Students should have a basic understanding of climate change prior to beginning this course.
Students will need a computer and Internet connection to use the interactive features.
Differentiation
This course provides two levels of learning. Use the button in the top left of the page to toggle between "Simple" and "Advanced." The "Simple" setting is recommended for middle school students, while the "Advanced" setting is recommended for high school students.
Students can proceed through the content at their own pace, and stronger students can spend time reading and exploring any of the links to scientific papers or reports.
Due to the broad scope of the content provided in this course, it can easily be applied to economics, social studies, ELA, and science lessons.
The resource presents reports on climate-related disasters, the impact of climate change on the economy, people's livelihoods, animal speciation and extinction, flooding, drought, and other natural hazards. The datasets used are valid, and the resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
HS-ESS2-2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.
Social Studies
Geography
Geography 1 (D2): Students understand the geography of the community, Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world, and geographic influences on life in the past, present, and future by describing the impact of change on the physical and cultural environment.
Geography 1 (D2): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by using inquiry to predict and evaluate consequences of geographic influences.
Personal Finance & Economics
Personal Finance (F1): Students understand the principles and processes of personal finance by explaining how scarcity influences choices and relates to the market economy.
Global Connections (F2): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by analyzing how resource distribution effects wealth, poverty, and other economic factors.
