TeachersFirst's Climate Change Resources
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
This collection of resources about climate change is selected to help teachers and students learn about the short and long term impact of climate change. As students read and see images of climate change then, now, and in the future, they will gain a better understanding. Younger students may have more questions as you explore together. Use these resources with your students to find ways you all can make a difference. Use this opportunity to teach about persuasive writing (letters to the editor or government officials), careers in science, and more.
View all of our resources tagged climate change.
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National Geographic 101 - National Geographic
Grades
6 to 12
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (262), chemicals (39), climate (78), climate change (72), dinosaurs (36), diseases (70), drugs and alcohol (27), energy (126), evolution (85), genetics (68), hiv/aids (19), moon (64), planets (108), plants (134), pollution (48), religions (61), romans (29), solar energy (32), solar system (94), space (201), STEM (216), sun (59), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the share feature included with each video to share a link or embed videos on your class website or student computers. These videos provide a wonderful opportunity for students to explore a variety of science topics that aren't always included in the science curriculum. As students find a topic of interest on the site, ask them to research additional information, and then use Canva, reviewed here, to modify their learning and create posters or infographics sharing their findings with their peers. Include student-created posters or infographics as part of an overall presentation using a portfolio-building site like About.me, reviewed here. Use About.me for students to create a portfolio as their future self as a scientist sharing their research that includes posters, written work, cited research, and more.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Outrider - Outrider Foundation
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): atomic bomb (8), climate (78), climate change (72), nuclear energy (19), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your resources for teaching both of these timely topics. Collaborate with your students and extend learning by bookmarking and saving additional resources using Netboard, reviewed here. In addition to saving bookmarks, Netboard includes the option for adding notes to shared resources. Encourage students to use this feature to describe useful information found on any website. As students explore these topics, use FlipGrid, reviewed here, to enhance learning by creating video response questions for student discussion. Encourage students to redefine their learning and problem solve solutions by creating video explainers describing the problem and proposed solutions using a video explainer tool like My Simpleshow, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project Look Sharp - Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College
Grades
K to 12tag(s): american revolution (73), climate change (72), critical thinking (101), environment (218), martin luther king (32), media literacy (84), middle east (37), nutrition (131), OER (31), presidents (116), russia (30), social media (45)
In the Classroom
Become acquainted with these free curriculum kits and lessons to integrate media literacy within content already taught in the classroom. As you teach lessons found on the site, incorporate technology to enhance learning and build student understanding. Use Vocabulary.com, reviewed here, to introduce and develop vocabulary during individual activities. This tool allows you to enhance classroom technology use and create assignments using individual vocabulary lists then provide feedback and options for student revisions and peer feedback. Incorporate images with annotations to help students understand "big picture" ideas using ThingLink, reviewed here. For younger students create a ThingLink together as a class to add text, video, and more to images. Ask older students to create their own ThingLink sharing information learned throughout your lessons. Be sure to share all of your images on your class website for students to view at any time. To transform classroom technology use and as a culminating activity, use a digital book creation tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, as an alternative assessment to quizzes or tests. Include student-created writing, ThingLink images, and add videos with student commentary within each book. Be sure to provide students with your rubric to use as a guide before turning in digital books. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here. Whether students work individually or in groups, be sure to share your new digital library related to your lesson topic with students to review and revisit at any time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Geographic Education - National Geographic
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animal homes (59), biodiversity (24), climate (78), climate change (72), democracy (15), energy (126), habitats (79), map skills (57), native americans (79), oceans (129), planets (108), preK (230), space (201), stars (61), women (97)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and include the National Geographic site with your resources for planning social studies and science lessons. Share resources from the site on your interactive whiteboard then include a link on classroom computers for students to explore independently. There are many interesting articles and activities for students. Have them choose one; then, replace paper and pen by having them use an online notetaking tool like Webnote, reviewed here, to take notes or write questions as they research information online. Replace paper pen by asking students to write blogs sharing information learned using a site like Edublog, reviewed here. Edublog offers tools for creating class and individual blogs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Climate Explorer - globalchange.gov
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): climate (78), climate change (72), floods (11), temperature (31), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and share this resource for student research into climate change anywhere in the world. Have groups of students work on different perspectives of climate change including rainfall, annual and monthly temperature change over time, population density, or flooding changes. Have students make an impressive, interactive poster, infographics, chart or multimedia presentation sharing their findings using Genial.ly, reviewed here. Genial.ly allows you to add polls, videos, embeds, web links, PowerPoint, PDfs, and more to any presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Miles of Ice Collapsing Into the Sea - New York Times
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): antarctica (27), climate (78), climate change (72), oceans (129)
In the Classroom
Include this interactive with any lessons on climate change, oceans, or weather. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard and highlighting them in the text as you come to them. Share the locations using Google Earth, reviewed here, and have students research other locations experiencing the effects of climate change.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Climate Kids Time Machine - NASA
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): carbon (14), climate (78), climate change (72), earth (173), oceans (129), temperature (31)
In the Classroom
Share these timelines on your interactive whiteboard as an introduction to your unit on weather and climate change. Include a link to the site on your class webpage and classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Have students research causes for climate change, then make a multimedia presentation using Powtoon, reviewed here, or Sway, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Climate Kids - NASA
Grades
3 to 6tag(s): air (106), animals (262), carbon (14), climate (78), climate change (72), energy (126), oceans (129), plants (134), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Include Climate Kids with any unit on weather, oceans, or climate change. Share the site on your interactive whiteboard to feature specific games and activities for your students. The entire site may be overwhelming for younger students; instead of creating a link to the main site, create separate links to games and activities on classroom computers and on your class website. Upon completion of your unit,modify learning by having students create a simple infographic sharing information about climate change using Infogram, reviewed here. Transform learning by having students take pictures of your local environment, then create an annotated image sharing potential effects of climate change, including text boxes and related links, using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Changing Planet - NBC Universal Media, LLC
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): arctic (41), climate change (72), diseases (70), glaciers (16), mountains (12), oceans (129), scientific method (47), statistics (109), STEM (216), temperature (31), trees (17), tundra (15), water (96)
In the Classroom
Place the URL to Changing Planet on your classroom website or blog for students to explore the videos on their own. Flip your instruction and assign the videos to your scientists to watch before class. Flipping will maximize classroom time. Encourage budding scientists to investigate climate change. Use this site as a springboard for individual or group projects that connect to our world today. Have students create presentations to share what they learned using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here. Build student's background knowledge by watching the videos, and reviewing nonfiction reading strategies with students before reading the transcripts. Use the videos on Changing Planet to help struggling readers with the content on the cue cards. Encourage your scientists to tackle the topic of climate for a science fair experiment or graduation project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interactives & Simulations: Weather, Climate & Atmosphere Education - UCAR Center for Science Education
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): arctic (41), atmosphere (21), carbon dioxide (9), climate (78), climate change (72), hurricanes (28), solar energy (32), sun (59), trees (17)
In the Classroom
Introduce Interactives & Simulations on an interactive whiteboard or projector then allow students to explore on their own. Be sure to provide a link on your class website or blog for students to explore at home. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here, to demonstrate information learned from this site. Alternatively students could create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Climate Change - NASA
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): climate (78), climate change (72)
In the Classroom
Use this resource for some excellent background information on climate change. Create public service announcements outlining the key points from this site. Create a campaign for making small changes in our lives that can add up to a big difference. Assign small groups to explore one facet of this site and create a multimedia presentation using one of many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Climate Time Machine - NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/CIT
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): antarctica (27), arctic (41), carbon dioxide (9), carbon footprint (5), climate (78), climate change (72), temperature (31)
In the Classroom
Want to get students attention? Begin with the Average Global Temperature on an Interactive Whiteboard or projector. Start the slider slowly at 1884 and be sure to pause and back up when global temperatures become cooler. However, be sure to point out to students that even though temperatures cycle a bit through time, as you progress to present day, much warmer temperatures persist. Follow this demonstration. How does this visualization compare to Carbon Emissions? Spend time in class looking at the Sea Level changes and list the areas that will be affected the most because of sea level rise. Create reports or posters about the various facts about those areas (populations, points of interest, culture, and history) to understand what will be lost. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here. Create a campaign for halting climate change beginning with simple actions that EVERYONE can make. Take time to determine each student's carbon footprint and changes that matter.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Planet Nutshell - Joshua Gunn
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): climate change (72), financial aid (15), internet safety (111)
In the Classroom
Include videos during your Internet safety or climate change unit and view on your interactive whiteboard. Embed on your class website or blog and have students create animated movies online using Kizoa, reviewed here,. Consider sharing one of the short Internet safety videos with parents during an Open House or Meet the Teacher night.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Big Facts on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security - Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security, CGIAR
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): climate (78), climate change (72), disasters (34), environment (218), food chains (18), population (51)
In the Classroom
As climate change's effect is being seen on every region of the Earth, this site is a great resource for finding accurate information and figures. Share this site in conjunction with your science curriculum as well as in government, current events, and geography classes. Click on one of the specific regions of the Earth or choose from the various topics in the icons along the bottom. Divide the World's seven regions among student groups in class. View the various impacts including undernourishment, population, dietary change, food waste, climate impact on crops, disasters, mitigation, and adaptation. Have groups present their regions to the class. View the comparisons by region by choosing one of the various impacts. Click the Climate Impact on People icon and view the infographic information as a class using a whiteboard or projector. Use the information presented to view the source material and understand the science behind the numbers. Use these facts as a springboard to further discussions about climate change impacts. Talk about what governments can do both proactively and in response to the changes. Besides the really large ways to cut carbon emissions, what are the little things others can do to make a difference? Begin a grassroots campaign to make small changes. The many infographics on this site provide valuable experience reading and understanding graphic presentation of information as required by Common Core.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Climate Change: Lines of Evidence - Division on Earth And Life Studies, National Academies
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): atmosphere (21), climate change (72), earth (173)
In the Classroom
Watch the series of videos as a class or assign them for homework, in a flipped classroom strategy. If using the flipped classroom strategy, use a program like Vizia, reviewed here, where you can embed questions at certain points in the video. Another idea that would put you at the top of the scale as a Common Core prepared teacher would be to use a program like Google Scholar, reviewed here, to help you find articles about climate change, greenhouse emissions, carbon emissions, etc. from many different sources. Then embed the article and video in a program like Actively Learn, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Timelapse - Time Magazine
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): climate change (72), maps (218)
In the Classroom
Display the visual portions on your interactive whiteboard. Have students discuss the changes they see. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings from two years using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to compare and contrast differences then and now. Explore and discuss the effects of climate changes and urban expansion using images on Timelapse.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Spark Science Education - The National Center for Atmospheric Research
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): atmosphere (21), climate (78), climate change (72), glaciers (16), hurricanes (28), snow (16), solar energy (32), sun (59), tornadoes (12), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Spark is a must-bookmark site for any teacher of atmospheric science. Create links to activities on student computers for students to explore and play. Search and use the activities for hands-on lesson ideas, all aligned to National Science Education Standards. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi (reviewed here) to demonstrate information learned at Spark. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle (reviewed here), Tagxedo (reviewed here), or WordItOut (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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