Carolyn McGrath

K-12 Art Teacher

Carolyn has been an art educator in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District since 1998.  During this time, she also advised students as they developed recycling, composting, and waste reduction programs.  More recently, she has focused her environmental work on climate change, both through her art classes and district-wide climate action.  Carolyn and her students were recognized in 2022 by First Lady Tammy Murphy for their work on climate change.  She is the co-facilitator of her district’s Green Team, a board member of OASIS (Organizing Action for Sustainability in Schools), and an organizer of Hopewell Valley Green Week.  

Lesson Plans

SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
120 mins
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The Art of Climate Change

In this lesson, students investigate the effectiveness of visual art in addressing climate change.

Topic: Visual Art Analysis
Subject: Art
Types: Article, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 9-10
80 mins
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Art and Climate Action (Climate Heroes #1)

In this lesson, students investigate how artists use their platforms to spread awareness about climate change.

Topic: Visual Art Analysis
Subject: Art
Types: Article, Lesson Plan, Video
Climate Heroes Unit
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 9-10
130 mins
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Youth Climate Action (Climate Heroes #2)

In this lesson, students discover, share, and evaluate what young people around the globe are doing to address climate change and utilize this information as the basis for a portrait.

Topics: Citizenship, Visual Art Analysis
Subjects: Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills, Civics, Social Studies
Types: Activity - Classroom, Article, Lesson Plan, Video
Climate Heroes Unit
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 9-10
480 mins
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Youth Climate Hero Portraits (Climate Heroes #3)

In this lesson, students create portraits of youth climate heroes.

Topic: Painting
Subject: Art
Types: Article, Artwork, Lesson Plan, Video
Climate Heroes Unit