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Introducing Climate Project // April 2024

Kathy Hays

Introducing Climate Project, the newest course offering from OER Project that’s designed to help students explore the issue of climate change without the fear and uncertainty that defines so much of the current climate debate. Along the way they’ll build key reading, writing, and data-literacy skills needed to take action.       

Like all OER Project courses, this curriculum is free, flexible, and easily integrated into your LMS. Teach the course as an end-to-end elective or supplement your social studies class with Climate Project materials, the choice is yours!  

Explore course materials: everything is available online today! Interestied in learning more? Sign up for our first Climate Project Planning Session on May 7.

Share your thoughts and how you can use Climate Project in your classroom in the comments below.

  • This is exciting. I've been waiting for this to come out!

  • Hello,

    I'm excited about this curriculum and just forwarded it on to the staff at my school to wish them a Happy Earth Day. 

    I opened up the course page, and scanned the unit headlines. I was startled to see:

    "Unit 4: Solutions to Decarbonization"

    What? Standard usage is to say "Solutions to ProblemX." Decarbonization isn't the problem, it's a proposed solution. It's like saying, "Solutions to Nonviolence," instead of saying, more accurately, "Solutions to Violence." 

    I could see changing it to something like, "Unit 4: Solutions: Decarbonization." or even, "Unit 4: Solutions," or "Unit 4: Solutions to Global Overheating."

    I hope this can get changed. If it's not too late to change the course of climate catastrophe, it's not too late to change a unit title. 

    In Peace,

    Sam

  • in reply to Sam Diener

    Hi   and welcome to the Climate Project! Thank you so much for your comments. We will make those changes in the coming days. We look forward to you continuing to share your thoughts on the course. Thanks again for sharing your feedback! It's greatly appreciated.

  • in reply to Sam Diener

    You bring up a good point,  . When I read that heading, I was thinking about how decarbonization is expensive and difficult. I was thinking that maybe there was a discussion about how to make decarbonization more doable and less problematic. But maybe I was reading that all wrong.

    You've got me thinking! Now I am even more eager to jump into the details of the new course and find out!

  • Yeah! I have really enjoyed using the Climate Project materials over the last three years and really appreciate OER Project for always updating and making the curriculum to reflect input!  I am very happy to see that the Career portion of the project is still there.  There is always a "buzz" in the classroom when they do this activity.

    And, as a self proclaimed "Civics Nerd!"  I like using the "Action" part of the curriculum!  Get those students involved in solutions!!!

  • in reply to Sam Diener

    Hi  , I just had a chance to start looking over the course and saw that Unit 4 is now called "Decarbonization". Great feedback & a quick response from OER!

  • I am LOVING the new layout for the Climate Project! It seems very streamlined and easy to navigate. I have been using materials from the Climate Project extension and I am glad to see that some of them are still incorporated within the full course, while still having enough differences to make it distinct. I appreciate the focus on historical skills that students can transfer from other OER courses, such as claim testing.

    I see the suggested pacing for each unit in the Course Plan, but I am curious to know if there are suggested time frames for lessons within each unit. I have been having a difficult time with my pacing this year since my district switched to an A/B block schedule. I am still exploring the website though, so I just might not have stumbled upon it yet!

  • in reply to Andrea Wong

    This is a fantastic question,  ! Hoping is able to provide an answer.

  • in reply to Kathy Hays

    Hi  ! So glad that you are finding the new course useful so far. Lessons are definitely streamlined from the extension course and are designed to be 1-3 days. The exception to that is Unit 5, which are opportunities for student action-- those project-based lessons are longer but still designed to be modified to the time you have available.

  • in reply to Molly Sinnott

    Thank you  ! That is helpful to know.