Climate kNOWledge Program

 Overview

Thanks to the funding from a NOAA B-WET grant, a district-wide climate change curriculum with a meaningful watershed experience is being developed with the Howard CountyPublic School System. By August 2023, every sixth grade Howard County Public School System Student and teacher will be engaged in robust hands-on climate science. Student research and action will be focused on reducing the impacts of the climate change emergency.

Throughout the fall semester, students will learn about the impacts of climate change and how to take positive action to solve and avoid negative effects, during lessons that investigate how and why some communities bear a greater brunt from severe weather, how the tree canopy helps to mitigate flooding, and the impacts of different land surfaces and urban heat islands. In addition to classroom learning, students will take part in real-world outdoor experiences on both school and Conservancy grounds, by using tools and mapping to measure tree canopy coverage, carbon sequestration, and soil compaction and moisture; collecting and analyzing air and land temperatures; and investigating solutions to mitigate temperature increases to reduce thermal pollution.

The curriculum will also include a focus on environmental justice, supported by partnerships with Howard County NAACP and University of Maryland Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health.

Unit OVERVIEW

Geography is the study of physical and human characteristics and how they impact the relationship between Earth and the people on it. It is essential that students develop the skills that will enable them to observe patterns, associations, and spatial order. Many of the capabilities that students need to develop geographic skills are termed critical thinking skills. These involve inferring, analyzing, judging, hypothesizing, generalizing, predicting and decision-making. These have applications to all levels of geographic inquiry in which students can build competencies in applying geographic skills to geographic inquiry. Culture and experience shape belief systems, which in turn influence people’s perceptions of places and regions throughout their lives. It is essential that students appreciate the diverse values of others in a multicultural world and to engage in accurate and sensitive analysis of people, places, and environments.

Unit OVERVIEW

The region of  the Middle East is often referred to as the “crossroads of the world” due to its location between the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It has a rich history and was home to many of the earliest civilizations on Earth. This region has had an important influence on other cultures, and is the birthplace of three of the world’s major religions. Although a region that is characterized by a hot and dry climate, it also has rich resources in the form of oil reserves.Studying specific regions allows learners to develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between peoples, places, and environments. Through a more formal study of history, students continue to expand their understanding of the past and are increasingly able to apply the research methods associated with historical inquiry and make connections with present and future decisions. The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world. Culture and experience shape belief systems, which in turn influence people’s perceptions of places and regions throughout their lives. It is essential that students appreciate the diverse values of others in a multicultural world and to engage in accurate and sensitive analysis of people, places, and environments.

Unit OVERVIEW

Studying specific regions allows learners to develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between peoples, places, and environments. Through a more formal study of history, students continue to expand their understanding of the past and are increasingly able to apply the research methods associated with historical inquiry and make connections with present and future decisions. The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world. Culture and experience shape belief systems, which in turn influence people’s perceptions of places and regions throughout their lives. It is essential that students appreciate the diverse values of others in a multicultural world and to engage in accurate and sensitive analysis of people, places, and environments.

Unit OVERVIEW

Studying specific regions allows learners to develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between peoples, places, and environments. Through a more formal study of history, students continue to expand their understanding of the past and are increasingly able to apply the research methods associated with historical inquiry and make connections with present and future decisions. The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world. Culture and experience shape belief systems, which in turn influence people’s perceptions of places and regions throughout their lives. It is essential that students appreciate the diverse values of others in a multicultural world and to engage in accurate and sensitive analysis of people, places, and environments.