Sea Level Rise Resources for Climate Change Science Teacher Education

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This collection of climate change education materials is designed for use in science methods courses. Science methods instructors may use these resources, as a set or individually, to support teacher interns in gaining:

  • Familiarity with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • Experience with online and blended learning approaches
  • Abilities to analyze and interpret authentic data in the classroom
  • Content knowledge related to NGSS science constructs
  • Strategies for teaching sensitive topics in the science classroom
  • Awareness of K-12 resources to support the teaching of climate change
  • Greater understanding of local and global climate change impacts
 Assteague Island Horses

We invite feedback at ClimateEdResearch@umd.edu. Please acknowledge MADE CLEAR when using these materials.

Lesson Plans Presentations Assessment Instruments Additional Resources



Lesson Plans
Session 1: Examining Climate Change from a Local Perspective: A Focus on Sea Level Rise
Teacher interns engage in an online sea level rise module in which they analyze sea level rise projection data for the coastal communities of Assateague Island, MD and Rehoboth Beach, DE. Please send an e-mail to ClimateEdResearch@umd.edu to request the answer guide with sample responses for module.
Session 2: Examining Climate Change from a Historical Data Perspective: A Focus on Temperature and C02 concentration
Teacher interns examine the greenhouse effect as the mechanism for climate change, focusing on the incorporation of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) dimensions into their science teaching.
Session 3: Examining Climate Change from a Global Perspective: A Focus on Sea Level Rise
Teacher interns examine sea level rise on a global scale and assess their own understandings of science constructs and pedagogical strategies relevant to climate change education.



Presentations
Sensitive Topics in Science Education PowerPoint presentation introducing climate change as an example of a sensitive topic in science education and relevant research-based teaching strategies.
Introduction to Learning Progressions in Science Education PowerPoint presentation introducing learning progressions using example science constructs, including sea level rise.



Assessment Instruments
Climate change drawing assessment tool Tool for assessing teacher interns’ understanding of climate change using the prompt: Draw all that you know about the causes and effects of global climate change.
Sea level rise drawing assessment tool Tool for assessing teacher interns’ understanding of sea level rise using the prompt: Draw all that you know about the causes and effects of sea level rise.
Sea level rise multiple choice assessment Tool for assessing understandings of science constructs related to sea level rise articulated in the draft learning progression on sea level rise.



Additional Resources
Climate Change in the Next Generation Science Standards (K-12) Detailed analysis of Climate Change in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Related standards are classified as Explicit, Proximally, and Distally related to Climate Change.
Draft Learning Progression: Sea Level Rise Hypothesized learning progression on the topic of sea level rise.
Draft Sea Level Rise Teaching Progression based on NGSS A teaching progression for sea level rise with anchors defined by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

These materials were designed by Dr. J. Randy McGinnis, Ms. Emily Hestness, Dr. Wayne Breslyn, and Mr. R. Christopher McDonald from the MADE CLEAR Learning Sciences Research team at the University of Maryland, College Park (www.climateedresearch.org). Resources were piloted in science methods courses taught by Dr. McGinnis and Ms. Hestness in Fall 2013.