ABSTRACT
Teaching about the human-related causes, effects, and solutions to climate change is an educational imperative that extends beyond the science classroom to encompass humanities disciplines that are better suited to exploring the social and economic nature of problems and solutions. This chapter explores the development, implementation, and evaluation of a humanities-focused, yearlong climate change curriculum in the sixth-grade course of study, as well as the partnerships that made it possible. The curriculum pilot takes place at the Lowell School, a small independent school in Washington, D.C. We present data from the curriculum development process, the first-year curriculum pilot, and ongoing trends noted in year two of implementation. Data includes student climate literacy surveys and staff interviews. The chapter incorporates perspectives of external partners and draws attention to implementation challenges as well as successes. The curriculum contains critical education-into-action elements and seeks to engage students directly in climate solutions at multiple scales. The humanities curriculum module is readily scalable to other schools as part of social studies and language arts core subject areas, with individual lesson modules being released on the Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy website.
