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Climate Project for End of the Year AP class

Ian Casey

My AP World History: Modern students took their AP test on May 7th. Now that the test is over and all the content covered, I am using the rest of the school year to dive into the Climate curriculum from OER Project. Last year, I touched on certain aspects of Climate change, but did not have enough time to do a deep dive and cover everything that I wanted during class time. So, this year I gave students a project that allows the three groups in my class to branch off and present their topics to their peers when finished. Since I have three groups, I developed three topics from the curriculum: Direct and Indirect Impacts, Adaptation and Innovation, and Decarbonization. If you have a larger class size, you may want to create more topics.

Here is the criteria for the project: 

  • Slides Presentation (12 slides including a title slide and works cited slide in MLA format)
    • Address and integrate AP themes when presenting their findings
    • This part of the project should cover all parts of the group’s assigned topic. Students are teaching their peers about the topic they researched. 
    • I provide some resources, but it is up to them to research and cite their sources.
  • Heimler’s History video: 1-2 minute video: script checked before filming (my students love Heimler’s History)
    • This is the part of the project where students take action. Together, the groups have to come up with some solutions on how you can combat climate change locally and at a bigger scale. 
    • Students will turn their solution into a script and film a video talking about their solution
    • I have students use Climate Solutions Research from lesson 5.2 as a starting point
  • Graphic bio: poster boards provided - infographic
    • Examples: Someone who contributed to your topic/solution, Interview, How your solution will work, Illustrating your topic, etc.
  • Primary source analysis 
    •  Use HAPPY to source a current event pertaining to your topic. 
  • Questions - 7 open ended questions
    • 7 open-ended questions based on your presentation. Should be given to classmates in a way that they can answer the questions and I can see the answers. (Google Form, paper copies, etc.)


Before researching their assigned topics, students were introduced to Climate Change, its causes and we did most of Unit 1 from the curriculum as a class. Unit 1 had some great videos and infographics that sparked student discussion and gave them a solid foundation to start the project. Students are encouraged to work on their topic presentation first before creating a solution and making the video. I provided a Google Doc with different articles, writing prompts, and videos supplied by OER and organized the topics into different tabs for students to access for their research. This is my first year doing this project, so this will be a trial and error process in educating my 9th graders on climate change. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Parents

  • Serving as an OER Project Climate Coach for the 2025–26 school year has been one of the most rewarding professional learning experiences of my teaching career. When I first began using OER Project Climate resources, I was looking for ways to make climate change more relevant and engaging for my students. What I discovered was that the program also transformed my own teaching practice. Rather than focusing on delivering information, I found myself creating opportunities for students to ask questions, analyze evidence, evaluate different perspectives, and work collaboratively to understand complex climate issues. One classroom moment that stands out was a lesson where students explored the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to climate change using multiple sources of evidence. As I listened to them respectfully debate ideas and support their thinking with scientific evidence, I realized they were developing skills that extended far beyond the classroom. It was incredibly rewarding to see them become curious, thoughtful, and confident learners who were genuinely invested in understanding the world around them.

    The greatest impact I have seen has been in my students' confidence, critical thinking, and willingness to engage in meaningful conversations about climate change. Students who were initially hesitant to share their opinions became more comfortable asking questions, discussing evidence, and proposing realistic solutions to environmental challenges. 

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  • Serving as an OER Project Climate Coach for the 2025–26 school year has been one of the most rewarding professional learning experiences of my teaching career. When I first began using OER Project Climate resources, I was looking for ways to make climate change more relevant and engaging for my students. What I discovered was that the program also transformed my own teaching practice. Rather than focusing on delivering information, I found myself creating opportunities for students to ask questions, analyze evidence, evaluate different perspectives, and work collaboratively to understand complex climate issues. One classroom moment that stands out was a lesson where students explored the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to climate change using multiple sources of evidence. As I listened to them respectfully debate ideas and support their thinking with scientific evidence, I realized they were developing skills that extended far beyond the classroom. It was incredibly rewarding to see them become curious, thoughtful, and confident learners who were genuinely invested in understanding the world around them.

    The greatest impact I have seen has been in my students' confidence, critical thinking, and willingness to engage in meaningful conversations about climate change. Students who were initially hesitant to share their opinions became more comfortable asking questions, discussing evidence, and proposing realistic solutions to environmental challenges. 

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