Future leaders, make your voice heard about the world you want to live in by filling out this 5-min survey! 

Dan Castrigano

Academic Teacher at Burlington YouthBuild

Dan Castrigano taught STEM and humanities at elementary, middle, and high schools for 11 years. From 2021-2023, he served as the Chief Content Officer at SubjectToClimate. Dan advocates for climate education and organizes for climate, social, and racial justice.

Lesson Plans

9-12 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Government Lesson: Create a Federal Budget
In this lesson, students explore long-term thinking, analyze federal spending, and design a government budget that balances present and future needs, culminating in a reflection and discussion on intergenerational responsibility.

Inquire: Students watch a TED video by Roman Krznaric called “How to Be a Good Ancestor.” It allows students to see sustainability from a future perspective.
Investigate: Students explore usaspending.gov and examine spending by federal agencies in the fiscal year 2025. In groups, students design a budget for the federal government. Some students represent people living now, while others represent people living seven generations in the future.
Inspire: Students reflect on what it feels like to represent those living now and those living seven generations in the future. Finally, students share, comment, and deepen each other’s ideas and opinions.
Grade
Subject Civics,English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Wangari Maathai: Deforestation Lesson

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


Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a video explaining ways to monitor the world's forests. Next, students explore the Global Forest Watch Interactive Map showing the health of the world's forests.


Step 2 - Investigate: Students watch a video about Wangari Maathai & The Green Belt Movement. Students answer guided questions as they watch the video.


Step 3 - Inspire: Teacher reads Wangari Maathai’s version of the “hummingbird story.” After listening, students write pledges about how they can contribute to restoring our Earth.

Grade
Subject Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Redlining and Environmental Racism Lesson
This lesson plan connects redlining with current issues of environmental and racial justice. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Teacher shares useful framing and definitions. Then students will explore the Mapping Inequality tool.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students explore various environmental justice case studies in groups. Each case study includes a specific city and one of the following: asthma rates, extreme heat, air pollution, and urban tree cover. Students will connect redlining to their case studies.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students discuss how redlining is related to their case studies and what should be done about these issues. Finally, students complete a written reflection.
Grade
Subject Civics,History,Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

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

Inquire: Students write down what they know about the four main greenhouse gases: water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
Investigate: Students collaborate in groups as they unpack data from NOAA, NASA, and other resources. Then students share their thoughts with the rest of the class.
Inspire: Students complete a written reflection.
Grade
Subject Earth and Space Sciences
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Tree Inequality in Cities: Social Studies Lesson

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


Step 1 - Inquire: Students explore a spreadsheet, map, and two graphs showing urban forest cover and its connection to wealth and race.


Step 2 - Investigate: Students watch two videos and take notes on the benefits of trees.


Step 3 - Inspire: Students complete a written reflection noticing the distribution of trees near their homes.

Grade
Subject Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Poetry Writing Lesson: Amanda Gorman
In this lesson, students will analyze Amanda Gorman’s poem “Earthrise” and write their own poetry.

Inquire: Students watch Amanda Gorman perform her poem “Earthrise.”
Investigate: In groups, students analyze one stanza of “Earthrise,” take notes, and then share their thinking with the rest of the class.
Inspire: Students write their own poem, drawing inspiration from “Earthrise.”
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Ekphrastic Poem Writing Lesson
This lesson features powerful imagery from the climate crisis. Students choose one photograph and write an ekphrastic poem about that photograph.

Inquire: Teacher facilitates a brief discussion using a photograph of the California wildfires in 2020.
Investigate: Students review photographs related to the climate crisis from Climate Visuals Gallery. Students select one photograph and write an ekphrastic poem about that photograph.
Inspire: Students share their poems with the rest of the class.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Media Literacy Lesson: 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. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch and discuss ExxonMobil's advertisement called "What Carbon Capture Can Do."
Step 2 - Investigate: Students watch a video describing greenwashing and answer guiding questions.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students watch a series of videos from various companies. Students select one video and write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph arguing if the video is an example of greenwashing or not.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Impacts of Climate Change Writing Lesson
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.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a video on the basics of climate change.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students take notes while watching four videos on the impacts of climate change.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students select one of the impacts of climate change and write a paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Carbon Footprint of Food Lesson

This lesson shows that different foods have different environmental impacts. Students will calculate ratios and practice proportional thinking. 


Step 1 - Inquire: Students explore an interactive bar graph showing the resources it takes to create our food.


Step 2 - Investigate: Students select different foods that they wish to compare. Students complete a series of mathematical calculations showing their knowledge of arithmetic and ratios.


Step 3 - Inspire: In groups, students discuss what they have learned and answer several questions.

Grade
Subject Mathematics
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Calculating Your Carbon Footprint Math Lesson
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.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a short video on the climate crisis. Students engage in a brief discussion on the prompt "Do my individual actions matter?"

Step 2 - Investigate: Students calculate their own carbon footprints.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students engage in a discussion, reflecting on this activity and the importance of individual actions.
Grade
Subject Mathematics
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Comparing Travel Emissions: Math Lesson
This lesson features a comparison of different travel options from New York City to six other cities. Students compare walking, biking, driving, taking the bus, riding the train, and flying. Students conduct research and calculate the CO2e for each travel option.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a short video on the climate crisis. In groups, students explore and discuss emissions from the transportation sector.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students are assigned one route between New York City and another city in the Northeast. Students calculate miles, cost, time, and CO2e for each travel option for their route.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students participate in a group discussion about the results and explore different ways to decarbonize our transportation system.
Grade
Subject Mathematics
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Solutions to Climate Change Writing Lesson
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.
 
Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch a video on the basics of climate change.
 
Step 2 - Investigate: Students take notes while watching four videos of solutions to climate change.
 
Step 3 - Inspire: Students select one of the solutions to climate change and write a paragraph explaining why they believe it is the best solution to climate change.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Extreme Weather and Sea Level Rise Lesson
In this lesson, students explore increased precipitation and sea level rise in New Jersey and advocate for a climate adaptation strategy. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students explore two interactive maps showing increased precipitation and sea level rise in New Jersey.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn the causes of increased precipitation and sea level rise in New Jersey.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students choose and advocate for a climate adaptation strategy by communicating to leaders in government and business.
Grade
Subject Earth and Space Sciences,Civics
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Electric Bikes vs Cars: Social Studies Lesson
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. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students view a series of images related to bicycles and cars and discuss their emotional reactions with a partner.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students investigate the benefits and drawbacks of electric bicycles and electric cars.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students create a video advertisement advocating for electric bicycles or electric cars.
Grade
Subject Economics,Computer Science,Career Skills
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Climate Change and Public Health Lesson
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.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students watch What Are the Implications of Climate Change for Public Health? and discuss how the video relates to emotions and justice.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn the difference between climate mitigation and adaptation and explore example climate adaptation strategies related to public health in New Jersey.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students select one climate adaptation strategy related to public health in New Jersey, conduct research, and create a video.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts,Health
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Redlining and Tree Equity: Social Justice Lesson

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

 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students learn definitions of redlining and systemic racism and explore the Mapping Inequality tool.

 

Step 2 - Investigate: Students explore the connection between redlining and tree equity.

 

Step 3 - Inspire: Students share their new knowledge, discuss possible solutions to environmental inequality, and complete a written reflection.

Grade
Subject Civics,History,Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Impacts of Climate Change in New Jersey Writing Lesson
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.

Inquire: Students watch a video on the basics of climate change.
Investigate: Students take notes while watching four videos on the impacts of climate change in New Jersey.
Inspire: Students select one of the impacts of climate change in New Jersey and write a paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change.
Grade
Subject Earth and Space Sciences,English Language Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan

Hip-Hop and Climate: Creative Writing Lesson
In this lesson, students explore the intersection of music and climate change, learn about environmental connections in rap music, and create their own original rap songs.

Inquire: Students share fun facts about hip-hop, learn about hip-hop as a cultural and social movement, and view examples of hip-hop intersecting with environmental concepts.
Investigate: Students research a climate change topic and create a class rubric for evaluating student-created raps.
Inspire: Students create and share an original rap about a climate change topic as a means to express their feelings and emotions through music.
Grade
Subject English Language Arts,Visual and Performing Arts
Resource Type Lesson Plan
6-8 Thumbnails
Lesson Plan

Cancer Alley: Social Studies Lesson
In this lesson, students learn about environmental justice by exploring an interactive map, learning about Cancer Alley, and taking concrete action to address environmental injustice.

Inquire: Students are introduced to the term environmental justice and learn about the Environmental Justice Index (EJI).
Investigate: Students learn about communities facing environmental injustice using an interactive map and watching a video about Cancer Alley. 
Inspire: Students write a letter to a government official or business leader sharing what they learned and urging them to take action. 
Grade
Subject History,Geography
Resource Type Lesson Plan
Varied Content Thumbnails (24)
Worksheets

Climate Solutions Video Response Activity
Through this video and response activity, students explore four solutions to combat climate change: reducing food waste, empowering girls and women through education, adopting plant-rich diets, and transitioning to renewable energy sources. They analyze each solution's potential impact and develop their opinions, supported by evidence, on which solution they believe is most effective. 
Grade
Subject English Language Arts
Resource Type Worksheets
SubjectToClimate
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
Teaching Materials
Lessons, Units, and Activities Teaching Resources News for Students
Educator Support
Professional Development Teacher Guides Climate Change Explainers Guidance for School Administrators
About Us
Our Team Press and Media Our Partners Privacy Policy AI Policy
Get Involved
Donate Volunteer Partner with Us Careers Contact Us
Your Account
Register My Profile My Library Sign up for our newsletter
State Hubs
Connecticut Illinois Maine Michigan New Jersey New York Oregon Wisconsin
Candid Platinum Transparency 2025 4 Star Rating Badge Add 1% For the Planet logo to our site