Educational Materials for Instructing Climate Change
Scripps Institution of Oceanography and its partners are providing a range of inquiry-based, grade-specific programs designed to foster environmental literacy for K-12 students. These programs, offered through field trip programs and partnerships with organizations like the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
For younger students, activities include beach explorations and scavenger hunts to learn about the habitat and its living creatures, while older students delve into topics such as kelp forest investigations, microplastics in the Pacific Garbage Patch, and the impacts of harmful algal blooms on sea lion strandings and human health.
These hands-on, inquiry-based activities are designed to engage students actively and support the goals of environmental literacy. Examples of these programs include beach exploration for grades K-1, where students participate in a beach scavenger hunt to learn about the habitat and its living creatures, and kelp forest investigations for grades 2-3, involving seaweed scavenger hunts to understand kelp forests as critical marine habitats.
Educators can access these Climate and Environmental Literacy Learning Sequences and Activities by contacting the Sanctuary Exploration Center or related Scripps Oceanography outreach programs. Although the exact URL for the full materials is not provided in the search results, the Sanctuary Exploration Center and its partners are the primary points of access for these resources and field trip programs.
In addition to these programs, Birch Aquarium at Scripps offers onsite and online programs that highlight climate science and environmental literacy themes, with input from Scripps scientists. These resources, called "phenomena-based" activities, are created by collaborative teams of classroom teachers, STEM pedagogy experts, and university scientists. The Price Philanthropies Ocean Science Education Fund supports educational programs at Birch Aquarium at Scripps.
The Climate Champions Team, a UC San Diego-based program focused on promoting climate education in K-12 schools, includes members from Birch Aquarium at Scripps, Social Sciences Climate Action Lab, the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence, Education Studies, and the San Diego County Office of Education. The San Diego County Office of Education maintains a searchable database of teacher resources.
The Scripps Classroom Connection, a collaboration between Scripps Oceanography and the SDUSD, has resulted in the development of pedagogically robust Earth Sciences curriculum. Resources from the Climate Champions Team include Next Generation Science Standards-aligned learning resources, presentations for the general public, and educational programs at Birch Aquarium at Scripps.
In 2018, Scripps Oceanography and Birch Aquarium at Scripps teamed up with the California Science Teachers Association to develop and deliver the 2018 California Science Education Conference Climate Summit. Resources from the Summit include learning sequences, "phenomena"-based resources, and slide sets from the California Science Education Conference workshops.
For more information about the Scripps Classroom Connection, please visit their website. Scripps Oceanography scientists often give presentations on their research for public audiences, accessible through online streaming.
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography and its partners offer online education resources, such as the Climate and Environmental Literacy Learning Sequences and Activities, which focus on topics like climate science and ocean acidification.
- The Birch Aquarium at Scripps provides both onsite and online programs that highlight the impacts of climate-change on the environment, including programs designed specifically for K-12 students.
- The Climate Champions Team, a program at UC San Diego comprising members from various departments, promotes climate education in K-12 schools and offers educational resources like Next Generation Science Standards-aligned materials.
- Through partnerships with organizations like the California Science Teachers Association, Scripps Oceanography and Birch Aquarium at Scripps develop and deliver educational programs and resources that address environmental science, climate-change, and ocean acidification.
