, politics, etc., / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Eating up Energy / Grades 9-12 - Students will compare and contrast amount of energy consumption and CO2emissions among different countries to understand global effects of emissions. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Ecology), / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Geologic Sequestration / Grades 9-12 - Students learn about geologic sequestration as a technique used to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Includes lesson plan & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Oceanic Absorption: Oceanic Sequestration / Grades 9-12 - Explore the potential for the ocean to hold CO2. Includes lesson plan & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences, / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
**Terrestrial Sequestration –
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration / Grades 9-12 - Students define key terms and link plant cellular functions based on experimental data and observations. Includes lesson plan & PP presentation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences, / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
There are many more lesson plans, PP presentations, & resources at this site. / Grades 9-12 / There are other resources for integrating math, language arts and other subjects with climate change. / The Keystone Centre
http://www.keystone.org/home
Coral Reefs in Hot Water / Grades 9-12 - this activity explores the potential impact
of climate variability and change on one of nature’s most wondrous, yet fragile, creations—coral reefs.Designed to tap specific skills and knowledge through scientific inquiry, the activity more generally seeks to stimulate thought about the long-term impacts of a warmer planet. / Grades 9-12, Multiple disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth sciences, ecology, geography, language arts, math, social studies, technology – / The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
http://www.strategies.org/docs/CoralReefs_May02.pdf
Climate & Disease: A Critical Connection / Grades 9-12 - This activity is designed to help students:
Analyze how climate variability can affect the food chain;
Predict changes in animal population due to climate variability; Interpret the relationship between climate
variability, and diseases as explained by basic concepts of ecology and genetics. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Biology, Ecology), / The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
http://www.strategies.org/docs/ClimateAndDisease_May02.pdf
Here, There, Everwhere / Grades 9-12 - This curriculum packet contains three activities that explore the potential impact of climate variability and change on Earth’s most abundant resource, water. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Earth Science, Ecology, Environmental Studies), / The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
http://www.strategies.org/docs/Water_May02.pdf
Forests: Planet Watch / Grades 9-12 - The activity focuses on a specific aspect—the impact of climate variability and change on New England forests. Invites students to examine higher level issues of climate variability and change by creating a practical,
scientifically sound model to address specific points of a localized socioeconomic situation. / Grades 9-12, Sciences (Ecology, Environmental Studies) / The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
http://www.strategies.org/docs/PlanetWatch_May02.pdf
Climate & CO2: Analyzing their Relationship / Grades 9-12 - In this lesson, students will speculate on various scenarios of future world climatesif the greenhouse effect increases. / Grades 9-12, Geography, environmental studies, science, / National Geographic Society
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/g912/co2.html
Weather & Agriculture / Grades 9-12 - Students will research, discuss, and write reports on the relationship betweenclimateand agriculture. / Grades 9-12, Geography, science, / National Geographic Society
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g912/globalclimate.html
Who Will Take the Heat? / Grades 9-12 - Participants will learn about the environmental, economic, and political issues surrounding global climate change policy. Classes will carry out the exercise through role-playing. / Grades 9-12, geography, global studies, politics, and other social sciences, high level of match / Nova – World in the Balance
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/roleplay/heat.html
**Lesson 1 - Our Unique Atmosphere
Lesson 2 - Emissions of Heat Trapping Gasses
Lesson 3 - Communities of Living Things
Lesson 4 - Implications of Warming Arctic
Lesson 5 - Regional Effects of Global Warming
Lesson Six - What Now? / Grades 6-12 – Lessons covering all of these issues along with extra activities & lesson plan organizer
**Substantial amount of material for multiple classes** / Grades 6-12, Sciences, Geography, social studies, / Global Warming 101
http://www.globalwarming101.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=4&Itemid=5
Other websites that can be used for background information or further resources for the classroom
1. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/science/projections/
**This is a website that has a lot of useful resources that could be used in the classroom. This part of the site has a few resources based around future projections; interactive globes showing changing temperatures and sea ice extent, maps showing projected temperatures, precipitation, soil moisture, and sea level.
2. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/
**This is a site that has educational sections that are broken into 3 sections – kids, teenagers, and teachers. For the teenagers – multiple case studies which they can examine and discuss. For the teachers – lessons plans based around multiple issues covering area of science, mathematics, and geography. There is also supporting information for teachers which is more in-depth, and weather data.
3. http://sciencecircus.questacon.edu.au/assets/sqsc_climate_handbook.pdf
**Climate, Global and Human Change – A teachers climate change handbook
This pdf has background information on the science, extra information connected to climate change, activities, and other resources for teachers including other websites to consult. It is based on curriculum from Australia so I don’t know how closely it links, but take a look.
4. http://www.cbd.int/doc/bioday/2007/ibd-2007-booklet-01-en.pdf
**Biodiversity and Climate Change – A lot of information on biodiversity and how climate change is related and interconnected with it all around the world.
5. http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/publications/6445e.pdf
**Ontario’s Action Plan on Climate Change – Information around climate change and how it affects people in Ontario. It might not have any curriculum connection, but it may be good to use if you are trying to connect what the students are learning and how it connects to the everyday world. There is a little bit of information on advocacy and what can be done.
6. http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-2/final-report/default.htm
**There is a combination of information on ecological thresholds and connection to climate change, multiple case studies on how climate change affects different ecosystems, and a section on action.
7. http://www.ontarioecoschools.org/curriculum_resources/index.html
**There is already one resource above from this site, but I wanted to point out that there are other resources including grade 11 and 12 science and a few powerpoint presentations accompanied by student worksheets and teachers guide on climate change science, impacts and attitudes. There are also resources for geography and civics if you have other teachers interested in integrating an aspect of climate change into their classes.