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Coding for Climate:

Hands-On STEAM to Boost Environmental Literacy

Oct 26, 2024

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Speakers

Learning Experience Designer,

Curriculum Dev

Katlin Walsh

Head of Partnerships

Nathan Tordjman

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Agenda

Introductions and Agenda

1.

Group Discussion

4.

Meet the Climate Action Kit

2.

Next Steps

5.

Guided Tour

3.

Q&A

6.

Introduction (5 minutes)

Talk today is going to focus on Why Climate Literacy & STEAM?: Discuss the growing importance of integrating climate action into STEAM education and its relevance to California’s environmental literacy initiatives.

Meet the Climate Action Kit (10 minutes)

What is the Climate Action Kit?: Explain the Climate Action Kit’s purpose and design.
Pedagogical Approach: Discuss the project-based, hands-on learning approach, along with connections to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).\
Kit Components: How hardware & software work together to create “unlimited” number of projects

Tour of Online Learning Platform (15 minutes)

Demo Lesson: Provide a live demonstration of one of the Climate Action Kit’s coding and robotics projects

Show how students use coding, sensors, and real-world data to address climate challenges.
Emphasize the UDL principles (UMC, etc.)

Interactive Group Discussion (10 minutes)

Explore Applications: Break participants into small groups or have them reflect individually on how they could apply the kit’s projects to their own classrooms.
Active Discussion: Encourage participants to share ideas, challenges, and questions about using STEAM tools to boost climate literacy.

Accessing Resources & Support (5 minutes)

Resources: Provide an overview of where participants can find lesson plans, tutorials, and support for implementing the kit (via the Forward Education Learning Platform).
How to Get Started: Walk participants through how they can bring the Climate Action Kit to their school, and any next steps (e.g., contact info, links, etc.).

Q&A and Closing (10 minutes)

Open the floor for any remaining questions.
Conclude by reiterating the potential of STEAM and coding projects to foster student agency and optimism in tackling climate change.
Share any final thoughts and contact information.

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We’ll do our best to answer live or respond in the chat.

Add questions to the chat

Notes for webinar�participation

We want to hear from you!

Watch the chat for URL links to useful

websites.

Useful links will be shared in the chat

Missed something? We’ll be recording

this session.

This session will be recorded

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Founded in early 2016, we’ve helped 500,000+ students across North America bring STEAM education to life.��Forward Education is a spinoff from our parent company InkSmith and we’re laser focused on one Big Goal:

Becoming a global leader in K-12 coding education that centers computer science learning around service of people and the planet.

We’re a team of 25 and growing based in Kitchener, Ontario.

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Coding meets climate action with micro:bit.

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Create meaningful coding & robotics learning experiences.

Q: Why do you think Climate Action initiatives are important in K-12 spaces?

For us:

Urgent & important - climate Protection was recently ruled to be a human right (2024)
Opportunity to solve complex, real-world problems with code - benefits youth and us

Youth:

Hope, agency in a problem that directly affects them
bring multiple subjects together to consolidate knowledge - integrate and deepen the learning
Motivation, retention - when they can see that they are learning something is real there’s some excitement

Us as a society:

Diversity of thought, fresh perspectives to climate action

Studies have shown some groups underrepresented in computer science were more likely to stick with it when they could see the social impact

We want to engage more young learners in STEAM and coding by making it accessible, relatable, and important to our next generation. Ultimately, inspire generations of creative thinkers to build a better future for us all

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CTE Skill Development Inspiring Real-World Climate Careers

I wanted to take a moment to showcase the Climate Action Kit’s real-world connections for careers local to California, as well as environmental literacy initiatives.

Each of our projects and lessons provide Career Technical Education aligned content, connected directly to our career library where students can learn about people who work on projects they’re building in the classroom.

Renewable Energy like our solar panel and wind turbine projects:

Companies like NextEra Energy and SunPower are expanding their solar and wind energy portfolios, driving demand for project managers, engineers, and technicians to oversee the installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems

Considering Electric Vehicles (EV) and Infrastructure development like our electric vehicle and smart warehouse projects

Tesla, Rivian, and other EV manufacturers are hiring electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to develop electric cars and their components. This includes roles focused on battery technology, autonomous driving, and hydrogen fuel cell development
With California’s push for widespread EV adoption, roles in building EV charging stations and smart grid solutions are also growing.
Building Automation Specialists: With an increased focus on smart and energy-efficient buildings, roles in building automation, such as service specialists and energy managers, are on the rise. Siemens, for example, is hiring in this area to support smart building solutions across California

Considering Sustainable Agriculture and Water Management with our bee pollinator, mobile irrigation, and vertical farming projects

Roles like Sustainable Farming Technicians are reinforced
As part of California’s climate resilience strategies, roles in precision agriculture, water management, and sustainable farming practices are becoming critical. These positions help integrate green technologies into traditional farming

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Meet the all-in-one coding & robotics kit: the Climate Action Kit.

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Each of our learning solutions comes with everything a teacher needs from the robotics hardware to curriculum aligned lesson plans and step-by-step coding and building tutorials.

An all-in-one Learning Solution

Our robotics kit components and building blocks are incredibly easy-to-use with the latest embedded smart technologies that take learning with micro:bit to the next level.

Hardware

Our kits include access to everything a teacher needs to start and scale exciting STEM activities in grade 3-12 classrooms. The lessons are designed to run in a single class and can be extended for deeper learning.

Software

To reach as many learners as possible, we had to make sure our ecosystem had a:

Low floor - easy to access - aren’t unnecessary barriers to coding or the ecosystem, we can jump in right away
High ceiling - easy to extend and grow with - doesn’t suddenly become useless
Wide walls - wide variety of projects you can build - not just one project they can build

How are we able to have low floor, high ceiling, wide walls?

Hardware

by making it super easy to connect, smart components that don’t have a wrong way of connecting things

Software

No student log ins, step by step tutorials you don’t have to worry about being an expert.
To grow with the learners you can expand to javascript from coding blocks

Curriculum content (aligned to NGSS, CSTA, and Common Core standards) + expandable platform

integrate coding into performance expectations and core ideas you’re already expected to reach and teach
Hands on activity to supplement learning, not meant to be a totally separate thing you have to learn

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No Coding Experience Required

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING

Block-Based, JavaScript or Python coding

Guided Tutorials

Coding entry points for all skill levels

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Breakout Board

You can never wire a component wrong with reversible cable connectors!

Reversible Cables

Each sensor component is recognized so students don’t need to worry about programming to pins..

Smart Ports

The sensors can be plugged together in any order without any change to the code.

Daisy-Chain

Create mobile projects with an on-board rechargeable battery that can last up to 48 hours!

Rechargeable Battery

BBC Micro:bit

You won’t see this type of connectivity to a breakout board anywhere else. Forward Education has worked really closely with the microsoft research team in developing this hardware and some of the features in makecode.

You can connect cables to the board any way you want -Multidirectional, so Left/Right doesn’t matter Impossible to wire any components wrong its like a USBC connector.
Rechargeable battery lasting 4 days - they’ll come fully charged so they’re classroom ready, and when the battery does die, students can charge it while they’re building projects- convenient for class use and better for the environment, no more sourcing batteries
Microcontrollers on all of the sensors so you can daisy chain sensors
Sensors at the top, motors at the bottom (left, middle right)

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Smart Robotic Components

Plug-in anywhere and simulate live in MakeCode

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Building Blocks

Easy to build and compatible with LEGO®

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Online Learning Platform to make integration seamless

Grab a physical Climate Action Kit and micro:bit.

1.

To run a Climate Action Kit lesson:

Choose a grade appropriate lesson from the library.

2.

Share a login-free link with students to access via the web.

3.

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Every student�lesson includes:

Built-in inquiry

Interactive lessons

Coding project

Educator Notes

Challenges & extensions

Real-world examples

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Lesson Library

CONTENT SAMPLE

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Standard Alignment

CONTENT SAMPLE

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Lesson Preview

The Powerful Force of the Wind

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Educator notes built-in to support teachers.

Tips, tricks, and inquiry questions

Every lesson contains built-in ‘Educator notes’ to support teachers as they move through the Climate Action Kit lesson in their classrooms. These Educator notes contain helpful tips, tricks, links, and suggestions for inquiry questions. These sections are only visible for teachers - so your students won’t see them!

Solution Code Included

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Lesson Structure: �Big Idea

Curriculum-aligned Lesson Content

The Big Idea section of the Climate Action Kit Lesson is where students will be introduced to the lesson topic and climate action opportunity we’re learning about.

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Engage students with interactives

Each lesson includes reading material, interactive sections, and inquiry questions that are grade level appropriate. This keeps the learning engaging and enriches the curriculum alignment across Science, Math and Computer Science strands.

Interactive content throughout the lesson.

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Lesson Structure: �Take Action

Project Prototypes inspired by real-life technology

The Take Action section of the Climate Action Kit Lesson is where students will build and code a prototype project inspired by real-life technology!

Take Action section is where learners get to build their own climate action solutions. The solution will be tied to the climate challenge and real-world example.

Real World Example - El Cabrito Wind Farm in Spain

CTE Library - Renewable Energy Engineer

https://www.acciona.com/projects/el-cabrito-wind-farm/?_adin=11734293023

Powers 30,000 homes

Solutions might be prototypes, simulations, experiments, models, etc.

Each Take Action project has a scaffolded learning progression to support the needs of a diverse classroom.

Example: Powerful Force of the Wind

Take Action: Build your wind turbine

Our Use and Modify coding tutorials have step by step scaffolding - some students have a lot of experience with coding, some don’t have it at home or have less experience.

You don’t need to have experience with coding to engage with a tutorial, the steps are all there for you

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Learners ‘use’ the provided code to understand how it works.

USE

Take Action: Coding Framework

Scaffolded coding options:�Different options for different learners.

Learners ‘modify’ parts of the code to demonstrate understanding.

MODIFY

Learners ‘create’ a code program of their own from scratch.

CREATE

Use-Modify-Create is a research-backed learning progression that builds computational thinking skills in students and supports them on their way to becoming creators of technology.

Traditionally, the educator will guide learners through a series of steps:

Use: Students will use an existing project. The project is chosen because it highlights a particular concept(s) you are teaching (e.g. loops, variables, conditional statements)
Modify: Students will make small adjustments to existing code to learn how said concepts work. Ideally, they will make one change at a time to see the direct impact it has on the output of their code. They may also complete small coding challenges to demonstrate their understanding.
Create: Students make substantial changes and/or design their own project that satisfies specific success criteria.

The framework can more flexible than this, though! When used as a differentiation tool, students with prior knowledge might jump right into ‘Modify’ or ‘Create’. Because each option has its own tutorial, students can progress at their own pace with minimal support from the educator!

Research has show that UMC increase educator confidence with coding, student confidence, and student’s perception of ownership over projects/work.

https://forwardedu.com/blogs/blog/use-modify-create

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Step-by-step coding tutorials means no experience required

Designed to support new learners

Every lesson lets students learn at their own pace through easy to follow building instructions and step-by-step coding tutorials. This supports differentiated learning for the best classroom outcomes.

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�Design Journal

Scaffolded Support for ‘Create’ Phase

Flexible workbook that guides students through the Engineering Design Process encouraging creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience as they iterate on their Climate Action solutions.

Create -

I can build a wind turbine with the Climate Action Kit that has at least:

a sturdy base to prevent it from tipping
a tower that is tall enough to catch the wind
blades that spin in both directions

Design journal for create phase over multiple sessions

https://learn.forwardedu.com/design-journal-template/

Based on another researched topic - project based learning, which occurs in stages through self reflection and community sharing of your learning over an extended period of time.

Learners have a platform or template they can edit directly on their computer, or you can print out the design journal to provide guided activities for any lesson.

This design journal provides learners with the structure to reinforce their learning about a given topic, without feeling lost or overwhelmed.

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Group Discussion

Connect or integrate well with what you are already doing in your classroom?

How might the Climate Action Kit…

Expand your teaching practices and offer new opportunities related to climate literacy?

How might the Climate Action Kit…

What questions do you have about introducing this tool to your students?

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Enter to win

Apply to our Coding for Climate Grant and you will automatically be entered to win a FULL Climate Action Kit and BBC micro:bit!

https://forwardedu.com/pages/coding-for-climate-stem-grant-program

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Enter to win

Apply to our Coding for Climate Grant and you will automatically be entered to win a FULL Climate Action Kit and BBC micro:bit!

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Questions?

Add questions to the chat if virtual OR open the floor for discussion

Has anyone heard about UMC before?
How to try without the kit and where to go?

Share the grant, fill out the sample kit classpack
Free

Take a look at the Climate Action Kit features today!

Coding for Climate STEM Grant:

https://forwardedu.com/pages/coding-for-climate-stem-grant-program

Hardware:

https://forwardedu.com/pages/hardware-features

Learning Platform:

https://forwardedu.com/pages/platform-features

Building & Coding Tutorials:

https://forwardedu.com/pages/building-coding-tutorials

Create a free account to explore lessons

https://learn.forwardedu.com/lesson-library/

Links to costing information?

Single Kit: 225+ 21 for the Micro:bit
https://forwardedu.com/collections/robotic-toys

Common Questions:

How do you share this with students?

Share direct link or add to google classroom

Is this totally self directed as an activity?

Up to you

Positioned as a why for environmental literacy, pedagogy and rationale behind the design

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Thank you!

Stay connected.

Email

hello@forwardedu.com

Website

www.forwardedu.com

Learning Experience Designer

Katlin Walsh

Head of Partnerships

Nathan Tordjman