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New Jersey Climate Change
Education Hub

The resources you and your school need to effectively teach climate change.

These comprehensive resources are built around the official NJ Student Learning Standards and expand on the work of the New Jersey Department of Education.

Teaching Resources

Search our database by keywords, resource type, grade level, subject, NJ Student Learning Standards, and more. All resources have been reviewed by a scientist and teacher team.

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  • In these three Nature Lab lessons, students will learn about the once-endangered species ospreys, what led to their place on the endangered species list, and how conservation efforts in New Jersey were successful in restoring their population.
  • Students will read articles and fact sheets to learn about ospreys and why they were endangered, draw osprey diagrams, observe the Osprey Nest Cam, build osprey nests, and demonstrate their understanding in a quiz.
  • This lesson has activities for grades 3-5, and also advanced activities for grade 6.
Grade 3-5
Subject Science
Resource Type Lesson Plans

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  • This interactive map provides students with a plethora of information about the locations of human health hazards, the public's access to various resources, and many other parameters in the New York City area.
  • Students will be able to see data for air and water pollution, the locations of hazardous waste sites, climate change effects, access to transportation, and housing statistics as they relate to demographics areas.
Grade 9-12
Subject Science,Civics,Geography
Resource Type Interactive Media

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  • This comprehensive guide walks teachers through the process of supporting students as they experience the strong emotions that come from learning about climate change.
  • The guide includes descriptions and explanations for some of the climate-related emotions, activities for teachers to use in the classroom, ideas for teachers and other staff to support students, and appendices with additional resources.
Grade k-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-12
Subject Science,Health
Resource Type Scientific Reports

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  • This resource features a fast facts downloadable PDF, infographics, and background information to complement a video lecture about the disproportionate impact of energy use on the health of marginalized communities.
  • The resource helps students build a strong background knowledge of environmental justice concerns before they watch the lecture.
Grade 9-12 | ap-college
Subject Physics,Civics,Geography,Engineering
Resource Type Articles/Websites

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  • This section of the EJNYC report from 2024 highlights that air pollution in New York City has decreased and provides details specifically about the NYC Clean Trucks program.
  • Students will read about the sources of air pollutants, the increasing air-pollution-related health impacts in low-income communities and communities of color, and movements, policies, and actions to reduce air pollution.
Grade 9-12
Subject Civics,Geography,Health
Resource Type Scientific Reports

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  • This interactive map allows students to explore different trees in New York City.
  • By clicking on the circular icons representing the trees in the city, students can see individual tree details like their species, diameter, latest inspection dates, and ecological benefits.
Grade 6-8 | 9-12
Subject Science,Social Studies,Geography
Resource Type Interactive Media

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  • This resource is an interactive map where students can see current and inactive testing sites where the Community Water Quality Testing program has tested the water in New York and New Jersey estuaries.
  • Students can click on sites on the map to find spreadsheets showing the results of weekly tests for the location.
Grade 9-12
Subject Science,Social Studies
Resource Type Graphs/Tables

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  • This guide is for California educators in farm-to-school programs who want to ensure their lessons and activities are culturally relevant and inclusive.
  • The guide includes strategies and considerations for creating lessons that make students feel valued and safe, classroom activities that exemplify these strategies, and artwork to display around the school.
Grade 6-8
Subject Science,Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plans

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  • This collection of resources includes five lessons teachers can use to introduce students to the relationship between climate change impacts and agriculture, using California farms as examples.
  • Each lesson has three activities that each take about 50 minutes.
  • The lessons feature California farms, located in Marin, Sonoma, Yolo, Santa Cruz, and San Diego counties.
Grade 6-8
Subject Biology,Earth and Space Sciences
Resource Type Lesson Plans

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  • This module includes three lessons about eating, growing, and caring for plants.
  • Students will prepare a salad from plants, explore what plants need to survive and thrive, and germinate seeds.
Grade k-2
Subject Science
Resource Type Lesson Plans

Professional Learning

Find the right professional learning opportunity for you or your school, whether it is support for curriculum development or foundational knowledge about climate change.

Sustainable Jersey

EmPowered Schools 2024-2025

Apply to be an EmPowered School!  The Empowered Schools program provides free support and resources to edu...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
Date(s) Offered: September 2024- June 2025
New Jersey Agriculture in the Classroom

NJ Ag in a Box Series

New Jersey Agriculture in the Classroom (NJAITC) is seeking teachers in grades 3, 4, or 5 from 12 schools to particip...

Date(s) Offered: September 2024-June 2025
Stockton University

Climate Change Learning Collaborative

Professional Learning in Climate Change for K-12 EducatorsThis project is designed to prepare educato...

Format: In Person, Online: Asynchronous, Online: Synchronous
Date(s) Offered: September 2024-June 2025
NPR

8 Ways to Teach Climate Change in Almost Any Classroom

This article includes eight tips for how to teach about climate change. Tips include...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
American Museum of Natural History

Climate Change and New Jersey

This four-part, self-paced, interactive course provides information about the climate system and climate chan...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
SubjectToClimate

Teaching About Climate Change

This series of courses, developed by SubjectToClimate, helps teachers teach about climate change.Climate Chan...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
National Center for Science Education

1.5°C May Not Seem Like Much, But It's a Really Big Deal. Here's Why.

This article explains the importance of limiting global heating to th...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
NOAA

Toolbox for Teaching Climate and Energy

This website features many resources to equip teachers to teach about climate and energy. The site...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
National Marine Educators Association

A Handbook for Increasing Ocean Literacy

This handbook was developed by the National Marine Educators Association, with the support of NOAA...

Format: Online: Asynchronous
CLEAN

Teaching Energy

This guide is designed to help middle and high school science teachers incorporate energy topics into their classrooms. Ene...

Format: Online: Asynchronous

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.