DETERMINING THE APPROACH TO ELEMENTARY CLIMATE EDUCATION USING NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

This project discusses the need for increased climate education through inquiry and action among the nation’s youngest learners and potential action-takers. The Energy Policy and Climate (EPC) program offers insight into the data and methodologies that drive policy creation and application. Certain courses, like Climate Change and Health and Climate Justice, devote modules that speak to the importance of climate education for the success of climate policy and action. In most discussions that occur within the EPC program, students and faculty alike make a similar conclusion: if the public is not motivated to comply or help with climate actions, society will be worse off. Knowing how children understand climate change and how they relate to the mounting discussions and actions about the climate can help educators design and execute curriculum that clears misconceptions and furthers children's perception of the climate. Climate education is often directed at older members of society who have more influence on the institutions and organizations responsible for climate action. However, formulating an approach to climate education for elementary school students seizes the opportunity to inform and shape the views of the upcoming generation of scientists, policy makers, and enfranchised citizens. The approach to climate education in elementary schools requires systems learning that explains the climate crisis with a tone that avoids doomism without becoming overly optimistic. Executing a literature review of existing analyses or case studies of elementary climate education can inform future policy for climate and environmental education, which may include changes to learning plans, science teacher training for content and approach, and the inclusion of climate-explicit learning standards. In addition, a curriculum proposal based on existing literature can be used by educators to reference during the expansion of science standards to include climate change