Book: Saving Us: A Climate Scientists Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe 

When: Tuesday, February 21, 2022 | 7:00 PM ET 

Upcoming meeting dates, the Book Club sections, and how to log in are found in the Book Club section of our Upcoming Events Page.

All are welcome, even if you haven't finished ...or read the book!

You can find over 50 fiction, non-fiction, and Young Adult selections from past Book Clubs - with discussion questions, on our Book Club Archive Page. There’s something for everyone at the NOAA Planet Stewards Book Club. Whether you want to catch up on some knowledge, enjoy a quick fun read, or find a book to use with your students. Join us!

Looking for an inspiring way to engage your students – or entire school in hands-on stewardship? – and be funded by NOAA Planet Stewards? Read Watershed Studies and Restoration and learn how Students in a rural Illinois high school were challenged to consider how to better manage local lands to positively impact water quality and how our land-use choices affect water. Students used online tools to determine how changing land use practices could impact runoff, siltation, and nutrient pollution. Students proposed and implemented a tree planting project to reduce runoff from part of an agricultural field of a local landowner.

If you're looking for educational resources or ideas to plug into your academic planning, check out archived issues of The Watch! Our team has reviewed all content for use by educators working to increase their ocean, climate, and environmental awareness and that of the individuals they work with.

If you have an item you'd like to share with our education community, email us at: oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov. Be sure to include:

• Event or Item announcement title
• Date and time if applicable
• One paragraph description
• Clear thumbnail image
• Link for more information

Getting extra funds for your classroom might seem intimidating, confusing, or just plain too hard. Join this webinar to learn the process and get the confidence to do it yourself! You'll learn from a university professor that teaches on the topic, a middle school classroom teacher who has successfully funded many projects in her classroom, the director of an organization that helps fund classroom projects around the world. Register now.

Please join the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program’s free virtual winter speaker series. You can choose to attend one or more of the following sessions:

• Thursday, Jan 26, 2023 | 3:30 pm ET
• Thursday, Feb 2, 2023 | 3:30 pm ET
• Thursday, Feb 9, 2023 | 3:30 pm ET

Meet and learn from scientists, community leaders, and environmental educators who work at the intersection of research, education, and environmental and social justice. Engage in discussions about data literacy, sea level rise and sediment accumulation, wetland restoration, oysters, and field-based research. Register and learn more.

This webinar introduces the Climate and Energy Literacy Principles and how they are integrated with the CLEAN collection of climate and energy resources. These principles provide the foundation for understanding the science behind climate and energy concepts.

Making Climate Change Connections Across the Curriculum with CLEAN and UGC: Practices for Systems Thinking in the Classroom 

Thursday, February 9, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET

Climate change is connected to interdisciplinary topics across the curriculum. Explore how to engage students in systems thinking and construct explanations about the world around them! Register now.

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Teaching Climate Consequences with CLEAN: Motivate and Inspire, Don’t Despair

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | 6:00 - 6:30 pm ET

The consequences of climate change are all around us, unfortunately. How can we teach these topics without overwhelming our students or causing anxiety? Register now.

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Exploring Hands-on, STEM-based Energy Activities for the Classroom

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET

During this webinar, educators from the NC Energy Literacy Fellows program will share ideas and resources for incorporating hands-on STEM-based energy activities into instruction

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Beyond Doom & Gloom: How to Teach Climate Change Towards Empowerment with CLEAN

Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET

Educators will learn about CLEAN’s new resources related to climate mental health and will walk away with a variety of strategies and activities to integrate into their curriculum as they engage with today's youth. Register now.

Ecology Project International (EPI) announces free, classroom-ready, NGSS-aligned lessons, storylines, and professional development to help teachers connect the classroom to the environment.

2023 Virtual workshops will introduce teachers to resources for Biology, Environmental Science, Earth Science, and Leadership in grades 6 - 12. Zoom with EPI this year for professional development! Learn more about each of EPI’s workshops below and register today!:

• Thursday, January 26, 2023 | 6:30 pm ET: Finding Patterns and Making Predictions with Climate Change
• Thursday, February 23, 2023 | 6:30 pm ET: Populations and Pressures
• Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 6:30 pm ET: Environmental Literacy & Leadership

From May-December 2023, the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) and partners will conduct a series of telepresence-enabled expeditions aboard E/V Nautilus to map and explore deep-water areas in the Central and Eastern Pacific. We invite members of the ocean science and management community to submit priorities for seafloor mapping, remotely operated vehicle dives, and sampling on these expeditions. Please provide your input by February 1, 2023, so it can be fully integrated into expedition planning. Information received will be used to refine expedition plans, which will be discussed during community calls preceding each expedition.

The Library of Congress (LOC) in Washington, D.C., will hold a series of free three-day professional development workshops where teachers will learn and practice strategies for using primary sources with K–12 students. In each session, LOC education specialists will model a variety of hands-on, inquiry-based teaching strategies for using primary sources to engage students, build critical-thinking skills, construct knowledge, and launch original research. The workshops are aimed at educators across many disciplines, including science, social studies/history, English language arts, art, and music. Librarians and curriculum/professional development specialists also may apply.

Thursday, February 16, 2023 | 4:00 pm ET

Water cycle diagrams are widely used by educators to convey core scientific principles about water storage and movement on Earth. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently redesigned its water cycle diagram, putting humans at the forefront. The new diagram emphasizes scientific accuracy, design, and usability in educational settings. Educators were also key contributors to the design.  Download the new diagram and learn more about the water cycle (and other water topics) at the USGS Water Science School.

During this free webinar, USGS scientists will share information about the basis and importance of the new diagram, as well as the science it depicts. . Register here.

A recording of the webinar will be posted on the AGI YouTube Channel.

Session dates: July 10-21 and July 15-26 2023 

Application Deadline: February 15, 2023

Middle school teachers spend two weeks in Washington, D.C., working with education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) experts to explore the connections between informal STEAM education and authentic learning as part of the museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute (TII). Set goals for your own professional development, acquire the skills to incorporate museum learning into your practice, and meet colleagues from around the country. Teachers will participate at no charge, and most expenses will be paid by the museum. Watch this video for application tips!

Hey teachers! It’s time for you to have a terrific time getting your hands dirty exploring physical oceanography and weather!  The American Meteorological Society's 2023 summer courses, Project Ocean and Project Atmosphere, are accepting applications through 24 March, 2023. These competitive professional development courses are open to K-12 teachers and include online and in-person components and field experiences. All travel expenses are covered and participants receive stipends and earn graduate credit upon successful completion of the courses. Don’t miss this chance to learn from the experts, connect with other outstanding teachers, and have the earth science experience of a lifetime! Learn more and apply!.

NOAA  has launched the “Picture Climate Change'' student photo contest and is looking for images showing climate change in the United States. This contest is a chance for students to showcase their climate change experience through the lens of a camera, and provide a short written narrative. The narrative should describe the student’s climate change photo, provide a short story about how the climate variability, change, or resilience is captured in the image, or describe how climate change will impact their local community and future. Details are available here. 

Participants will be create a one-minute video outlining an innovative solution to a current environmental issue that they’re passionate about. Winning videos will be selected to receive cash prizes, and an invitation to the iconic National Geographic Explorers Festival in Washington, D.C.

Students ages 13-18 and educators looking to engage young people around environmental action are encouraged to sign up. Participation is free!

Human activity and climate change is causing a significant decrease in nature. Earth is currently experiencing its largest loss in life since the dinosaurs, with millions of species threatened by extinction. The following classroom ready resources will allow students to learn about biodiversity, the loss of biodiversity, and what governments are planning to do about this paramount climate issue.

Resources:

• Activity: Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity
• Video: Climate Change and Risks of New Pandemics
• Article: COP15 ends with landmark biodiversity agreement

Our Beautiful Planet’s short science films highlight the cutting-edge research conducted by climate scientists. The films are partnered with free classroom-ready lesson plans teachers can use to explain the phenomenon of climate change.

Learn what it takes to teach climate change using a justice-based lens. Teaching climate change isn’t only about finding the best resources, it’s also about exploring your own personal connection to the crises, addressing personal biases, practicing equity and inclusion, and connecting to like-minded folks to help you along the way! Check out this toolkit from STEM Teaching Tools to get started.

This episode of The Joy Report, discusses what energy justice is and why energy ownership must be re-imagined to overcome the current priority of profit over maintenance, affordability, and human health. A true transition will create opportunities for people who have been excluded from the start of the renewable energy movement to become recipients of intentional investments, benefactors of job training in the renewable energy sector, and key thought leaders in this space.

• Exploring Climate Change in our Communities: Field Activity is a short activity for both educators and students in grades 3-12.
  
  
• Becoming a Climate Change Educator is a toolkit primarily for educators new to the subject of climate change, although there are ideas and activities for experienced climate change educators as well.

Curriculum: Environmental Justice! How can we create environments that are healthy for Everyone?

Dive into practicing environmental justice with your students with this great resource from the Smithsonian Science Education Center. This guide supports students in learning how they interact with their environment, how different communities are impacted by specific environmental issues, and how to look for innovative solutions.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) offers a range of activities that educators can use to help students better understand their local winter season. Students can investigate how local plants will be impacted by the changing weather, make observations and experiment with rain and snowfall, and learn about the extreme conditions of the Arctic. PLT also provides examples of hands-on activities educators can use to expand upon winter weather discussions. Check it out.

Most occupations offer paid professional development opportunities - but this isn’t always true for teachers. There's often little paid time to create innovative curricula or enough money to take your students on meaningful field trips. Here’s a guide that highlights some great opportunities for educators to find funding for classrooms, field trips, and professional development.

The NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program grant competitions are open now! The B-WET program promotes place-based experiential learning for K-12 students and professional development for teachers. This year’s competitions emphasise climate change education. Competitions are now open in California, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and the Pacific Northwest.  Check out the website to learn more.

The BOOST Conference is the largest international gathering for after-school and expanded learning professionals. The 2023 conference will take place from April 25-28 in Palm Springs, California. Linda Cliatt-Wayman, CEO of Principal Wayman Consulting and an education leader, and Dee Hankins, an inspirational speaker and storyteller, will both be keynote speakers. Attendees will network with other professionals, participate in workshops, and gain skills and resources to grow their programs. Registration is currently open and on a first-come, first-served basis.

BIPOC-led groups focusing on water privatization, plastic pollution, or environmental justice are encouraged to apply for The Story of Stuff Project Grassroots Grant Program. Groups with projects that are campaign-focused, community driven, and serve communities of color can receive up to $5,000. Grants are reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded quarterly..

Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) is seeking applicants for their Summer 2023 Marine Conservation Internship. This program will start on May 30 and end on August 11 2023. The application deadline is March 12 2023. Visit www.REEF.org/internship for complete information on how to apply. REEF provides housing and a $200 monthly stipend to each selected Marine Conservation Intern. Reliable transportation is required for this program.