Food justice classes and mock G7 summits are on the curriculum in the first US state to fund “climate change education” in public schools. In science teacher Ali Coker’s sophomore biology class, students became farming activists attending a G7 summit. Coker wove in...
Partner stories
These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.
NCESD 171
North Central ESD implements Climate Science and NGSS Professional Learning to area educators by leveraging collaboration opportunities among NCESD staff, community-based organizations, and other regional ESDs. The collaboration efforts extend to building teams of teachers that work together to create authentic climate science experiences for their students.
Rural Students Bring Climate Conversations into the Community
When Celia Cummings started teaching Waterville High School’s first environmental science class, she discovered that many of her students came from families that doubt the science of climate change. Celia was enrolled in a climate justice focused professional...
Green Chemistry and Sustainable Design Continue to Excite Teachers About Ways to Engage Students
In a continued partnership with the Washington Department of Ecology’s Green Chemist, Saskia van Bergen and the NCESD’s Regional Science Coordinator, Cari Haug offered a fully asynchronous Canvas Course designed to support teachers in learning about the principles of...
Opening Minds to Learning, Action, and Hope.
Ever wonder how to talk to students about climate change and how to empower them to take action? Many elementary teachers in Washington State wonder about this too! In an effort to support teachers, Regional Science Coordinators in Tri-Cities, Yakima, Wenatchee, and...
Teachers Learn What’s Hot and What’s Not about Wildland Fire
“Right here we’re in a transition zone. This is where the shrub steppe transitions to the pine forest, and you can see a lot of space between the trees. That’s healthy!” Dave Spies led the educators of North-Central Washington on a half-mile interpretive walk through...
Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We? Getting Started Using Children’s Literature
In the spring of 2022, Regional Science Coordinators met to reflect on Climate Literacy work completed in 2021-22. A few patterns began to emerge. The first pattern was that elementary teachers were excited to bring climate science to their classrooms, but unsure of...
EarthGen Expands Climate Justice League Statewide
Teacher Casey Jones’ family includes migrant farmworkers, whose lives are directly affected by climate change and social injustice. The students at Rowena Chess Elementary School where Casey teaches also see the effects of these twin crises in their daily lives....
Sharp-Tailed Grouse Connects Students to Climate Change
Climate change will affect every aspect of young people’s lives, but its incredible scale makes it hard for them to comprehend. Moreover, connecting what kids learn in school to real world problems is one of the biggest challenges teachers face. EarthGen’s training...
High School Teachers Work to Bring NGSS-aligned Curriculum to Their Students
Summer break was delayed one more week for a dedicated group of teachers from Wenatchee High School as they came together for an intense work session to revise their science curriculum for next year. This group of 8 teachers have been working together for over 5 years...