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
Climate Literacy Principles
- Humans can take action 16 matches Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.
- Sun is primary energy 20 matches The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system
- Climate is complex 19 matches Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system
- Life affects climate; climate affects life 10 matches Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate
- Climate is variable 15 matches Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes
- Our understanding of climate 19 matches Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling
- Humans affect climate 14 matches Human activities are impacting the climate system
- Climate change has consequences 20 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 10 matches Includes natural changes (cyclic variability, volcanic eruptions, solar output) and human-caused changes (due to GHG emissions and land use changes)
- Climate Impacts 25 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 40 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 9 matches Sources of energy, usage trends, conservation, policy
- Human Responses to Climate 20 matches Includes policy, mitigation, adaptation, risk management, personal responsibility
- Measuring and Modeling Climate 22 matches Instrumental measurements, proxy data, climate model projections
NGSS Performance Expectations Show all
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas
NGSS Cross-Cutting Concepts
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices
Current Search Limits:
Grades 3-5
Results 1 - 10 of 58 matches
In this hands-on inquiry-based activity, students face an engineering challenge based on real-world applications. They are tasked with developing a tool they can use to measure the amount of rain ...
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
This activity was developed to give participants an understanding of Earth's water cycle by completing a WebQuest and building a model of the water cycle.
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This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
In this lesson, students will learn about the water cycle and how energy from the sun and the force of gravity drive this cycle.
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This activity includes two experiments that explore shadows and light and how mirrors can demonstrate how light travels.
Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
Elementary GLOBE Air Quality Module
This resource is designed as a module with a storybook or web story, and four activities. In the storybook, the GLOBE Kids investigate colors in the sky and learn how air pollution affects sky color ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
What makes a gas, a greenhouse gas?
Students act out 4 different molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor) to discover which ones are greenhouse gases and which ones are not.Reviewed Collection
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In this activity, students will use hot and cold water to see how fluids at different temperatures move around in convection currents.
Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
What's the Bigger Picture? Using the Power of Art to Teach Science
In this lesson, students combine art and science to interpret and illustrate graphical art. They first learn about artists who develop images based on climate graphs and then create their own.Reviewed Collection
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Elementary GLOBE Climate Module
Through learning activities, students learn how weather over a long period of time describes climate, explore how sea level rise can affect coastal communities and environments, and describe how ...Reviewed Collection
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process
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
This resources has passed the CLEAN review process