Climate change is increasingly becoming a topic laden with anxiety, grief, anger, and other emotions, especially for today’s youth (Marks et al., 2021), leading to a need for educator resources that can help address these emotions. To support the whole student, the following activities explore the relationship between climate and mental health, focusing on accessible, youth-friendly resources that aid teachers in approaching complex and sensitive topics in the classroom.
We recognize that teaching about climate change may give rise to controversy in some classrooms. For strategies to help facilitate difficult discussions, please see the CLEAN teaching support pages on managing climate change discourse. The activities in this set are structured by objectives, overview, and delivery method. They are also aligned with a social-emotional learning focus and the strategies listed in the graphic on the next page.
Context for Use
In the nature appreciation lesson, students will play, explore, appreciate, and practice perspective-taking in nature. All of these actions help positively connect youth to nature and instill an ethic of care for the environment
Talk About Climate Change Today Graphic from CLEAN Resource "Have the Talk: Climate Conversations"
NOAA/CIRES-CLEAN
Goals Header
What Students Will Do
- Take part in role-play or write about someone else’s perspective to demonstrate one’s ability to empathize.
- Spend time exploring nature to manage stress and appreciate nature.
- Name and implement actions that care for plants or animals.
Teaching Materials
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