Climate Hope Toolkit

 

 

 

 

Climate Hope: From Knowledge to Action

Tools for Teaching Climate Change to New Mexico Middle Schoolers

Climate Hope: From Knowledge to Action is a toolkit designed by the 350 New Mexico Climate Education committee, in partnership with Talking Talons Youth Leadership. It is specifically designed for use in New Mexico middle school classrooms to provide a comprehensive set of 4 lessons and a project to teach students all about climate change and its impacts, the science of it, solutions, youth empowerment, and climate justice.

Teachers, please take three minutes to watch this introductory video from our partners, Talking Talons Youth Leadership, sharing their experience with Climate Hope: from Knowledge to Action.  

Are you a New Mexico middle school teacher who wants to access Climate Hope to teach it with your students? Fill out the Climate Hope Interest Form, and we will be in contact with all of the digital materials.

Want to reach out to us directly? Contact Fiana Shapiro, environmental education instructional coordinator at the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, at fiana.shapiro@dca.nm.gov or Nancy Weeks Singham, 350 New Mexico climate justice activist and retired teacher, at nancywsingham@gmail.com.

Climate Hope Tenets:

  • Designed for New Mexico Students
  • Grounded in science, with sources documented throughout
  • Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards
  • Multi-disciplinary to involve teachers in many subject areas
  • Grounded in climate justice
  • Encourages active student participation and activities
  • Mindful of emotional impacts and stressors
  • Empowers students to take on age-appropriate projects and actions for their futures

Lesson Descriptions:

Lesson 1: Climate Weirding: Impacts in New Mexico and Beyond

  • Explore climate change impacts including heat, drought and aridification; snowpack, water availability, and wildfires. 
  • Learn how these impacts affect local forests, animals, and humans
  • Impactful Videos activity: students watch videos of people talking about climate impacts to them and in their communities, take notes and discuss their thoughts and feelings, and present to the class
Lesson 2: Causes of Climate Change and the Science Behind It

  • Understand what fossil fuels are, how we use them, how burning them releases CO2, and how this causes an enhanced greenhouse effect 
  • See how industries in New Mexico contribute to greenhouse gas emissions
  • Extension: students do a scientific modeling activity of the enhanced greenhouse effect
Lesson 3: Climate Solutions Are All Around Us!

  • Recognize that to curb climate change, fossil fuel use must go down while renewable energy use goes up
  • Discuss use of solar, wind, and geothermal energy in New Mexico
  • Students brainstorm and organize solutions ideas
  • Use the leaky boat problem to understand the difference between adaptation solutions and those that fix climate change
  • Fossil Fuels to Renewables game: students strategize solutions and use cards to replace more fossil fuel-heavy and less efficient ways of doing things with more efficient, cleaner renewable energy options
Lesson 4: Students Take Action On Climate and Climate Justice

  • Tackle the concept of climate justice, how those doing the least to contribute to climate change are often impacted the most
  • Introduce methods of group action being used by young people in New Mexico
  • Climate Justice game: students take on a character, and assess how they are affected by climate change and compare with the rest of their classmates
Student Projects
At the culmination of the lessons, students take on a collaborative, multi-disciplinary project, in groups or as a class. The curriculum provides various existing projects and ideas for teachers and students to select from, and teachers can reach out for assistance. Or create something entirely new!
Resources Provided: 

  • Slideshow for each lesson with many visuals
    • script/information to share and references in notes section of each slide
  • Full printable lesson scripts
  • Printable worksheet files and game cards
    • Canva links to editable game card files
  • Teacher’s guide for each lesson 
    • Common core standards for English/Language Arts, Social Studies, and Mathematics
    • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) alignment
    • Lesson objectives, essential questions, and vocabulary
    • Lesson description and procedure
    • Curated high-quality extension activities
    • Additional informational resources pertaining to lesson topics 
  • Comprehensive extensions and resources for whole unit
  • Student project resources and ideas
  • Climate Change videos database
Content and Standards Alignment
Downloadable PDF of lesson descriptions, key vocabulary, Common Core New Mexico State Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

350 New Mexico Climate Hope Presentation

Through climate education, students can “experience our interconnected relationship with nature, to understand the significance of climate change, and be inspired by the numerous possibilities for taking action.” Richard Beach