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YouTube is an invaluable tool in the classroom due to its extensive collection of educational videos that can enhance the learning experience. These movies can elucidate intricate subjects through visually captivating means, facilitating pupils' comprehension and retention (Jarrett, 2022). YouTube offers a wide range of content, such as professional lectures, demonstrations, and real-world examples, that can enhance learning. Moreover, it facilitates independent learning, enabling students to revisit material as necessary, thus strengthening their comprehension and catering to diverse learning preferences.

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Animation is a highly effective technique for science education, especially when conveying intricate subjects such as climate change. Through dynamic graphics, animation can simplify and demonstrate abstract concepts, such as the greenhouse effect or the effects of rising temperatures on ecosystems (Bairstow, 2023). This improves comprehension and captivates a wide range of viewers, rendering the topic more approachable and unforgettable. In addition, animation can simulate future situations, enabling viewers to visually comprehend the possible consequences of climate change over an extended time. This, in turn, cultivates a stronger sense of immediacy and encourages well-informed decision-making.

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Interactives – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Current news and data streams about global warming and climate change from NASA.

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Administering a brief assessment before to introducing new material is exceedingly advantageous, as it enables both students and educators to assess preexisting knowledge and pinpoint areas of comprehension that need improvement (Nebel, 2023). The initial evaluation allows the teacher to customize the session more efficiently, concentrating on areas where pupils require the most excellent assistance. The quiz can stimulate students' prior knowledge, increasing engagement and readiness for the following topic. Moreover, it establishes a standard for evaluating advancement, enabling pupils to gauge the extent of their expertise by the conclusion of the class.

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Simulations are highly beneficial in the field of science education, particularly when investigating the topic of climate change. Students can engage with models demonstrating the effects of various causes, such as carbon emissions or deforestation, on the climate. Students can observe real-time outcomes by manipulating variables in a simulation, thus enhancing their comprehension of intricate processes and causal connections (Almasri, 2022). By actively participating in the learning process, individuals can get a firmer grasp of the impact of human actions on the environment. This, in turn, promotes greater awareness and a proactive approach towards addressing climate concerns.

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Online courses and curricula provide substantial advantages in traditional classrooms, especially for proficient students studying intricate subjects such as climate change. These resources offer access to current, expert-led content that can supplement and improve conventional training. Online courses allow advanced students to explore specific areas of interest in greater depth, enabling them to engage in individualized learning customized to their abilities and intellectual curiosity (Igo & Hunt, 2019). Moreover, the adaptability of online materials allows educators to incorporate a wide range of viewpoints and real-life examples, promoting a more thorough comprehension of worldwide climate concerns. This integration enhances the learning experience and enables students to actively participate in current scientific discussions and solutions at an advanced level.

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Using websites in the classroom is crucial because they offer a vast array of current information, interactive materials, and varied viewpoints that can enrich the learning experience. Websites provide students with instant access to up-to-date current events, scientific breakthroughs, and instructional resources that enhance the learning experience by making it more captivating and applicable (Masuri, 2024). In addition, they facilitate individualized instruction by offering diverse forms of content, such as videos, articles, and simulations, which cater to distinct learning styles—in addition, utilizing websites aids in the cultivation of crucial digital literacy skills among students, equipping them for a society where online information plays a pivotal role in both education and everyday existence.

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The latest ExploreLearning Gizmos STEM Case is about heat transfer and permafrost. It's a critical STEM topic because thawing permafrost threatens the stability of crucial infrastructure in Arctic communities. In this interactive case study, Protecting Permafrost: Heat Transfer Highway, students assume the role of civil engineers to design and test solutions.

What is permafrost?

It's easy to guess that permafrost in Arctic regions involves something cold, but what does it really mean? Permafrost definition is a layer of ground that remains frozen year-round for two or more years. Ground that stays colder than 32° F for at least two years is considered "perma"nently frozen. Get it? The layer, made up of permafrost soil, gravel, and sand, is typically bound together by ice and stays at or below 0° (32ºF). Above the permafrost is the active layer, which is ground that freezes and thaws seasonally with changes in air temperature.

Why is thawing permafrost important to know about?

Permafrost is different from ice. Think of it this way. Ice melts like ice cubes turning into water. Permafrost thaws, similar to how a cook in the kitchen thaws frozen steaks. Permafrost is thawing as global warming causes the ground temperature of the Earth to warm. Thawing permafrost becomes a mixture of water and soil from the warmer ground temperatures, which can drastically impact the planet. The mushy soil leftover from freezing and thawing permafrost can't support the weight of buildings, pipes, roads, or vegetation. As a result of freezes and thaws, infrastructure can be damaged because of unstable permafrost soil.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Currey

Permafrost in Alaska: Digging into this issue with Jeff Currey

Bringing in subject matter experts for the STEM Case development is critical to make the learning authentic. For this science simulation, ExploreLearning Learning Designer Carrie Adler enlisted the help of Jeff Currey, Northern Region Materials Engineer for the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. Currey grew up in Southern California and went to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks to study mechanical engineering. Following college, he got into the mining industry and earned a second degree in mining engineering. His early work involved the mines of the Brooks Range in Alaska's Arctic Region, and he got to see how permafrost behaves in an underground mining setting. "Now, as a materials engineer for the Department of Transportation (DOT), I supervise our hydraulic engineers, the engineering geologists, and the geotechnical engineers for the northern region and the entire state's drilling program. We do geotechnical investigations for road, highway, and airport projects," said Currey.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Currey

How did he learn about this STEM Case? "Carrie saw the Discover Alaska presentation that I did. She reached out to me and asked me if I would help as a subject matter expert, and I agreed to it," said Currey. "After she got the draft of the case study, she basically gave me a presentation of that draft and asked me to review it. I caught a couple of things that could be improved. Overall, I was just super impressed. It's artistic and contextually, it's spot-on. There are people who get PhDs in permafrost at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and to capture so much of the concept and the treatment and the options in a two-hour program, I was pretty impressed."

What was his favorite part of helping to develop the STEM Case? Currey said, "Seeing the animation for the time-lapse projections was pretty cool. To see the interactive animations as the viewer, you can manipulate the input and then watch it. It's not pre-recorded. You have the ability to try different scenarios and manipulate the input. That was pretty cool." Students can experience the work of STEM Case Digital Designers Zachary Davis, Renee Stander, Jenny Brewer, Jef Freydl, and Joel Rosenburg in those animations along with developer Christine de Carteret.

How students tackle permafrost thawing in Alaska with the latest STEM Case

In this STEM Case, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards for middle school grades, students act as civil engineers to design a solution to keep permafrost in Alaska cold and protect the stability of critical infrastructure. Set in the fictional town of Frostville, Alaska, a local climate monitor named "Aurora Borealis" serves as the guide.

Students are tasked with tackling how to protect permafrost in a warming climate. Working as civil engineers, students design a solution that mitigates heat transfer into fragile permafrost beneath an Alaskan town's roads. The student identifies road sections at the most significant risk and implements multiple solutions to keep heat out of the permafrost, just as a STEM professional like Currey would do in the real world.

"When you build on permafrost, inevitably, there's maintenance involved," said Currey. "The frequency and extent of it has been increasing. As far as infrastructure is concerned, we do have techniques, as the STEM Case points out, that we can use to keep permafrost frozen or slow down its thawing to minimize maintenance. Most of those techniques rely on a long enough duration of cold in the wintertime to offset the summer thawing. As summers become longer and winters become shorter and not as cold, the net freezing effect is going to become less and less. And, for some of these techniques that we're using, the effectiveness is going to deteriorate over time. So, what works well today may not work in fifty years."

Key science concepts of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), temperature, thermal energy, particle motion, and density are explored. By the end of the case, students will be able to explain how each of the three types of solutions applies heat transfer science concepts to protect permafrost below roads. Along the way, students test and compare materials for insulation and embankments, and they implement their solutions to see whether roads show damage.
Solutions in the STEM Case include:

Insulation below roads (XPS and EPS, which are types of polystyrene boards)

Air convection embankments (coarse gravel piles for road shoulders that allow heat to escape the ground through air currents between the rocks)

Thermosiphons (giant pipes that extend into and above the ground, filled with compressed gases that remove heat from the permafrost)

Currey understands the importance of STEM education. "It would have been interesting to be introduced to more subjects. As a teenager, I didn't know anything about permafrost. I learned that after moving to Alaska. The ability to dabble in different subjects and a wide range of subjects through these STEM Cases is pretty valuable."

Isn't it time to tackle permafrost with your class? The newest STEM Case is ready!

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Tackle Thawing Permafrost in Alaska with Our New STE... | Gizmos

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Students can explore and tackle the challenges of thawing permafrost in Alaska with our latest STEM case from ExploreLearning Gizmos!

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Ocean acidification (video) | Climate change | Khan Academy

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Ocean acidification is the decrease in pH of the oceans, primarily due to increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, and can be expressed as chemical equations. As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere, the oceans, which absorb a large part of that CO2, become more acidic.

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Greenhouse Effect | This animation provides an overview of the greenhouse effect, a process that warms the atmosphere and surface of Earth.

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Units & Lessons - Polar Bears International

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We know busy teachers welcome help with educational materials. That's why we're happy to provide access to free unit plans and lessons created by professionals on a range of topics that support national literacy standards and learning outcomes for specific school districts.

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How many planets does it take to sustain your lifestyle?

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What is your Ecological Footprint? How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this free quiz to find out!

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Illuminate is an educational simulation game where you learn about the impacts of climate change and explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and respond to climate risks.

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Illuminate is an educational simulation game where players explore solutions to the impacts of climate change.

The game was designed and developed by the University of Waterloo's Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) in partnership with the Games Institute. A multi-disciplinary team of students, staff, and faculty collaborated in the development of the game. Illuminate is presented in partnership with Protect our Winters and Hot Planet Cool Athletes.

Illuminate teaches players about the impacts of climate change while inspiring hope and motivating Canadians to take action and find effective solutions that will help shape our future.

In Illuminate, players must complete two missions to finish the game. In mission 1 players will explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Decisions in mission 1 will lead players to a high or low carbon scenario in mission 2. In mission 2 players visit three types of Canadian communities (coastal, rural, and urban) and must take action to prepare communities for the impacts of climate change.

Share your feedback on game.

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Illuminate is an educational simulation game where players explore solutions to the impacts of climate change. The game was designed and developed by the University of Waterloo's Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) in partnership with the Games Institute. A multi-disciplinary team of students, staff, and faculty collaborated in the development of the game.

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Climate Simulations and Games | Teaching the Future

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this page offers you a collection of educational games related to climate change and teaching the future.

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"Empowering young people is what I've been all about for so long, beginning our roots and shoots program, back in 1991, with 12 high school students. [...] Young people, such as those who are here today, such as all of you who took part in this competition."
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, ClimateScience Olympiad Finals Ceremony, COP26 Glasgow.
"Empowering young people is what I've been all about for so long, beginning our roots and shoots program, back in 1991, with 12 high school students. [...] Young people, such as those who are here today, such as all of you who took part in this competition."
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, ClimateScience Olympiad Finals Ceremony, COP26 Glasgow.

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Take action on system climate solutions. Science-backed, easy-to-understand climate education for everyone.

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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The following organizations provide reviewed listings of the best available student and educators resources related to global climate change, including NASA products.

The CLEAN project, a part of the National Science Digital Library, provides a reviewed collection of resources to aid students' understanding of the core ideas in climate and energy science, coupled with the tools to enable an online community to share and discuss teaching about climate and energy science.

› http://www.cleanet.org/

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For Educators | NASA Global Climate Change

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Current news and data streams about global warming and climate change from NASA

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Students will be able to identify the relevance of studying climate change and differentiate between elements of weather and climate.

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The science that affects our world
The Earth's global temperature is warming, meaning that weather patterns and ecosystems are changing more quickly than animal species and human communities can adapt to.
Our new introductory climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of climate change to students aged 7 -11. Secondary school students, and primary school students with an existing knowledge of climate change, can further explore the affects climate change is having on our world through our series of engaging curriculum linked programmes and activities. Tell us how your school is helping to tackle climate change to claim your Climate Hero certificate.

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Our climate change resources have been designed to introduce the topic of the affects climate change is having on our world

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Strategies for Teaching about Climate Change

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Strategies for Teaching about Climate Change

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4 Strategies for Teaching About Climate Change

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Teachers can integrate local, solutions-based approaches to studying climate change in a variety of subject area lessons.

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Scientific Articles for High School Students about Climate Change

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This collection of adapted research articles highlights the relationship between our consumption habits and greenhouse gas emissions. They are all suitable for a lower high school reading level and have videos to introduce the topics to students.

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Climate change: Earth's giant game of Tetris - Joss Fong

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Climate Science in a Nutshell #4: Too Much Carbon Dioxide

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What is Climate Change?: Crash Course Biology #8

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What Earth in 2050 could look like - Shannon Odell

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The Environmental Effects of Climate Change On Our Planet | Breakthrough

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ICES - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

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Dive deep - Impacts of climate change on fisheries

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Wildlife can help reverse climate change.

Did you know animals help sequester carbon? An ecosystem teeming with life and biodiversity sequesters more carbon than an ecosystem without animals because animals support the processes that help keep ecosystems healthy and resilient - from the growth of new trees and plants to the prevention of forest fires.

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Did you know animals help sequester carbon? An ecosystem teeming with life and biodiversity sequesters more carbon than an ecosystem without animals because animals support the processes that help keep ecosystems healthy and resilient - from the growth of new trees and plants to the prevention of forest fires.

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At first glance, it might not be obvious why protecting the ocean is an important part of addressing climate change. But when you look at the facts, it's clear that a healthy ocean is key to a well-functioning climate-and vice versa.

Ready to test your knowledge? Take the climate and oceans quiz below! If you want to brush up first on the facts, check out our World Oceans Day blog post.

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Oceans North supports made-in-the-Arctic solutions through partnerships with Indigenous organizations and northern communities to foster Arctic ecological resilience and abundance.

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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NASA Global Climate Change and Global Warming: Quizzes

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How much do you know about carbon, ice, energy and more? Take our quizzes to find out.