Climate and Energy Educational Resource Collection
The CLEAN Collection is a high-quality and rigorously reviewed collection of climate and energy educational resources and lesson plans aligned with the Climate Literacy and Energy Literacy frameworks, and the Next Generation Science Standards. Through peer-review, scientists and educators ensure scientific accuracy, pedagogic effectiveness, and classroom readiness for each resource. With nearly 1000 items in the CLEAN collection, there are multiple ways to find the resources you need. Type in a keyword, or click on the filter options, and off you go!
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Climate LIteracy
- 1. Scientists understand the climate system 71 matches 1. Scientists use observations and modeling to understand climate
- 2. Greenhouse gases shape Earth’s climate 27 matches 2. Greenhouse gases shape Earth’s climate
- 3. Burning fossil fuels warms the planet 25 matches 3. Burning fossil fuels and other human activities are causing the planet to warm.
- 4. Rapid warming threatens human and ecological systems 63 matches 4. Rapid warming and other climate changes threaten human and ecological systems.
- 5. Climate justice 16 matches 5. Climate justice is possible if climate actions are equitable.
- 6. Humans can adapt 12 matches 6. Humans can adapt social, built, and natural environments to better withstand the impacts of climate change.
- 7. Reducing emissions limits impacts 42 matches 7. Reducing human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050 can reduce global warming and climate change impacts.
- 8. Hope and urgency 12 matches 8. A livable and sustainable future for all is possible with rapid, just, and transformational climate action.
Teaching Across the Curriculum
Climate and Energy Topics
- Causes of Climate Change 175 matches Includes natural changes (cyclic variability, volcanic eruptions, solar output) and human-caused changes (due to GHG emissions and land use changes)
- Climate Impacts 313 matches Includes sea level rise; extreme weather; drought; changes to ecosystems, plants and animals; melting ice and permafrost; ocean warming; impacts to water resources, agriculture, public health and national security
- Climate System 270 matches Includes natural processes within the climate system: orbital patterns, solar radiation, oceans, atmosphere, water cycle, the natural greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, regional climates and differences between climate and weather.
- Energy Use 130 matches Sources of energy, usage trends, conservation, policy
- Human Responses to Climate 213 matches Includes policy, mitigation, adaptation, risk management, personal responsibility
- Measuring and Modeling Climate 296 matches Instrumental measurements, proxy data, climate model projections
- Nature of Climate Science 33 matches Includes the process of science and common misconceptions about climate science
NGSS Performance Expectations
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas
NGSS Cross-Cutting Concepts
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices
Results 1 - 10 of 750 matches
This lesson is the fifth and final module in the climate change curricula from the National Center for Science Education. It aims to teach students about the economic, social, and scientific ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
Here students use data from the NOAA carbon dioxide monitoring sites, such as Mauna Loa, to graph the Keeling Curve for themselves on large sheets of paper. Each group graphs one year, and the graphs ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
Tracking Water Using NASA Satellite Data
Using real data from NASA's GRACE satellites, students will track water mass changes in the U.S., data that measures changes in ice, surface and especially groundwater. The background ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
This activity allows students to make El Nino in a container, but it might work better as a teacher demonstration. The introduction and information provided describe El Nino, its processes and its ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
This very short video introduces the concept of sea level rise and ties it back to global warming. The video is brief, basic, and clear. It can be used for a quick introduction, but nothing deeper ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
I Live in the Midwest and Northern Great Plains - Does Climate Change Matter to Me?
This video features Katharine Hayhoe presenting a lively discussion of impacts that the Midwestern US is experiencing due to climate change. It steps through evidence for how climate change is ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
This activity allows students to demonstrate the thermal expansion of water for themselves using water bottles and straws. The discussion allows them to explore the connection between this concept ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
In this short video, learn about actions that humans can take to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts. Use this resource to stimulate thinking and questions about climate change and to ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
Choosing Earth's Climate Future
Students focus on the three interconnected choices global society faces as Earth's climate continues to change—suffer, adapt, and mitigate—to analyze and predict current and future impacts ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
This series of two lessons uses cutting-edge scientific research on the effects of climate change on communities in the intertidal. Through a combination of a dynamic presentation and several videos, ...
Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process