How to create local climate change projects with your students

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For Nancy Gifford, a 7th grade science educator in Chatham, Massachusetts, having students observe local climate change impacts helped bridge the gap between the disciplinary content and the real-world implications. One of Gifford’s favorite projects is a field trip to Cape Cod National Seashore that involves local park rangers and experts from the Center for Coastal Studies. Gifford has been leading this field trip for the past eight years and over the course of the day students break into groups to do hands-on projects. They assess sea-level rise on Eastham Beach by measuring how the shoreline has evolved over time and where it is expected to be in 10-20 years; they collect core samples of marsh sediment to examine carbon sequestration in the marshes; and participate in a fishing activity to explore the changing diversity of species found in New England.

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In Tucson, Arizona, earth science and chemistry teacher Erik Fleming has found that one of the easiest climate resilience concepts for students to connect with is water conservation and usage. Fleming has students start by analyzing their family water bill. On the bill students are able to see things like household water use and how it compares with local water use averages on a graph. Within their household they calculate each individual’s usage and then create a personal plan to save more water.

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For the past 22 years, George Hademenos has been teaching high school physics in Richardson, Texas. “I don't like to just come in and address curricular objectives. What I want to do is make those objectives come to life for my students,” Hademenos says. “Climate change is a serious scientific issue and I want kids to be able to understand what it is, what it means, and how it impacts them.”

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“I think when (students) go back to their own beaches, they're seeing that the tides are higher in their neighborhoods,” Gifford says of the students who have participated in the Cape Cod trip. “Areas that are flooding that would only flood during a hurricane or big storm are flooding pretty regularly now, and I think that that probably has the most impact on them because it's real, and they can see it, and we can measure it.”

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