Wild Treasures: Climate Change is an immersive, project-based climate change education program for fifth through eighth graders. Wild Treasures begins with a series of challenges, each centered around a surprising problem that is designed to introduce students to five Core Concepts of Climate Change. If the class solves every problem, they earn their first of three $500 awards! All award money is used to purchase equipment and services to help students reduce their school’s contributions to climate change and prepare for more frequent and severe weather events.
Environmental lawyer and climate change author, Gus Speth, said of the program: “It brings me hope to see an educational program connect middle school science to climate change policy-making. I think we’ll see students making lasting impacts on their school’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
Phase 1: Core Concepts
With the help of a Wild Treasures Teaching Assistant (an Environmental Studies graduate student at Antioch University New England), the class will need to solve six problems introducing the five Core Concepts of Climate Change. Focusing on collaboration and problem solving, students will create, monitor, and adjust their very own sealed Biospheres in your classroom. Through investigations into systems, carbon cycling, system feedback, exponential growth, and resiliency on a micro-scale, students will gain firsthand understanding of the science behind climate change. Successful completion of all six challenges will earn up to a $500 award.
Phase 2: Research
With their new understanding of the five Core Concepts of Climate Change, students will do an inventory of their school’s carbon identity. Together they decide how to spend their first monetary award on environmental monitoring equipment and services that will help them conduct original research about their school. Or they may choose to save their first award for Phase 4: Action. A well-written and thorough research report can earn another award of up to $500.
Phase 3: Proposal
Students will then turn their research findings into a comprehensive written proposal and live presentation that they share with their school board. A successful proposal will detail the action-steps needed to reduce the school’s contributions to climate change and prepare the school for more frequent and severe weather events.
Phase 4: Action
During this final phase, students collaborate to transform their school-board-approved proposal into measurable action and make a lasting impact on their schools! If they are able to creatively demonstrate that they have taken significant steps to implement their action plan before the end of the school year, then your class will be eligible for a Governor's Climate Change Action Award.
The Wild Treasures team will help you implement this program in your classroom at every step with the help of a Wild Treasures Teaching Intern. Additionally, your students will have access to the student website which provides guidance and resources for each phase. We look forward to making this program a reality and a success in your classroom!
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