Climate Lessons (73)
Climate Lessons provides tools, resources and reflections on climate change education for educators and communicators of climate change. This blog is posted to weekly with an educator audience in mind.
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, January 31
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program ManagerSome of you may have seen Will's editorial last week in the Star Tribune raising awareness about the importance of climate literacy. He wrote:
"Teaching and understanding climate change is a process involving scientific inquiry and educational pedagogy; it is not about politics or partisanship. There is virtually unanimous scientific agreement about climate change."
Reading through the comments that follow the editorial, it is clear that there is a lot of education that is still needed. This presents a great opportunity for all of you and your students to practice rebutting the misconceptions and denial that still permeates the public. How empowering for your students to know that they are "smarter" than the average commenter to the Star Tribune! You can read the comments here or download a document we compiled with all of the comments here. Ask your students to choose one and write their response and if you are comfortable with it, send your responses to the Star Tribune or share them with us. As always, we are excited to hear about how things are going in your classroom.
REMINDER! Please take a few minutes to take our survey about how you have used Minnesota's Changing Climate Curriculum OR why you were unable to do so. We are in the process of editing the curriculum and creating a new edition for next year. THANK YOU! Take the survey here.
Resources and Opportunities
Registration Opens for 7th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education!: PLEASE Share with your colleagues and consider coming back for new sessions and also to share how you used Minnesota's Changing Climate this year. Information here.
New Website Shares Tools and Resources to Make Minnesota Schools Healthier and More Sustainable: The Will Steger Foundation is an active participant in the Minnesota Green Schools Coalition – a group of the state’s strongest advocates for our children who are working to create a Minnesota infrastructure of green schools – healthy, high performance schools that are conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. Use this website as a resource and to share with others you know.
Apply for national recognition as a Green Ribbon School! Applications due February 22, 2012 : The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Education to recognize green schools with the newly launched Green Ribbon Schools program. To be considered for the program, a school will have achieved or made considerable progress toward the three pillars established in the program: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environment; and 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. The combined achievement in these three areas will be the basis for the Green Ribbon Schools award. More information & a link to the application are found on the MDE website.
In the news…
The USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map Read More
More on this and how it impacts Minnesota
We want to thank you for being a part of our community of climate literacy ambassadors!
Kristen
Ann
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, January 19
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program ManagerWinter greetings! The cold has finally arrived and hopefully with snow right on its heels. For those of you interested in keeping up on student observations of the Metro area, Great River School has been doing a phenomenal job of getting outside and letting us know what they see! Also many thanks to Proctor for hosting Will, Nicole and myself a few weeks ago. It was so much fun to hear what you have learned and get outside to see your journalling plots and observations. Keep up the good work!
Keep your eyes open for next summer's first institute blast. We are hoping to have some return teachers that are part of a teacher panel or just want to participate again. If you enjoyed last summer, PLEASE share with your colleagues and encourage them to attend. We are able to offer mileage and accommodations for those traveling outside the metro again and will have some great sessions. The dates this year are August 7 and 8 and the location, the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley.
There has been an exciting development in climate change education this week, as the National Center for Science Education has taken up the fight against climate change denial and support of teachers teaching climate change. Some of you are probably aware of NCSE's many years of work on making sure evolution was included in science education. More on this on the Climate Lessons blog.
Cool Website of the Week- Check out this great interactive on how science works.
Viral Climate Video of the Week
What does this mild winter mean for Midwest Forests? Read More Now.
Check out the latest issue of the Young Scientist's Journal focused on Climate Change.
Opportunities:
Apply for national recognition as a Green Ribbon School! Applications due February 22, 2012
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Education to recognize green schools with the newly launched Green Ribbon Schools program. To be considered for the program, a school will have achieved or made considerable progress toward the three pillars established in the program: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environment; and 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. The combined achievement in these three areas will be the basis for the Green Ribbon Schools award. More information & a link to the application are found on the MDE website.
Stop by the Department of Education to hear from high school students talk about why Learning Outdoors is “Way Cool” Monday, January 23, 12 – 1 p.m.
Last semester several Minnesota high school students from Mahtomedi and Roseville were busy learning the usual subject matter – history, literature, science, phy. ed., math. Hear why their academic experience was so exceptional. These fortunate students will be at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to share their experiences at Conserve School (www.conserveschool.org) in Northeastern Wisconsin. Learn why for many of them it was their greatest experience with academics and was also life-changing.
Visitors are welcome, but please notify Jeff Ledermann,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, if you would like to attend.
YEA!MN is teaming up with MPIRG to plan a youth-centered lobby day at the Capitol Building in St. Paul for middle school and high students!
Lobbying will focus on promoting the Recycling Refund Act which incentivizes and encourages Minnesotans to recycle and reduce litter, and on a bill that would commit Minnesota to a new solar standard of 10% solar energy by the year 2030.
All are invited to join us as we participate in and learn about an important aspect of our political process. Participants will have the opportunity to be trained on lobbying and on the particular issues they are interested in lobbying for, meet other youth activists who are working toward a more environmentally sustainable Minnesota, and lobby in the capitol building in front of a legislator.
Here is the information regarding the event:
What: MPIRG/YEA!MN Lobby Day
When: Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 9:00am-2:00pm
Where: The Minnesota Capitol Building, 5 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, MN 55155 (the specific room in which we will first meet is TBD)
*Free lunch will be provided*
Please ask your students to register if they'd like to attend.
Climate Change Education Gains New Advocate
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program ManagerThe big news in the world of climate change education this week has been the National Center for Science Education's new climate change education initiative.
"Long respected for its
work in defending and supporting the teaching of evolution in the public schools...NCSE launched this new initiative to defend and support the teaching of climate change."
When asked why NCSE decided to take on climate change, Executive Director Eugenie Scott responded;
"We have been receiving more and more reports of teachers being pressured against teaching climate change, much as they are pressured against teaching evolution. Right now the evidence is anecdotal but we have heard enough to suggest that it is a problem."
Source
Read more coverage on the initiative below and make sure you check out their new webpage for tips, tools and other information!
Read More:
Evolution advocate turns to climate
http://www.nature.com/news/evolution-advocate-turns-to-climate-1.9811
Climate change skepticism seeps into science classrooms
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-climate-change-school-20120116,0,2808837.story
Climate in Classrooms
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/climate-in-classrooms/
Climate Change Causes Heated Battles For Science Teachers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/climate-change-skeptics-science-teachers_n_1214049.html
National Center For Science Education Launches Fight Against Climate Change Denial In Schools
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/18/405831/national-center-for-science-education-climate-change-denial-in-schools/?mobile=nc
Listen:
New Initiative to Promote Climate Change in the Classroom
http://www.thetakeaway.org/2012/jan/18/climate-change-classroom/
A Second Science Front: Evolution Champions Rise to Climate Science Defense
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=a-second-science-front-evolution-ch-12-01-16
Point of Inquiry: Eugenie Scott - Defending Climate Education
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/eugenie_scott_defending_climate_education/
Will Steger in the Coniferous Biome
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program Manager
Will made a visit to Proctor during the first week of January to speak to the students of Jedlicka Middle School and Proctor High School and to hear from Leah Moore's eighth grade students. After his presentation students asked him questions that ranged from "What is the coolest thing you saw in the Arctic?," to "What have you done to help fight climate change?."
Following the presentation we had the opportunity to go outside and do some journal observations with the eighth graders that included recording the temperature, cloud cover and natural history observation. To conclude the visit Will spent some time inside with the eighth graders taking questions and hearing from them what they have learned so far using Minnesota's Changing Climate. Many thanks to Ms. Moore's class and the Proctor community for such a warm welcome and keep up the great work!
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, January 4
Written by Ann Benson, Education Program AssistantHappy New Year! Launching Minnesota’s Changing Climate was a highlight of 2011 and we are excited about continuing to expand this program in 2012.
Parks Climate Challenge schools are continuing to create excellent PSAs. Check out this great work from Bloomington Lutheran School:
We are still accepting proposals for Parks Climate Challenge mini grants, so feel free to continue working on your applications. Let us know if you would like to discuss ideas for your project or have any questions.
We are looking forward to Will’s upcoming visits to Proctor, MN this week and Hawley, MN in February.
We hope that everyone enjoyed winter break and has had a wonderful start to 2012! Remember to share your great work and feedback with us as you continue teaching Minnesota’s Changing Climate this year.
Kristen and Ann
Resources
If you’re looking for new climate resources, check out these excellent climate apps: Skeptical Science, World Bank Climate Change DataFinder, ClimateCounts, Earth Observer, Arctic Watch and Drought/Fire Monitor.
This national program recognizes schools with achievement or significant progress in the following 3 areas: 1) energy efficient buildings; 2) healthy students and school environment; 3) environmental literacy of all graduates. Application deadline: February 22, 2012.
Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators
This award recognizes grades K-12 educators who teach environmental education with innovative approaches. Application deadline: January 31, 2012.
Minnesota Renewable Energy Challenge
Start a Minnesota Renewable Energy Challenge team at your school. Registration deadline: March 1, 2012.
Nominate a student between the ages of 8 and 16 who has been working on a creative environmental project for an Eco-Hero Award. Application deadline: January 15, 2012.
Professional Development
Participate in training to be a Climate Literacy Ambassador.
Save the dates for the 2012 Will Steger Foundation Summer Institute: August 7 and 8, 2012.
Funding Opportunities
National Environmental Education Foundation
High school students have the opportunity to receive $1,000 grants to work on wildlife conservation. Learn more from this video. Application deadline: February 1, 2012.
AF&PA Recycling Awards
Enter to win a $2,000 prize for your school’s paper recycling program. Application deadline: February 10, 2012.
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, December 15
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program ManagerGreetings!
It is hard to believe we are almost to Winter Break! For Ann and I this means, believe it or not, Summer Institute 2012 is in the works. Please help us in spreading the word that August 7-8 we will hold our 7th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education. We will once again be able to offer mileage and accommodations to those traveling from outside the metro area within Minnesota. Details and registration will be available by the end of January. In addition to sessions similar to last summer, we are planning on offering an "advanced strand" for teachers who have used MCC. If you have suggestions for topics to address please let us know! Finally, we hope to persuade some of you to come back to participate in a panel of experts discussing how you implemented this curriculum.
I wanted to take a moment to recognize the amazing work you are all doing. You are clearly putting in extra time and creativity to make this project work and it is so much fun for us to hear from you about the different directions you have taken. This newsletter we wanted to acknowledge students at the Great River School who have been consistently posting their observations to the online classroom. Keep up the great work!
Have a lovely winter break, hope for snow and we'll be back in touch in the New Year!
Kristen and Ann
Resources
COP 17 Recap: Nicole wrote a nice recap of the outcomes of COP 17 in Durban. For those of you looking for ways to include this in your class, check out the lessons in our very own Citizen Climate.
President's Environmental Youth Awards: The PEYA competition has two parts — a regional certificate and a regional award. The regional certificate program is conducted year-round. Therefore, applications for this program can be submitted at any time. All qualified applicants will receive a certificate honoring them for their efforts to protect human health and the environment.
Sustainable Energy Award: The $10,000 Sustainable Energy Award will be presented to each of the top three high schools that can demonstrate how they have engaged students and teachers in school-wide energy savings through the creative and innovative use of technology. Applications are due February 10, 2012.
Document Your Environment Student Contest: The National Archives in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a student multimedia contest, “Document Your Environment”. Drawing inspiration from a collection of environmental photos from the 1970's, this contest invites students ages 13+ to create any type of graphic art, a short video, or a poem using a Documerica photo as a prompt. The grand prize for this contest will be $500, courtesy of the Foundation for the National Archives. Entries will be accepted until January 6, 2012.
Read about the repercussions of bees waking up earlier and share with your students doing observation projects this spring.
A photo submitted when we had snow on the ground from Lilli from Great River School
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, November 30
Written by Ann Benson, Education Program AssistantWe had another fantastic day of school visits with Will Steger on November 18 when we visited Roseville Area Middle School and MetroTech Career Academy. During each visit, students presented the work that they have been doing with the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and Will spoke to large groups of students. Read more about the November 18 visits.
Thanks to Kay Nowell for sharing this informative video that was created about the impacts of climate change on the lives of students in Alaska. The students emphasize how climate change is affecting their community and sense of place. This is a great example of a project that students can help create about their own experiences and what they are learning about climate change.
We are beginning to revise the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum for a second edition. If you have feedback about lessons that have or have not worked well that you have not yet shared, please email Kristen, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will also begin to contact teachers individually in the upcoming weeks who were planning on using the curriculum in the fall. Thank you in advance for sharing your feedback and examples of your students' work.
In a November 2011 survey, the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication found that the majority of Americans think that global warming worsened recent extreme weather events. If you are looking for resources to teach about extreme weather and climate change, the Will Steger Foundation provides this resource.
Join the Learnin' From Durban video conference with delegates at the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa. This YEA! MN event will take place Saturday, December 3 at the Edina Library from 2pm to 4pm and is co-sponsored by the Citizen's Climate Lobby and Cool Planet. Contact Joe, YEA! MN Coordinator, with any questions about this event, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
If you are still planning on creating or working on PSAs with your students, check out these examples for some inspiration.
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Kristen Poppleton
Ann Benson
Featured Resource
Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon and others created a new guide to renewable energy projects in schools. Learn more and download the guide.
Funding Resources
Enter the Get Green Video Contest with a video about how science, technology, engineering or math can make your city greener. Deadline: December 8, 2011
Apply for Captain Planet Foundation Grants to promote environmental education in schools and help young people engage in environmental stewardship. Deadline: January 15, 2012
EarthEcho Water Planet Challenge Grants support service learning projects that improve water resources. Deadline: February 1, 2012
Professional Development Opportunity
The National Environmental Education Foundation and its partners are hosting a free Greening the Schoolyard: Gardens and Habitats webinar on Wednesday, December 7 at 6pm. Register here.
Future Opportunity
Present on your great work teaching about climate change at the 2012 Minnesota Environmental Education Conference, June 21 and 22 at Itasca State Park.
Will Steger Visits Middle School and High School Students
Written by Ann Benson, Education Program Assistant
On November 18, Will Steger's second day of school visits started at Roseville Area Middle School where Will gave presentations on his experiences in the Arctic and the impacts of climate change to two groups of eighth graders. Since Roseville Area Middle School is a participant in the Parks Climate Challenge program, each presentation began by showing the top public service announcements that students had created about the Mississippi River. It was fun to see these informative and creative videos. Will then spoke to students and answered many of their thoughtful questions. Students were very interested in Will's experiences on expeditions as well as the changes that he had observed over the years.
Next, we went to MetroTech Career Academy where Will met with the environmental science class and environmental club as a small group and then spoke to the whole high school. In the small group meeting, students presented the action projects that they had been working on to find solutions to a variety of environmental issues as a part of the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum. Students and staff at MetroTech had also completed a survey assessing their carbon footprint, what they already do to engage in solutions, what are barriers to more action and what they will do differently in the future. They had gathered some excellent data, and it was exciting to see the wonderful ideas that these students had for their action plans!
Thanks again to our fantastic hosts, and we look forward to seeing more examples throughout this year of what students are creating as part of our Minnesota's Changing Climate program!
Students Get Outside With Will Steger
Written by Ann Benson, Education Program Assistant
On November 10, Will Steger visited two metro area schools and spoke to them about his experiences in the Arctic, the importance of observation and keeping journals and the effects of climate change. The first visit was to Crosby Farm Park with middle school students from Friends School of Minnesota. Students did tree coring and sampling at different sites in the park to collect data about the trees in the area. Friends School of Minnesota visits this site monthly to collect a variety of data throughout the year. They have been doing this program for over 10 years, which gives students the opportunity to learn about the importance of longitudinal data. It will be an excellent opportunity for these students to compare their data with this previously collected data at the end of the year. At Salem Hills Elementary, Will spoke to a third grade class, answered their questions and took them outside to write in the journals that they have been keeping this year. It was wonderful to see students collecting data, observing outdoors and exploring their environment just as Will did when he was young. Students were very familiar with Will and his work, and it was exciting to see the work that students have done and are continuing to do with the Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and online classroom.
Thanks to our wonderful hosts and we are looking forward to more school visits with Will this year!
Minnesota's Changing Climate Updates, November 16
Written by Kristen Poppleton, Education Program Manager It is hard to believe that November is already here! We have been busy posting the online classroom submissions and doing a few school visits with Will. Read more about the visits here. We hope to start hearing about any projects that you have worked on with your students in the next few months.
Will Steger will be speaking at two public forums in Princeton and Grand Rapids, Minnesota in December. The focus will be clean air, climate and health. More information
Congratulations to the Heritage E-STEM school for receiving a Parks Climate Challenge grant to conduct water quality testing on a local water source, identify the problems and design a plan for improvement. We hope to see more grant proposals from the Parks Climate schools soon!
As always, PLEASE feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback, but also to share what you are up to! We love seeing reports, journal entries, posters, movies and photos and will be sure to feature them in upcoming newsletters and our blog.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kristen Poppleton
Ann Benson
Featured Public Service Announcement Video from Wellstone Elementary
In the News
"Challenges to climate change education are common in the classroom, according to a poll of science educators conducted by the National Science Teachers Association. Although 60% of respondents to the on-line poll reported that they were not concerned about how climate change is taught in their school, 82% reported having faced skepticism about climate change and climate change education from students, 54% reported having faced such skepticism from parents, and 26% reported having faced such skepticism from administrators." Read more
This recent article posted to SEEK gives some great ideas for ways to find support for getting kids outside.
Project Funding Opportunities
Lexus Eco Challenge: Focus on Air/Climate
America's Home Energy Challenge
SEED Grants for Energy Efficiency Projects
Compost Awareness Week Poster Contest
Scholarships for Visitng Audubon Center for the Northwoods
Professional Development Opportunities
NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program
Contribute
Charities Review Council
Featured Program
YEA! MN connects Twin Cities Metro youth to facilitate shared skills and strategies and take coordinated action on environmental sustainability.
More info...
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