Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/882783
"Because of climate change, we've had either no snow and drought conditions, or heavy wet snow because the ocean is warmer and is affecting global patterns," says Scheibner. She often asks students how people can adapt to climate change and how engineering might help. During a lesson last spring at Tahoe Lake Elementary School, she asked students to design dams to hold back runoff water, with a variety of man- made and natural materials including Popsicle sticks, rocks and pine needles, to see what worked best. Beforehand, she showed clips of the Oroville Dam at its crisis point as an example of the need for engineering designs as the climate changes. "is way I'm not just telling them what happens; they have to figure it out themselves," she says. (To see more about this lesson, visit the PBS Kids website, to.pbs.org/2feIjIZ.) Kelsi Himmel, who teaches AP environmental science and chemistry and biology at Argonaut High School in Jackson, takes students on wilderness excursions in nearby El Dorado National Forest to make them more aware of how climate change impacts their environment. "I'm a firm believer that if my students are going to make any real connection with their curriculum, they must view the impact of climate change firsthand, so we can discuss what we love about our area, why we live here, and why we want to keep it that way. ey've seen the effects of multiple years of drought on our forest with bark beetles. You can see ridges of dead trees. Plants are more susceptible to beetles and other diseases after multiple years of drought and not having cold winters to kill them off." She recalls that when she was in college, there were very few degrees in environmental science, called the "gloom and doom" department. But today there is much to be hopeful about, with alternative energy sources and green technology. e challenge is find- ing a collective will to implement changes that can save the planet. Al Gore's n ew do cum entar y, A n Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, asserts that the stakes have never been higher, but the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion. A sequel to An Inconvenient Truth (2006), the documentary addresses the progress that's been made to tackle the problem of climate change and Gore's global efforts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy, culminating in the landmark 2016 signing of the Paris climate agreement. C L I M A T E C H A N G E A S A S O C I A L J U S T I C E I S S U E Aba Ngissah has been teaching climate change for two years at Hudnall Elementary School in Inglewood. She uses free materi- als available from a state program, the California Education and the Environment Initiative, to supplement her school's science books. e ILC instructor and Inglewood Teachers Association member has also signed up for the organization's in-person trainings and webinars. " We talk about glaciers that are shrinking and how that affects animals, plant life and tundra," says Ngissah. "We look at the rising waters and how that will affect islands. Students " I tell students we need to start talking to our friends, our families and politicians. We can cry about it — or we can examine ways to find solutions to our problems together." — ABA NGISSAH, INGLEWOOD TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 29 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 017 Aba Ngissah supplements her school's science texts with free materials from a state program on education and the environment.