7a: Lessons and resources for teaching climate change
Have a browse through our lessons and resources to see if there is anything you think could use in your teaching or a specific lesson that interests you. Lessons in 5 subjects are on our website, or scroll further down for links to freely available lessons on the internet from other subjects. Once you have identified the lesson, scroll down to the task at the bottom of the page.
Primary Resources:
Climate resources for Primary Schools
***Autumn 2021*** Specific COP26 related resources: https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/forest-of-promises activity to take part in on / before 5th November 2021 https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/twinkl-partnerships/cop26 selection of COP26 related resources – slides; persuasive writing activity; discussion cards; mini COP Summit; fact sheets / comprehensions etc. Might be helpful to look at the Teacher’s Guide first. Free to access without subscription though they are hosted by Twinkl. Created by a range of partner organisations including WWF
Resources across the curriculum
Thoughtbox, Climate Curriculum:
Lessons to fit into PSHE (or other subjects) with a series of 4 lessons for each phase Y1&2 / Y3&4 / Y5&6 (also available for secondary). Focus on critical thinking and children’s emotions moving from eco-anxiety to empowerment. You need to register with an email address but this lesson collection is free and well worth downloading. https://www.thoughtboxeducation.com/climatecurriculum
Eden Project, Doers, Shoppers, Learners, Shouters:
A lesson in which children can identify what type of responder they are to the climate crisis, learn all kinds of different ways they can make a positive difference and decide what they would like to do. https://www.edenproject.com/learn/schools/school-lesson-plans/lesson-plan-climate-response-doers-shoppers-learners-shouters
Oxfam, Climate Challenge:
Scheme of 6 sessions for KS2 including the impact of climate change on communities around the world. https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/climate-challenge-7-11
Action Aid, Adapting to Climate Change:
WWF, Shaping our Future:
A collection of classroom resources for KS2 including a role play lesson where groups with different interests and opinions debate what action to take. https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/school-campaigns/shaping-our-future
Encounter Edu Resources: Selection here of science based resources including practical investigations that can be used for upper primary into secondary – includes lessons on the effects of melting Arctic sea ice, ocean acidification, coral reefs.
Resource hubs for further resources and other useful collections
Global Dimension: Teaching resources giving a global perspective including lots of climate change. Searchable by Key Stage, Subject and topic. https://globaldimension.org.uk/
Transform Our World: hub site with selection of links to resources across the curriculum with lots on climate. Includes recommendation ‘star’ system by teachers. https://www.transform-our-world.org
The World’s Largest Lesson: UN page focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals of which Climate Action is Goal 13. Lots of lessons and resources including videos of children and young people from around the world taking action on the Global Goals including Climate. https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/#the-goals Climate Kids: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/teach/ NASA website with lots of accessible information about all aspects of climate change including videos,quizzes, interactive whiteboard resources. In particular, the ‘Time Machine’ is worth a look https://climatekids.nasa.gov/time-machine/ for a series of really engaging visualisations of key climate indicators. Climate Learning Resources https://climatelearningresources.org.uk/ A hub with thought provoking articles. In general often more useful for background information for teachers than for primary. Links to further resources although many are for secondary. Updated regularly so will include current events offering educational opportunities.
Royal Geographical Society: Collection searchable by Key Stage including geographical perspectives on climate change. https://www.rgs.org/schools/teaching-resources/
Climate Visuals: Searchable database of images related to Climate Change. If you are looking for a photo stimulus lesson starter, this is a great place to find just the right photo. https://climatevisuals.org/
Wellbeing and emotions:
Talking with children about climate change: More information about talking about climate change with children Climate Psychology Alliance podcasts https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/podcasts/370-3-talking-with-children-about-climate-change
Turning Anxiety into Action Collection from Global Action Plan on the Transform Our World hub site with lots of resources for dealing with young people’s and children’s emotions about climate https://www.transform-our-world.org/turning-anxiety-into-action
Going Zero: Schools taking practical action in response to the climate crisis
Let’s Go Zero Schools register to declare their intention to do what they can to reduce carbon emissions. Lots of support for the journey for any school serious about taking action https://letsgozero.org/
Zero Carbon Schools Programme A free programme of support from the Green Schools Network for schools wanting to reduce emissions. Currently recruiting for the programme. The Green Schools Network have other resources to support schools too. https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk/what-we-do/#zerocarbon
Young Climate Warriors. Weekly actions to reduce your carbon footprint and also to find out more about climate change and take action to influence wider society too with links, resources, videos etc. A 15 minute activity for a Friday to keep your class’s awareness levels up and change habits to check how they did with the last week’s action and talk about the next week’s. Great resource. https://www.youngclimatewarriors.org/youngclimatewarriorsschoolsresource
How to declare a Climate Emergency at your school One school’s journey with useful tips for others . Free to download but you need to register with TES https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/how-to-declare-a-climate-emergency-at-your-school-12193255
And so many brilliant books out there to support learning about climate. Just a few examples:
Dinosaurs and all that rubbish – Michael Foreman
Who will Save us? Rebecca Morch
Greta and the Giants – Zoe Tucker
No one Is Too Small to Make a Difference – Greta Thunberg
The Tantrum that Saved the World – Megan Herbert & Michael Mann
Sky Dancer – Gill Lewis
The extraordinary colours of Auden Dare – Zillah Bethell (water)
Fenny Halkin and the Fearzero – Francesca Armour-Chelu (floods, rising sea levels)
Floodland – Marcus Sedgwick (rising sea/floods)
Cosmic Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Rabbits John Marsden & Shaun Tan (colonisation & environment fab
‘These resources have been developed for secondary but many can be adapted for Upper KS2.’
English
1. WWF Future Visions. A lesson and potentially an action at the same time: use the Future Visions short film as a stimulus for students to write their vision of the future using any literary form (includes poems by Benjamin Zephania and Kae Tempest inspired by the film) – https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/future-visions
2. Poetry workshop using the climate crisis as the subject – http://poetryclass.poetrysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Vanishing-Acts-Poetry-and-Climate-Change-Helen-Mort-2.pdf
3. Poems & Fiction
Selection of 20 poems on the theme of Climate Change curated for the Guardian by Carol Ann Duffy and read by celebrities https://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/keep-it-in-the-ground-a-poem-a-day
by Kae Tempest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7fO1dZbyZcShort stories: I’m with the bears: short stories from a damaged planet. Selection of short stories from line up of writers including Margaret Atwood.
History
1. Lesson from Thoughtbox which explores ‘Deep time’ and the history of the earth – This is part of the Thoughtbox Climate Curriculum and is the first of a cross-curricular series of lessons for Y7 / 8. It can be previewed here
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/szd3onk3bwqktma/AAC5eXS1MhxErfdjypnnbCkha/Lesson%20Plans?dl=0&preview=Changing+Climates+Y7%268++Lesson+1.pptx&subfolder_nav_tracking=1 The full series of lessons is available free on registering at https://www.thoughtboxeducation.com/climatecurriculum
2. Powerpoint lesson and resources about the history of climate change – https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/the-history-of-climate-change-11922578
(Interesting that this lesson does not mention the Anthropocene Epoch.)
3. Geo -history manual https://www.getupandgoals.eu/resources/textbook
Geography
1. Lesson around fair trade and farming practices affected by the climate crisis all over the world – https://schools.fairtrade.org.uk/resource/fairtrade-and-the-climate-crisis/
2. What is climate change from a geographical perspective RGS resource – https://www.rgs.org/schools/teaching-resources/climate-4-classrooms/what-is-climate-change/
3. Climate Breakdown scheme of work addressing the question – do we have 12 years to stop irreversible climate change? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RIdW5qi_Rddp9T77V6yd8kjWIL65-WIoVTEnK4UsPiI/edit
Art
1. Resources providing lots of examples how art can be used to explore themes around the climate crisis (list at bottom of page) and looks at the role of art in climate activism – https://teachers-climate-guide.fi/visual-arts/
2. Environmental sculpture topic including sculpture ideas handouts; sculpture to improve environment; looking at our environment handout and Sketch books Photographic examples – https://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/environmental-sculpture-143210
DT Food
1. Resources about food systems and the climate crisis, lesson ideas and materials – https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/resources/food-resources
2. Food: Packaging and Recycling Lesson and resources exploring the impact of current food packaging practices on the environment – https://ypte.org.uk/lesson-plans/food-packaging-and-recycling
Drama
1. Range of activities in the ‘Adolescent Toolkit’ that deal with climate crisis issues and emotions through expressive tools of drama, art and music – https://adolescentkit.org/kit_docs/4.1.2.7.0_ACTIVITY%20-%20Full%20Document.pdf
Music 1. Resources showing how music can be used to explore themes around the climate crisis and looks at the role of music in climate activism – https://teachers-climate-guide.fi/music/
Once you have identified a lesson to review you can start the task below.