Climate change: How is it taught in schools?

SANDUSKY — Teaching students about the world's environmental changes is becoming more detailed.Climate change is defined as "a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth's atmosphere," according to NASA. "These phenomena include the increased temperature trends described by global warming, but also encompass changes such as sea level rise, ice mass loss in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and mountain glaciers worldwide, shifts in flower/plant blooming and extreme weather events."Weather, NASA says, includes conditions like thunderstorms, flooding, clouds, wind, etc. "that occur locally over short periods of time, from minutes to hours or days."Meanwhile, climate is "the long-term regional or even a global average of temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades," NASA states.The Ohio Department of Education's current science standards for Ohio's public school districts were adopted last year after it received input from stakeholders across the state and had groups of education professionals construct the new standards in almost a year of work. State board of education members reviewed and revised proposed standards before approving them in February 2018, the department's website states.Gradually, the standards become detailed. In kindergarten, students learn about weather patterns and differences between the four seasons. By second grade, students learn about long and short-term weather changes occurring due to changes in energy, the latest state education standards say.Administrators at Huron and Sandusky schools weighed in how climate change is taught in their school districts.Huron SchoolsCurriculum director Julie McDonald said beginning in kindergarten, Huron students learn about climate change through the weather. Educators also use climate change in classroom dialogue."Teachers will work climate change into conversations in a natural manner, like with a rainy spring — (teachers will ask students) why, what is causing it, is this 'normal,' McDonald said.The curriculum used to teach climate change come from materials teachers find that align with state standards. Climate change curriculum for McCormick Junior High students comes from Pearson, an instructional content company.Sandusky SchoolsChief academic officer Vilicia Cade said climate change is taught in science and social studies classes. As curriculum about climate change and weather increases in difficulty, Cade said educators use science kits and additional materials "that deepen students' knowledge of concepts," she said.Climate change is not included in state standards for seventh and eighth-grade students."Seventh grade does cover biomes, which are distinct biological communities that have formed in response to a shared physical climate," Cade said. One textbook used by seventh grade, through iEvolve, a program through Bowling Green State University, is called Living Together and contains earth science concepts tying into biomes and water quality.High school students learn about climate change in environmental science.As students grow older, climate change is also discussed through current events. At the Regional Center for Advanced Academic Studies for students in grades 3-6, for example, classrooms have had discussions about climate change "to bridge their preparation for advanced science courses like environmental science," Cade said.Social studies classes districtwide use Studies Weekly, a textbook that takes the form of a newspaper or magazine, the company's website states.Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com, follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood and on Facebook.com/CaitliNearhoodIn this 2018 photo, a group of kids make their way down a trail at Edison Woods MetroPark near Berlin Heights during a Naturalist Camp with Erie MetroParks. The children were collecting a variety of bugs. Cozy Daniels, 10, and AvaLee Cobb, 10, add more color to their tie-dye shirts with volunteer coordinator and naturalist Aly Rumer during Nature Camp at Creek Bend Farm in Lindsey on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.Kids scour Edison Woods MetroPark near Berlin Heights for bugs during Erie MetroPark's Naturalist Camp on Wednesday, June 27, 2018.