Resources For Educators: Climate Change

Part of the Climate Change exhibition.

Three photos: a chimney releasing billowing white gas; a close-up of cracked dry earth; an aerial photo of an ice shelf with broken sections and melting water flowing into the sea.
Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future explores how climate works, why it is warming, what the consequences might be, and how to address them. This comprehensive guide will help you explore the exhibition with your students. 

Educators Guide for Materials

Cover of Educator's Guide titled "Climate Change" with photographs of smokestack, melting ice, and land affected by severe drought.

Climate Change Educator's Guide

Get an advance look at the exhibition's major themes and what your class will encounter. This eight-page guide for K-12 educators includes a Map of the Exhibition, Essential Questions (important background content), Teaching in the Exhibition (self-guided explorations), Come Prepared Checklist, Correlation to Standards, and Glossary.

Download »

See possible answers to the guiding questions featured in the guide.

Science and Literacy Activities

Climate Change: Activities for Grades 3-5
Climate Change: Activities for Grades 6-8
Climate Change: Activities for Grades 9-12
Climate Change: Teaching in the Exhibit Answer Guide
Explore Climate Change in the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth Educator's Guide

Online Resources

Ology: Climate Change for Kids
Explore big ideas about climate change and energy use, find energy-saving tips, build a terrarium, and more.

Additional Web Links

NASA: Goddard Institute for Space Studies: Institute on Climate and Planets
These lessons and modules are driven by fundamental questions and topics scientists deal with in climate and environmental research.

NOAA: Global Warming Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about global warming are answered here.

NOAA: Paleoclimatology
Explore how scientists collect climatic data from the past, before the days of the thermometer, barometer, rain gauge, and other weather instruments.

Reading What is Climate Change? This isn't the first time Earth's climate has changed, but it's the first time human activity has caused it.   Climate Change: Answers to Guiding Questions   Educator Materials Using Solar Energy After having students conduct a simple solar energy experiment, challenge them to build a better water heater with this classroom... Educator Materials Environmental Alphabet "Atmosphere," "biofuels," "carbon dioxide"—challenge students to spell out their climate change knowledge... Educator Materials Climate Change Circle of Consequences "Greenhouse effect" and "global warming" are becoming household phrases but how, exactly, are they linked? Explore... Educator Materials How Greenhouse Gases Absorb Heat In this experiment students will observe two model atmospheres to understand how greenhouse gases absorb and hold heat. Educator Materials Carbon Dioxide Removal Students in grades 3-8 can observe and learn about the carbon cycle in this experiment. Article Warming Signs (Science World) Earth's climate is changing, and according to scientists today's kids will bear the brunt of the potentially damaging affects of... Article Planet Disaster? (SuperScience) The world's climate is changing. Scientists say the effects of these changes could be devastating to living things on Earth—including...

Read more about

How Did We Get Here? Climate Change Today Changing Atmosphere Changing Ice Changing Ocean Changing Land Adaptations Making a Difference A New Energy Future Meet the Curators Fast Facts Sustainability at AMNH Collaborators