In Ohio, second graders learn about how “living things cause change on earth,” and about the concept of extinction, according to the Ohio Department of Education’s Standards by Grade Level for Second Grade. Third through fifth grade science curriculum teaches students to apply scientific knowledge to real-world challenges, that science is not static and science helps them understand the world around them based on evidence.
The evidence shows that humans have contributed to warming temperatures through greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is a real-world problem, and scientists began recognizing trapped heat in the earth’s atmosphere by the late 1850s, according to NASA. So, climate change should be well incorporated into lesson plans.
Climate change is not a new topic, and most of the leading scientific organizations around the world address the issue of climate change and agree that human activity is the cause. On top of this, 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global climate change.
In the present world, the conversation about climate change seems almost unavoidable in a classroom setting. Rising temperatures, species endangerment, drought and more can often be linked to climate change. How are elementary teachers supposed to answer questions about topics like these without mentioning climate change?
Just this week, some northeast Ohio schools issued closures or early dismissals due to excessive heat. With summer temperatures only getting hotter and hotter, teachers should be able to explain the cause of increased temperatures.
Conversations about climate change don’t need to be gloomy, but there should be school lessons that recognize its existence and that human activity is the main contributor. These kinds of lessons can also bring attention to some of the small things kids can do to be better stewards of the environment, such as turning off lights, opening windows on cool days and eating lots of vegetables.
Fortunately in Ohio, there are some outlined learning standards that allow teachers to address climate change. In fourth grade, students learn that ecosystems can change rapidly by things like volcanoes, and slowly by climate change, according to Ohio’s Learning Standards for Science. The curriculum at this grade also addresses interrelationships in ecosystems, which presents another opportunity to discuss the impact of climate change.
However because education curriculum and standards are decided at the state level, many states do not include such lessons. For example, Florida’s curriculum, which has faced controversial changes under Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, does not include an acknowledgment of climate change. Considering that in May, DeSantis signed legislation that removed the phrase “climate change” from Florida laws, this comes as no surprise.
Climate change is a theory, but it is nearly universally recognized as true, as is the case with the theory of gravity— a topic that nearly all children are taught in school. The difference between those is that by acknowledging gravity’s existence, one does not really have to change the way they think or act, but by acknowledging climate change’s very real existence, people do often change the way they think about human impact on global warming.
Denying children this knowledge denies them the truth about the state of the planet and poorly prepares them for the effects of climate change that they will live through. Many children are already living through these changes, and they deserve to know why.
Taylor Henninger is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Taylor by emailing her at th873120@ohio.edu.
