Free Climate Change Lesson Plans for Grades 6–12
Share My Lesson's climate education collection for grades 6–12 includes more than 150 free climate change lesson plans, simulations, webinars, and current events resources, many of them aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Curated by educators at Share My Lesson and the American Federation of Teachers, it covers the full arc of climate education, from the science of climate change to policy, justice, and student-led action. Every resource is free to download and classroom-ready.
Teaching younger students? Find climate education resources for grades PreK–5.
What You'll Find in This Collection
Resources are organized into topic areas that move students from foundational understanding to real-world engagement:
- Climate science: causes and evidence. The greenhouse effect, fossil fuels, carbon cycles, and the data behind climate change.
- Climate impacts: extreme weather and natural disasters. Wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and how climate change intensifies them.
- Climate justice and environmental equity. Who bears the greatest burden of climate change, and why.
Biodiversity, ecosystems, and endangered species. Effects on wildlife, habitats, and food systems. - Climate solutions and sustainable action. Renewable energy, green technology, sustainable food systems, and community-level action.
- Climate policy and civic engagement. The Paris Agreement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, government action, simulations, and debate activities.
- Student climate action and advocacy. Youth movements, public speaking, and tools for student changemakers.
Built for Middle and High School Classrooms
These resources work across subject areas, including science, social studies, ELA, and math. Many align to the Earth and Human Activity standards in the Next Generation Science Standards, which appear at both the middle school and high school levels, and most are ready to use with minimal prep. Whether you are building a multi-week unit or adding a single lesson, you'll find flexible materials for every grade from 6 through 12, contributed by partners including MIT Blossoms, the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, CFR Education, the National Wildlife Federation, PBS News Hour Classroom, Climate Now, and the AFT Science Cadre.
Climate Education that Connects Science to Action
Climate change education is most powerful when students can connect the science to real consequences and real solutions, and feel equipped to act. Research with teenagers has found that hope grounded in the belief that people and institutions can act is linked to greater pro-environmental engagement, while hope based on downplaying the problem is not. That is why every section on impacts in this collection is paired with a section on what students can do about it. Simulations, debates, and student-led campaign tools give young people a place to practice that agency before they leave your classroom.
Learn more about the AFT's climate curriculum work and its broader climate justice campaign.
