By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer

Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

NASA’s website Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet provides a foundation for studying and assessing global warming by providing data on carbon dioxide concentration, global surface temperature, Arctic sea ice, land ice, and sea level as well as discussions of evidence, causes, effects, and uncertainties.

Nine interactives take up the water cycle, global ice, a collection of cloud art, and more. Seven quizzes let students assess what they’ve learned. For example, where is Earth’s gravity the strongest, on Mt Everest or Challenger Deep?

A section of images presents visual evidence of climate change. And in short videos, NASA scientists demonstrate the science behind global warming.

The section Tips for Teachers has a three-page, interactive PDF file with step-by-step instructions describing six ways to use the NASA’s Global Climate Change Website in the K-12 classroom. PBS/NASA Modules teach global climate change to middle- and high-school students.

Climate Kids

Climate Kids is a section designed for students in grades K-8. Teachers and students will find:

• twelve games and activities;
• answers to seven big questions, including what does global climate change mean and what can we do to help?;
• an animated serial short called Climate Tales, which is captioned and can be downloaded; and,
• current climate and environmental news.

Related Resources

Teachers will find EPA's A Student's guide to Global Climate Change with coloring pages, a board game and more.

Educator’s Bridge links to K-12 resources: websites, teaching guides, handouts, and more.