Baby Boom and Avoiding Doom
This History/Social Sciences unit traces the environmental movement and climate change from the 1950’s through current issues. The unit weaves in environmental justice issues throughout and ends with an optional civic engagement exercise. For grades 9-12, time commitment of 5-10 days.
Endangered Languages: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Meet Environmental Diversity
This English/Language Arts unit is designed to bring awareness to the connection of cultural + linguistic diversity to environmental biodiversity. Background resources and content appropriate activities are included to best introduce climate change in the English language classroom. In a culminating project, students are encouraged to hone both their research & presentation skills as they role play investigative journalists sharing both issues and solutions for protecting the world’s endangered languages.
Demystifying the Greenhouse Effect & Albedo
These are modular, standalone lessons that can be used together. Science Lab: Students build a model of a greenhouse and determine the warming capacity of the structure. Connections to global climate impacts. Math Lesson: Students create graphs to represent the data collected in the “Demystifying the Greenhouse Effect” Science Lab. Includes comparing linear and exponential models.
Cost of Battery Storage Over Time
Develops skills of graphing and data manipulation by exploring the changing cost per watt of Lithium-Ion battery storage. Students examine recently published data on the historical cost of battery storage, and compare the performance of various simple curve fits. They then linearize the data using base-10 logs, which will enable them to make predictions. Finally, students engage with questions that consider economic factors relating to the transition of the world to sustainable energy.
Media Literacy
Despite being “digital natives” students are eager to improve the skills necessary to better understand and analyze the media they consume. This lesson asks students to investigate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of evidence across various media when discussing the topic of climate change. Can be used in Social Studies, English, Science classes.
Climate Connecting Classrooms: Multi-Disciplinary Tools for Teachers
FREE online course for educators. This 6-week course, run through edX, covers: climate basics, environmental justice tools, sustainability pedagogy, applications in STEM and social sciences, and climate curriculum building. Co-taught by Professor Christopher R. Knittel, team of 5 CATE high school teachers, and various other collaborators including students and staff at MIT. Optional verified MIT certificate for $49.
Have you used any of the CATE curriculum pieces?
Our case study program will pay a limited number of educators for a one-hour interview, detailing their experience applying our content in the classroom. This feedback will be used to directly improve our resources, and will be factored in as we develop additional content. Email cateprogram@mit.edu for more information.
MIT Day of Climate - Call for Proposals
CATE is thrilled to support the newly launched MIT Day of Climate. Members of the MIT community (faculty, students, staff, affiliates) are invited to propose ideas for interactive, hands-on learning activities inspired by the United Nations Climate Action Goals. These grants provide funding to develop curriculum activities that will be used widely: 1. by elementary, middle, and high school learners and during professional development and/or 2. adapted to be used in different educational settings around the world. These curriculum activities may also be used during in-person summer programs at MIT for middle and high school learners and as part of educational projects around the world. Grant amounts range from $10,000-$25,000.
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