Teach Wisconsin Climate
The Wisconsin Climate Education Hub was created to provide educators with quick, easy access to high-quality instructional resources to support the state’s requirement for environmental education while advancing the opportunity for educators to incorporate climate change lesson plans into already existing curriculum.
This timeline guides educators through an account of how the Wisconsin Climate Education Hub came to be, from the initial idea to its soft launch. It shows the hard work and teamwork that went into creating this valuable resource, making it easier for Wisconsin educators to teach about climate change in their lessons.
Public awareness about the threat of climate change is on the rise, but the global need to help people around the world understand, reduce, and prepare for the threats posed by a changing climate is vast - and urgent. Many people do not have access to the information and knowledge they need, particularly those in rural areas, international educators and scholars, and members of underrepresented communities. This Hub is designed to be a library of educational resources about climate change and intersectional topics. The resources in the Teach Wisconsin Climate hub will be included in the WiseLearn database.
To formalize and expand support for green initiatives in Milwaukee Public Schools, in March 2020, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors adopted Resolution 1920R-016 designed to bring attention to climate change and develop an action plan for the district. The resolution acknowledges that schools should demonstrate leadership in modeling to students climate-conscious and environmentally friendly practices. As part of this resolution, a Climate Justice Curriculum Advisory Committee and a District Sustainability Team were created.
The Wisconsin Climate Education Hub was developed by SubjectToClimate under the advisement of a Working Committee, consisting of representatives from Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point):
In addition, the Advisory Committee provides counsel with regard to the ongoing development of the Hub to ensure that it will continue to provide up-to-date information and resources so that educators are enabled to effectively teach about climate change.
Allison Bender, Wisconsin Energy Institute & UW- Madison
Andrew Wellinghoff, Milwaukee Public Schools
Angelina Meadows, Gates Ventures - OER Project
Beth Schaefer, Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom
Casey Meehan, Western Technical College
Craig Kohn, Waterford Union High School
Drew Wallsworth, Milwaukee Public Schools
Gail Kraus, Milwaukee Public Schools
Gloria Woo, Milwaukee Public Schools
Jessica Knackert, Wisconsin DNR
Kaela Zielinski, Milwaukee Public Schools
Kathy Kuntz, Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change
Kevin Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Kevin Schiebenes, Milwaukee Public Schools
Kim Milligan, Milwaukee Public Schools
Leigh Kohlmann, Independent
Lisa Neeb, Reflo
Samara Hamze, KEEP & WCEE
Steve Vande Zande, Milwaukee Public Schools
Tera Fieri, CESA 9
Wisconsin State Lead
Michael Aprill
Mike is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher with 24 years experience teaching grades 9-12 science. He combined his passion for climate change and education while working on his doctorate in Educational Sustainability. He teaches students through inquiry and story telling, inspiring his students to learn about the world around them and what they can do to preserve the planet for our future generations.
📧 michael.aprill@subjecttoclimate.org
