Teaching Climate Change To Grades 3-5

Explore this Guide

Welcome to our Teaching Climate Change guide for 3rd-grade to 5th-grade teachers and students. This guide is filled with resources that will help gauge students' climate literacy and provide ample support to make teaching about climate change easier. Explore the interactive climate change lessons and activities as you empower young people to appreciate the world around them and take climate action!

Lesson Plans

Start teaching climate change to your 3rd-5th grade learners using these teacher-created, free lesson plans that cover topics, such as weather, temperature changes, and climate science. 

Weather and Climate Graphing Lesson

In this lesson, students read charts and graphs about weather, climate, and climate change and represent data in a graph.

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Games & Activities

Jump into environmental education using these hands-on climate change activities and games that build students' background knowledge on climate topics and get them thinking about how to take climate action.

Crossword on Climate Action

This online crossword puzzle is a fun and interactive way to learn a variety of sustainability and environmental science terms.

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Videos & Books

These climate-themed videos and reading resources give space for your students to explore climate change topics independently or as a whole class. Use these materials to introduce and investigate the changing climate in simple, digestible ways while strengthening Language Arts and listening skills.

Introduction to Climate Change

This animated video explains the causes and effects of climate change in simple terms. Students will learn about the greenhouse effect, global warming, emissions, fossil fuels, and sea level rise. Empower your students to take small actions to fight climate change and save the Earth’s ecosystems.

More Videos & Books

Professional Development

Need a little extra guidance when tackling environmental teaching topics? Check out SubjectToClimate's Professional Development courses that have everything you need to know and are completely free. From a basic understanding of climate to writing detailed climate change lesson plans, these courses will help you bring climate science into every classroom. For more professional learning opportunities, check out our Professional Development page on SubjectToClimate.org.

Teacher Guides

Regardless of the subject you teach, it's possible to incorporate climate change education into any curriculum! Explore our other guides for Math and ELA, packed with plenty of math and English resources, including lessons, climate change activities, and more!

Free ELA Lesson Plans for Grades 3-5

Our ELA Guide for 3rd-5th grade levels features standards-aligned resources intended to improve literacy skills and encourage environmental responsibility. Find lesson plans, listening resources, reading materials, and more!

Free Math Resources for Teachers 3-5

This comprehensive guide for math teachers teaching 3rd-5th grade focuses on math education while seamlessly weaving in environmental awareness. Find unit and lesson plans, activities, worksheets, and more!

Next Steps