Educator Resources & Curriculum
Educator Resources
A portion of SCCYCI's funding is utilized for building and collating climate literacy resources with partners including the Santa Clara County Office of Education and Fremont Union High School District. The resources, which can be integrated into multiple subjects and grade levels, include: Curriculum Field-Based Experiences Classroom-Based Experiences with Community Partners.
Educator Opportunities and Resources
Acterra’s You(th) Be the Change Program (YBtC) provides educators with free climate change curriculum (available in English and Spanish), in-class experiences, and field trips for middle school students to learn about climate science and solutions both globally and locally — and take action! This program has support from Applied Materials, Santa Clara Open Space Valley Authority, and Santa Clara County.
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With a new law requiring the California course of study for grades 1-12 to emphasize the causes and effects of climate change and methods to mitigate and adapt to its effects, there’s an urgent need for quality educational resources. Our curriculum for middle schools is ideally positioned to meet these requirements. Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the curriculum ensures high-quality, relevant content that engages students deeply with scientific inquiry and engineering design. The curriculum is available in English and Spanish).
The programming and enrichment enable students to:
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Understand the fundamentals of climate change science and its impacts around them.
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Consider complex human-ecological systems and tradeoffs made when designing solutions.
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Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to interpret scientific data.
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Demonstrate written, visual, and oral presentation skills to communicate scientific knowledge.
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Apply techniques and tools to solve problems in their community.
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Form students’ green teams.
Student Created Lesson Plans
Lesson plan demonstrates using Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass as an example of sustainable literature and provides questions for discussion and personal reflection.
Three-week lesson plan that includes discussion on environmental-based literature, a multimedia project, and analysis on an environmental film.
Word document breakdown of the lesson plan from the PowerPoint above.
A two-semester lesson plan covering a span of American literature, including Silent Spring, The Sixth Extinction, Braiding Sweetgrass, and essays on climate justice and activism.
Student letter outlining the purpose, goals, and focus of the American Literature Lesson Plan.
A one-to-two-week lesson plan where students analyze Nicola Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star, a novel that covers themes of identity, cultural diversity, and immigration. Originally created for an 11th grade class.
This lesson focuses on Falter by Bill McKibben, a contemporary environmental novel that explores global warming, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering. Intended for an AP Literature course.
Intended for 10th Grade World Literature, this three-day lesson introduces Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book, asking students to to evaluate their own understanding of climate change in their personal lives.
A two-week lesson designed for a Voices of Modern Culture (VMC) course. Incorporates short stories and poems in climate literature, as well as an activity highlighting environmentalists.
This four-week lesson plan engages students with the showing of two environmentalist films, Wall-E and Princess Mononoke. For each film, students will explore its themes and connect them to areas of sustainability and nature.