Dan Castrigano

Chief Content Officer

Dan Castrigano was a STEM and humanities K-12 teacher for 11 years. He is passionate about climate education and environmental justice.

Lesson Plans

SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 608
  • Favorites

A Look at Cancer Alley, Louisiana

In this lesson, students explore an interactive map, learn about Cancer Alley, and take concrete action to address environmental injustice.

Topics: Human Geography, Persuasive Writing
Subjects: Geography, Social Studies
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 9-10
  • Views 581
  • Favorites

How Should the Federal Government Spend Our Money?

This lesson plan connects intergenerational justice with the federal budget.

Topics: Government, National Economy
Subjects: Civics, Social Studies
Types: Article, Data, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 788
  • Favorites

Wangari Maathai & Deforestation

This lesson introduces African environmentalist Wangari Maathai and links deforestation with the concepts of governance, poverty, and income opportunities for women in Kenya.

Topic: Physical Geography
Subjects: Geography, Social Studies
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 1044
  • Favorites

Redlining & Environmental Racism

This lesson plan connects redlining with current issues of environmental and racial justice.

Topics: American History: 1865-Present, Body Systems, Government, Human Geography
Subjects: Civics, Geography, History, Social Studies
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 350
  • Favorites

Earth’s Vital Signs: An Exploration

This lesson is an exploration of climate change data, including greenhouse gases, global temperature, ice melt, and sea level rise.

Topic: Climate Change
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Science
Types: Article, Interactive Media
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 673
  • Favorites

Cities, Trees & Inequality

This lesson is about the distribution and density of trees in urban areas and how that relates to environmental justice.

Topic: Human Geography
Subjects: Geography, Social Studies
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 789
  • Favorites

“Pale Blue Dot, We Will Fail You Not”: A Poetry Lesson

In this lesson, students will analyze Amanda Gorman's poem "Earthrise" and write their own poetry.

Topic: Poetry Writing
Subject: English Language Arts
Types: Digital Text, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 325
  • Favorites

Write Your Own Ekphrastic Poem

This lesson features powerful imagery from the climate crisis.

Topic: Poetry Writing
Subject: English Language Arts
Types: Article, Lesson Plan, None
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 1358
  • Favorites

Is This Greenwashing?

In this lesson, students learn about greenwashing, watch a series of videos, and write a paragraph arguing if an advertisement is greenwashing or not.

Topic: CER Writing
Subject: English Language Arts
Types: Article, Lesson Plan, Scientific Papers or Reports, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 455
  • Favorites

What’s the Worst Impact of Climate Change?

In this lesson, students learn about climate change, choose one impact of climate change, and write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change.

Topics: CER Writing, Climate Change
Subject: English Language Arts
Types: Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 483
  • Favorites

The Carbon Footprint of Food

This lesson shows that different foods have different environmental impacts.

Topic: Rates, Ratios & Proportions
Subject: Math
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 995
  • Favorites

Calculate Your Own Carbon Footprint

In this lesson, students calculate their own carbon footprint using Peter Kalmus's methodology in his book Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution.

Topic: Arithmetic Operations
Subject: Math
Types: Data, Digital Text, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 343
  • Favorites

So How Should We Get There?

This lesson features a comparison of different travel options from New York City to six other cities.

Topic: Arithmetic Operations
Subject: Math
Types: Data, Digital Text, Lesson Plan, None, Video
SubjectToClimate
Grades 6-8
  • Views 2813
  • Favorites

What’s the Best Solution to Climate Change?

In this lesson, students learn about climate change, choose one solution to climate change, and write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph explaining why they believe it is the best solution to climate change.

Topics: CER Writing, Climate Change
Subject: English Language Arts
Types: Article, Lesson Plan, Video
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
  • Views 247
  • Favorites

One-Two Punch: Extreme Rainfall and Sea Level Rise in New Jersey

In this lesson, students explore increased precipitation and sea level rise in New Jersey and advocate for a climate adaptation strategy.

Topics: CER Writing, Citizenship, Climate Change
Subjects: Civics, Earth and Space Sciences, Science, Social Studies
Types: Activity - Classroom, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Podcast, Project, Scientific Papers or Reports, Video
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
  • Views 136
  • Favorites

Electric Bikes or Electric Cars?

In this lesson, students conduct research on electric bicycles and electric cars, choose one of these technologies, and create a video promoting its use as a climate solution.

Topics: Cost-Benefit Analysis, Design Thinking, Life Literacies and Key Skills
Subjects: Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills, Computer Science & Design Thinking, Economics, Social Studies
Types: Article, Data, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Project, Video
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
  • Views 146
  • Favorites

Climate Change and Public Health

In this lesson, students explore how climate change is impacting public health in New Jersey, understand the difference between climate mitigation and climate adaptation, and create a video advocating for a climate adaptation strategy related to public health in New Jersey.

Topics: Public Health, Public Speaking
Subjects: English Language Arts, Health
Types: Activity - Classroom, Article, Lesson Plan, Project, Video
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
  • Views 205
  • Favorites

Redlining, Tree Equity, and Environmental Racism

In this lesson, students learn how redlining connects to tree equity and racial justice.

Topics: American History: 1865-Present, Government, Human Geography
Subjects: Civics, Geography, History, Social Studies
Types: Article, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan
SubjectToClimate (NJ adapted)
Grades 6-8
  • Views 361
  • Favorites

What's the Worst Impact of Climate Change in New Jersey?

In this lesson, students learn about climate change, choose one impact of climate change affecting New Jersey, and write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change in New Jersey.

Topics: CER Writing, Climate Change
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts, Science
Types: Article, Data, Interactive Media, Lesson Plan, Podcast, Video