Climate Literacy Spreadsheet organized by NGSS

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
1	Climate Literacy Spreadsheet organized by NGSS Performance Expectations
2	Climate Literacy Education is now part of California's K-12 science curriculum, thanks to AB 285 (2023). Starting this school year (2024-25), science courses must cover the causes, effects, and solutions to climate change. The state's NGSS standards already include climate-related content, and this document outlines how each grade's Performance Expectations (PEs) align with climate science. SLO EE Coalition members and Community Based Partners are encouraged to identify where their programs align with the NGSS PEs and provide examples of how their programs address climate change.Community Based Partners are encouraged to fill out columns F and G where their programs align to the NGSS PEs in Column D and E. Pick a color for your organization and hyperlink the name of your organization in Column F. Then in Column G give an example of how this program directly links to climate change and/or climate action.
3	Connection	Grade	Domain	Performance Expectation Code	Performance Expectation (PE)	Connections to local Community Based Partners (CBP) Name of Organization & name of EE program	Action Ideas: How can the program directly link to climate change/ climate literacy/ climatic justice issues?	Climate Change Content	Examples of meeting the PE assessment from NGSS

4	Elementary
5	Proximal	K	Physical	K-PS3-1	Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.			Cause	Examples of Earth’s surface could include sand, soil, rocks, and water. Assessment of temperature is limited to relative measures such as warmer/cooler.
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8	Proximal	K	Physical	K-PS3-2	Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.			Adaptation	Examples of structures could include umbrellas, canopies, and tents that minimize the warming effect of the sun.
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11	Proximal	K	Earth & Space	K-ESS2-1	Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.	Our Global Family Farm "Food Solutions" https://climategen.org/resources/48160/food-solutions-climate-change-action-for-k2/	OGF: Lesson 1: Encourage students to eat seasonally by charting fruits that are available each of the four seasons. Chart foods that come from various climates. Lesson 2 - Draw a map or list what foods are available seasonally in their climate area. https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/	Effect	Examples of qualitative observations could include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different months. Assessment of quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.
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16						One Cool Earth Series 1 Lesson 2 "Weather Science"	OCE: Classroom Investigation: create a wind sock to observe wind patterns in the garden. Study the effects of wind and how wind can carry smoke/other pollutants across large distances and impact air quality in other regions.
17	Proximal	K	Earth & Space	K-ESS2-2	Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.	Land Conservancy - Learning Among the Oaks "Let's Go Explore Oak Habitats!"	LATO: Students will become aware of their environment by continuing to look for animal habitats AND to be respectful to animals' habitats at home and at school.	Mitigation Adaptation	Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include a squirrel digs in the ground to hide its food and tree roots can break concrete.
18						Our Global Family Farm "Food Solutions"	OGF: Lesson 1 - Model how food gets from a farm to a grocery store as a way humans change the environment to meet their needs. Students can visit two or three grocery stores and determine which one best meets the needs of their family. Chart out different "food journeys" to the most direct to the longest journey. Use the chart to make "food chains" where students link arms to model these various journeys that our food goes through. Most direct is a home garden, then community garden, CSA - Community Supported Ag, farmers market, small local grocery stores, grocery chain stores.
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22	Proximal	K	Earth & Space	K-ESS3-2	Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.			Mitigation Adaptation	Emphasis is on local forms of severe weather.
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25	Proximal	K	Earth & Space	K-ESS3-3	Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.	Our Global Family Farm "Food Solutions"	OGF: Lesson 1 - Name at least two ways we can grow and transport food in sustainable ways, such as local, organic and fresh foods instead of processed foods, eating less meat, etc. Students can visit farmers market and ask farmers where they farm. Bring in some foods and see if students can sort out which are fresh foods and which are processed. Examples could be: apples, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cheese, french fries, candy, jelly. Lesson 2 - Local foods don’t travel as far and don’t cause as much air pollution through vechicle emissions, which helps us keep Earth at a good temperature. Lesson 3 - Identify a local, school-based food issue.Design an action plan to address the issue at their school. Take collective action to support sustainable food systems. Common food-based climate solutions that your class may be interested in are Food Waste, Packaging, Food Transportation, Plant Based Options in the Cafeteria, Local Foods (Farm to School) efforts.	Mitigation Adaptation	Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.
26						One Cool Earth Series 2 Lesson 2 "Greenhouse"	OCE: Classroom investigations: develop greenhouse prototypes to modify growing conditions. Prototypes could include mitigations to adapt to drought, heat and extreme storms or fires.
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28	Proximal	1	Earth & Space	1-PS4-3	Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.			Cause Effect	Examples of materials could include those that are transparent (such as clear plastic), translucent (such as wax paper), opaque (such as cardboard), and reflective (such as a mirror). Assessment does not include the speed of light.
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31	Proximal	2	Earth & Space	2-ESS1-1	Make observations from media to construct an evidence-based account that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly.	Our Global Family Farm "Food Solutions"	OGF: Lesson 1 - Sustainable food means that we are able to keep doing the same growing, harvesting, transporting, and eating practices for a very long time because we’re able to feed everyone and make sure we have enough clean soil, water, air, etc. so that everyone can live well. Encourage students to choose Sustainable foods to help the environment for the long haul. Lesson 2 - Describe why local and seasonal foods are sustainable (better for people and the planet).	Cause Effect	Examples of events and timescales could include volcanic explosions and earthquakes, which happen quickly and erosion of rocks, which occurs slowly. Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of timescales
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34	Proximal	2	Earth & Space	2-ESS2-1	Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.			Mitigation Adaptation	Examples of solutions could include different designs of dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land.
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37	Proximal	3	Life	3-LS4-3	Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.	Land Conservancy - Learning Among the Oaks "Animals and Oaks Through Time"	LATO: During our closing circle, we discuss whether the situation is better for oak woodlands and the plants and animals that live in them today. We think about the adaptability of oaks and how important it is to keep oak woodlands intact and plant new trees.	Effect	Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.
38						Creek Lands Conservation: Protecting Our Watersheds (POW) Habitats and Species Overview	Creek Lands Theme: Habitats and Species Overview. Ten immersive lessons ranging from water and climate to habitats and species. Students gain first-hand experience studying the rainbow trout life cycle through Trout in the Classroom. This program culminates with the Lopez Lake trout release field trip and other hands-on activities.
39						Morro Bay National Estuary Program	MBNEP: Visiting various sites around the Morro Bay watershed (Elfin Forest, Morro Rock, etc) and how the plants and animals have adapted to the area (ex. dwarf oaks in the Elfin Forest adapting to the wind and sandy soil). Discuss what would happen to the habitat if the climate changed.
40	Proximal	3	Life	3-LS4-4	Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.	Land Conservancy - Learning Among the Oaks "Animals and Oaks Through Time"	LATO: During our closing circle, we discuss whether the situation is better for oak woodlands and the plants and animals that live in them today. We think about the adaptability of oaks and how important it is to keep oak woodlands intact and plant new trees.	Effect	Examples of environmental changes could include changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and other organisms. Assessment is limited to a single environmental change. Assessment does not include the greenhouse effect or climate change.
41						One Cool Earth Series 1 Lesson 3 "Pollution Solutions"	OCE: Climate Action Plans/ Community Service Project to find solutions to prevent litter on their school campus. Examples include: creating a green team to collect food waste for worm compost.
42						Morro Bay National Estuary Program	MBNEP: When learning with the watershed model, we discuss pollution and its impacts on the environment. At the end of the activity, we discuss ways that we can prevent pollution in our own watersheds.
43	Proximal	3	Earth & Space	3-ESS2-1	Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.			Effect	Examples of data at this grade level could include average temperature, precipitation, and wind direction. Assessment of graphical displays is limited to pictographs and bar graphs. Assessment does not include climate change.
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46	Proximal	3	Earth & Space	3-ESS3-1	Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.			Mitigation Adaptation	Examples of design solutions to weather-related hazards could include barriers to prevent flooding, wind resistant roofs, and lighting rods.
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49	Additional	4	Earth & Space	4-ESS3-2	Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.			Mitigation Adaptation	Examples of solutions could include designing an earthquake resistant building and improving monitoring of volcanic activity. Assessment is limited to earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
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52	Proximal	4	Physical	4-PS3-2	Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.			Cause	Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of energy
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55	Proximal	4	Earth & Space	4-ESS2-1	Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.	Creek Lands Conservation: Protecting Our Watersheds (POW) Food Webs & Ecosystems	Creek Lands: Theme: Food Webs & Ecosystems Nine immersive lessons ranging from soil and weathering to coastal marine ecosystems. Students experience hands-on learning through classroom experiments culminating in an end of the year field trip to visit the lower San Luis Obispo Creek Estuary along the Bob Jones Trail including local interactive field journal activities.	Effect	Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow. Assessment is limited to a single form of weathering or erosion.
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58	Proximal	4	Earth & Space	4-ESS3-1	Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.			Cause Effect Mitigation	Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, and sunlight; non-renewable energy resources are fossil fuels and fissile materials. Examples of environmental effects could include loss of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due to surface mining, and air pollution from burning of fossil fuels.
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61	Proximal	5	Life	5-LS1-1	Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.	Land Conservancy Learning Among the Oaks "The Carbon Cycle"	LATO: During our hike closing circle, we consider what we have learned about different parts of the carbon cycle and share ideas about how we can help mitigate the effects of climate change at different stages.		Emphasis is on the idea that plant matter comes mostly from air and water, not from the soil.
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63						Creek Lands Conservation: Protecting Our Watersheds (POW) Time Change & People	Creek Lands: Theme: Time, Change, and People Ten lessons featuring local phenomena, including hands-on Engineering Design Challenges. The program culminates in a field experience at City Farm and Prefumo Creek Restoration site and trail, with hands-on activities and an interactive field guide.
64	Proximal	5	Life	5-LS2-1	Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.	Land Conservancy Learning Among the Oaks"The Carbon Cycle"	LATO: During our hike closing circle, we consider what we have learned about different parts of the carbon cycle and share ideas about how we can help mitigate the effects of climate change at different stages.		Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth. Assessment does not include molecular explanations.
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67	Proximal	5	Physical	5-PS1-1	Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.	Land Conservancy Learning Among the Oaks "The Carbon Cycle"	LATO: During our hike closing circle, we consider what we have learned about different parts of the carbon cycle and share ideas about how we can help mitigate the effects of climate change at different stages.		Examples of evidence could include adding air to expand a basketball, compressing air in a syringe, dissolving sugar in water, and evaporating salt water. Assessment does not include the atomic-scale mechanism of evaporation and condensation or defining the unseen particles.
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71	Proximal	5	Earth & Space	5-ESS2-1	Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.	Land Conservancy Learning Among the Oaks "The Carbon Cycle"	LATO: During our hike closing circle, we consider what we have learned about different parts of the carbon cycle and share ideas about how we can help mitigate the effects of climate change at different stages.		Examples could include the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and ecosystems through weather and climate; and the influence of mountain ranges on winds and clouds in the atmosphere. The geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere are each a system. Assessment is limited to the interactions of two systems at a time.
72						One Cool Earth Series 4 Lesson 1. "Drought Hardy Gardens"	OCE: Classrom investigation: How are different types of irrigation systems beneficial in different climates (consider evaporation, rainfall, etc.)?
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74	Proximal	5	Earth & Space	5-ESS3-1	Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.	Land Conservancy Learning Among the Oaks "The Carbon Cycle"	LATO: During our hike closing circle, we consider what we have learned about different parts of the carbon cycle and share ideas about how we can help mitigate the effects of climate change at different stages.
75						Morro Bay National Estuary Program	We discuss the work being done by the Estuary Program (monitoring & restoration) to protect and restore our watershed
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77	Middle School
78	Connection	Grade	Domain	PE #	Performance Expectation	Connections to local Community Based Partners (CBP)	Action Ideas: How can the program directly link to climate change/ climate literacy/ climatic justice issues?	Climate Change Content	Examples of meeting the PE assessment from NGSS
79	Explicit	6-8	Earth & Space	MS-ESS3-D	Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.				Examples of factors include human activities (such as fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and agricultural activity) and natural processes (such as changes in incoming solar radiation or volcanic activity). Examples of evidence can include tables, graphs, and maps of global and regional temperatures, atmospheric levels of gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane, and the rates of human activities. Emphasis is on the major role that human activities play in causing the rise in global temperatures.
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82	Proximal	6-8	Physical	MS-PS1-1	Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.				Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms. Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure.
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85	Proximal	6-8	Physical	MS-PS1-4	Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.				Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level models of solids, liquids, and gasses to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and helium.
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88	Proximal	6-8	Physical	MS-PS4-2	Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.				Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions. Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.
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91	Proximal	6-8	Life	MS-LS1-6	Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.				Emphasis is on tracing movement of matter and flow of energy. Assessment does not include the biochemical mechanisms of photosynthesis.
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94	Proximal	6-8	Life	MS-LS2-2	Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.				Emphasis is on predicting consistent patterns of interactions in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of ecosystems. Examples of types of interactions could include competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial.
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97	Proximal	6-8	Life	MS-LS2-5	Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.				Examples of ecosystem services could include water purification, nutrient recycling, and prevention of soil erosion. Examples of design solution constraints could include scientific, economic, and social considerations.
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100	Proximal	6-8	Earth & Space	MS-ESS2-6	Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.				Emphasis is on how patterns vary by latitude, altitude, and geographic land distribution. Emphasis of atmospheric circulation is on the sunlight-driven latitudinal banding, the Coriolis effect, and resulting prevailing winds; emphasis of ocean circulation is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect and the outlines of continents. Examples of models can be diagrams, maps and globes, or digital representations. Assessment does not include the dynamics of the Coriolis effect.