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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Research » Research Project #443729

Research Project: Climate Change Education for Teachers and Students in the Southern Plains Climate Hub Region

Location: Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center

Project Number: 3070-12610-001-011-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Apr 1, 2023
End Date: Mar 31, 2025

Objective:
Create and deliver climate change education lessons for middle and high school students. This includes 21 lessons in four modules: • Climate Change and the Water Cycle (available in both English and Spanish) • Effects of Climate Change on Agricultural Systems • Climate Change and the Carbon Cycle • Climate Change and Wildfire All lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (used in Kansas, New Mexico, and 18 others states). An additional 24 states (including Oklahoma) have developed their standards based on the framework that forms the Next Generation Science Standards. Lesson materials are available for free online; this includes teacher guides, slide decks, student worksheets, and instructional videos.

Approach:
Delivering a workshop for 15 middle and high school teachers in the Southern Plains Climate Hub. Cooperator educators will work with the Center and BlueSTEM Agri-Learning Center to co-host the event in the summer of 2023 in El Reno, Oklahoma. The workshop will follow Cooperator’s model for successful teacher workshops we have been hosting for more than 20 years. It will include a mixture of content learning for the teachers (through field trips, guest Q&A sessions with scientists, etc.) and hands-on practice with the lessons we have developed to bring this information to life for students.