Minnesota’s Changing Climate: Engaging Students In Environmental

Stewardship through Adventure Learning

Minnesota’s Changing Climate: Engaging Students in Environmental Stewardship Through Adventure Learning

Goal

1. To build awareness and interest in:

• Minnesota’s natural environment

• The impact of climate change

2. To provide educators and students with the tools

necessary for active and lifelong stewardship.

Outcomes• Minnesota’s Changing Climate Curriculum for

Grades 3-8 and 9-12• Minnesota’s Changing Climate Online

Classroom• Three Summer Institutes in 2010, 2011 and

2012• Project Evaluation

Curriculum Overview• For grades 3-8 and 9-12• Reviewed by Minnesota educators,

scientific and educational partners• Aligned to Minnesota state standards• Integrates Will Steger’s lifelong archives and

journaling• Culminates with a stewardship project

Curriculum Outline

1. What is a journal for?2. What defines Minnesota’s biomes?3. What defines Minnesota’s climate?4. What is climate change and what does it mean for

Minnesota?5. What does the data show?6. What can I do?

Lesson Components

Journal Assignment and/or Connection

Extensions

Online Classroom Connection

Take it Outside-Connecting With Your Place

CopyMaster Page

Will Steger Journal Page

Lesson 6: What can I do? Many communicators of climate change focus

on simply educating their audiences about climate change by providing more understandable information about the science. Others focus on the possible and mostly negative impacts of climate change to motivate people into action…Instead …discuss solutions, practical help and realistic hope.

Moser, Susanne C. Environmental Research Letters 1, no. 1 (2006).

Preliminary Curriculum Feedback82 responses to a post curriculum training evaluation

indicated the following• Will teach climate change and environmental stewardship: All

respondents reported that they thought the curriculum would be “useful for teaching about climate change” and “useful for teaching about environmental stewardship.”

• Useful and engaging: 96% thought it would be useful in their teaching and expected that their students will find it engaging

• Organized and easy to use: 96% said it is clearly organized and easy to use• Matches curricular goals and comprehensive: 91% said it matches their

curricular goals and thought it is comprehensive.• Plans to implement: All said that they would definitely (67%) or likely

(33%) implement the curriculum next year.

Summer Institute 2011• Over 100 registrants representing all four biomes of

Minnesota, formal and informal educational settings, and a variety of disciplines and grades 3-12

• Two days long with large group and breakout sessions focused on skills and content related to exploring Minnesota’s changing climate

• Included evening public forum on Sense of Place in a Changing Climate with 200 attendees

Online Classroom Overview

• Interactive content on Minnesota’s biomes and climate impacts

• Video and audio from Will Steger and other Minnesotans sharing their connection with Minnesota’s biomes.

• Opportunities for online sharing between participating classrooms.

classroom.willstegerfoundation.org

Minnesota’s Changing Climate Learning Module

Features text, photos, video and audio content on:• Minnesota’s four biomes • the impacts of climate change in Minnesota • an introduction to different types of journals• historical journal observations from

Minnesotans

Minnesota’s Changing Climate Curriculum and Supporting Materials

• Free curriculum download • Full color handouts to download• Explore Minnesota’s Biomes Kit• Video Gallery• Image Gallery

Connecting via the Social Network

• Share Observations and Action Project Examples

• View Observations and comment on them.• Classroom Social Stream features the twitter

feed for the Minnesota’s Changing Climate project (@mnclimate) and the Will Steger Foundation (@willstegerfound).