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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Grade Level Show all
Intermediate (3-5)
145 matchesClimate Literacy Principles
- Humans can take action 50 matches Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.
- Sun is primary energy 36 matches The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system
- Climate is complex 49 matches Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system
- Life affects climate; climate affects life 24 matches Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate
- Climate is variable 32 matches Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes
- Our understanding of climate 54 matches Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling
- Humans affect climate 37 matches Human activities are impacting the climate system
- Climate change has consequences 63 matches Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives
Teaching Across the Curriculum
Climate and Energy Topics
- Causes of Climate Change 28 matches Includes natural changes (cyclic variability, volcanic eruptions, solar output) and human-caused changes (due to GHG emissions and land use changes)
- Climate Impacts 62 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 77 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 18 matches Sources of energy, usage trends, conservation, policy
- Human Responses to Climate 48 matches Includes policy, mitigation, adaptation, risk management, personal responsibility
- Measuring and Modeling Climate 52 matches Instrumental measurements, proxy data, climate model projections
- Nature of Climate Science 3 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
Current Search Limits:
Grade LevelIntermediate (3-5)
Results 21 - 30 of 145 matches
Elementary GLOBE Earth Systems Module
Several activities that introduce students to the concepts of earth as a series of systems that are all connected. All of the activities reinforce the idea that water, air, soil, and living things ...Reviewed Collection
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Elementary GLOBE Seasons Module
In these activities and story book, students wonder why hummingbirds have stopped visiting their school. They learn about the needs of the hummingbirds, the seasonal changes where they live, and the ...Reviewed Collection
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What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?
This video, video transcript, and accompanying poster, go beyond a description of weather and climate to highlight how NASA tracks the changes in climate and why it matters. Students will leave the ...Reviewed Collection
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Precipitation Extremes and Community Health
This short video explains how climate change can lead to more extreme precipitation events and more frequent flooding. Information from the CDC has succinct information about the health downsides of ...Reviewed Collection
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Students work in pairs to pick black and white beads out of a bag to represent the percent of renewable and nonrenewable resources used in different countries, and then graph the information.
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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 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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SciJinks: What causes a thunderstorm?
This short video demonstrates what causes a thunderstorm.Reviewed Collection
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Children experiment with freezing water to observe a state change of water, and discover that it is less dense as a solid (ice) than it is as a liquid (water). Amazing Expanding Ice is an overnight ...
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Children observe an ice cube in water and discuss the amount of ice above and below the water, discuss density of ice, and make predictions. Based on what they have observed about small ice chunks, ...
Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process