Beth Osnes (Theatre), Carl Simpson (CU Museum of Natural History), Jim Hakala (CU Museum of Natural History), and Patrick Chandler (Education & Outreach Associate and CLEAN Team Education Specialist at the CU Cooperative Institute for Environmental Sciences) piloted a curriculum coproduced with Jefferson County (JeffCO) School District teachers and staff that focuses on the embodied exploration of fossils, energy, and climate for 4th/5th grade students in Colorado. The program was piloted in the 2021-2022 school year.

The program offered an embodied, tactile experience through which students learn about geologic processes, energy, and climate change. Sample activities include hands-on experiences with real fossils and dramatization of the death of an ancient plant or animal and the processes that transformed them into a fossil fuel, a fossil, or soil.

After the pilot, the CU Boulder-JeffCO team finalized a curriculum timed to align with the introduction of new Colorado science standards. Our objective is to have a classroom-tested curriculum for implementation in the JeffCO school district to help meet their “Generation” standards for 21st Century Learners. Generation standards seek to engage the whole student beyond mere content mastery to develop skills in cooperation, self-authorship, and problem-solving, all of which our curriculum fosters through active learning with plenty of student voice and choice.

The project team published the curriculum and related resources (including 4-5th grade ready descriptions of the top climate solutions) on their website- https://enactingclimate.org, on the website for Inside the Greenhouse– https://insidethegreenhouse.org/shine/, and at the Climate Literacy and Energy Action Network (CLEAN)-https://cleanet.org/resources/56028.html.

In response to some of our plans being disrupted by the global pandemic and the transition to online learning, we have also translated all 82 Project Drawdown climate solutions for use in in a 5th grade curriculum. To ensure accessibility of the top solutions for reversing global warming and promote 4th & 5th grade student authorship of high impact local solutions, the CU team engaged University Hill Elementary School 5th graders and their teachers in expert peer review of all materials. The results can be found at www.enactingclimate.org.

We are available for professional development for schools to help disseminate and train teachers to use this open educational resource. Contact beth.osnes@colorado.edu if you are interested in receiving professional development or any other support to use this curriculum in your school.

• Jefferson County Schools Program

  Additional Info

  Curriculum for actively engaging 4-5th grade students in exploring and understanding energy and climate and how to enact climate solutions

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  Location

  in colorado

  Lakewood

  Dates

  Ongoing

  Public or Private

  Private Program (by request only or for a specific audience or group)

  Program Fee

  Not Applicable