A Kid's Guide to Climate Change

Articles/Websites

Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by NPR

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What it is

This graphic novel tells the story of a young person in Denver, Colorado who learns about climate change, including the causes of climate change and what can be done about it.
Students will learn ways they can cope with big feelings surrounding climate change and how to become climate activists in their own communities.

Teaching tips

Positives

This comic is engaging and relatable to kids and also features real-life characters who are climate activists.
A link is provided to a PDF that can be printed at home or at school.

Additional Prerequisites

This resource states that it is designed for children ages 6-12, but can be adapted for people of any age.
Teachers should be sure to read the additional information, including "Methodology" and "Why We Made This", as background information before using this graphic novel.

Differentiation

Elementary level teachers could treat this story as a read aloud, using turn-and-talks, thinking aloud, and planning thoughtful, open-ended questions for students while reading.
Upper elementary or middle school language arts classes could extract meaning from the text by using close read strategies with a printed version of this novel, so that they may annotate the text.
Provide students time to read more about the real people featured in this comic, potentially using the Denver Public Schools for Climate Action website as a resource.
Consider using these posters that support action for the environment and have students display ways that they can get involved in their own communities.
Give students the opportunity to read the other three articles that are listed below as additional resources.

From the scientist review

Climate anxiety is a documented issue, especially amongst children and teens. This comic shows children that it is normal to have those feelings and how to take action. The scientific claims in the comic are all accurate and backed by peer-reviewed research. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts
Other types: Ebooks
Format: PDF
Language: English
Location: Earth, North America, North America > United States, North America > United States > Colorado
Provider: NPR
Authors: Lauren Sommer, Malaka Gharib
Published: February 21, 2023
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D4.7.6-8 + 10 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D4.7.6-8Assess their individual and collective capacities to take action to address local, regional, and global problems, taking into account a range of possible levers of power, strategies, and potential outcomes.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.3Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
4-ESS3-1.Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment.
5-ESS3-1.Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

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