Green Schools Network
The national network of Green Schools offers some guidance on how to make climate change a teachable moment that every K-12 educator can participate in. Though climate change can often feel overwhelming or too big of a topic to know where to start, there are easy entry points for every grade level and subject area. According to the network, integration of climate literacy takes place across a continuum. Teachers who are new to climate literacy may start by integrating climate change in a supplemental way, whereas teachers who are more familiar with strategies and content may be ready to integrate climate change more holistically throughout the year, or as part of a knowledge-to-action, solutions-based learning unit. Here are a few tips and lessons from the Green Schools National Network.
According to the Green Schools network, climate literacy is too often relegated to the science classroom. However, many other core subject areas can and should teach about climate change.
English Language Arts: The movement to graduate climate-literate students cannot be successful without involving English teachers. English teachers often have lots of flexibility regarding content, so long as they are helping students unpack complex texts. They also have stories and can tap the full range of human struggles and triumphs from a personal perspective, including helping students refine their messages and amplify their voices. The first choice many English teachers make concerns which texts their students will read. The genre of cli-fi, or climate fiction, offers one option. Similar to the young adult dystopian fiction genre, many of these texts feature youth as protagonists who struggle to right the wrongs of an unjust society
Social Studies: Social studies classes already integrate geography, economics, politics, and culture and engage students in discussions of complex, controversial issues. Students are often deeply moved by issues of justice, so featuring environmental racism and environmental justice as subjects of inquiry into local histories can bring important stories to light. Use geography as an entry point for discussing human-environment interactions such as red-lining. Teach about the levels and branches of government through climate-related court cases. Inspire students by exploring stories of climate leaders. But the most important thing that social studies teachers can do is to prepare students for civic engagement.
Math: Our ability to make sound policy choices about climate change rests on our understanding of data. Math teachers have a crucial role to play in developing basic climate literacy in students. A simple entry point for young students to understand climate change is to calculate their carbon footprint. Using a footprint calculator can open up a discussion on what variables impact carbon emissions, which choices are in our control, and which aspects of climate policy we need to advocate for at the societal level. Another natural entry point for math teachers to discuss climate change is by analyzing data on weather patterns and local biodiversity.
