From Storms to Stories: An interdisciplinary placemaking approach to climate change education for young science learners.
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| Title: | From Storms to Stories: An interdisciplinary placemaking approach to climate change education for young science learners. |
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| Authors: | Fackler, Ayça K.1 (AUTHOR) facklera@missouri.edu, Good, Madeline W.2 (AUTHOR) mwhitakergood@gmail.com, Champagne, Andrée3 (AUTHOR) andree.champagne@jpschools.org |
| Source: | Science & Children. Mar/Apr2026, Vol. 63 Issue 2, p32-40. 9p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Climate change education, *Place-based education, *Contextual learning, *Next Generation Science Standards (Education), *Culturally relevant education, *Interdisciplinary education, Water pollution, Coastal ecology |
| Geographic Terms: | Lake Pontchartrain (La.), New Orleans (La.) |
| Abstract: | In coastal communities like New Orleans, young learners are already living with the realities of climate change. Flooding, water pollution, and storm-related displacement are not distant threats, but lived experiences. This paper shares an interdisciplinary, NGSS-aligned placemaking unit co-designed by researchers and a fourth-grade teacher to engage students in meaningful, community-centered climate change education. Taught in a racially and linguistically diverse classroom near Lake Pontchartrain, the unit wove together science, art, literacy, and engineering to help students explore water pollution through local contexts. Students reflected on their emotional and sensory connections to the lake, investigated pollution causes through visual analysis and storytelling, and designed their own water filters as potential solutions. Through culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, the curriculum fostered both scientific understanding and a sense of agency. This study offers a compelling model for how climate literacy can begin early, not through fear, but through wonder, connection, and community-rooted problem-solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | In coastal communities like New Orleans, young learners are already living with the realities of climate change. Flooding, water pollution, and storm-related displacement are not distant threats, but lived experiences. This paper shares an interdisciplinary, NGSS-aligned placemaking unit co-designed by researchers and a fourth-grade teacher to engage students in meaningful, community-centered climate change education. Taught in a racially and linguistically diverse classroom near Lake Pontchartrain, the unit wove together science, art, literacy, and engineering to help students explore water pollution through local contexts. Students reflected on their emotional and sensory connections to the lake, investigated pollution causes through visual analysis and storytelling, and designed their own water filters as potential solutions. Through culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, the curriculum fostered both scientific understanding and a sense of agency. This study offers a compelling model for how climate literacy can begin early, not through fear, but through wonder, connection, and community-rooted problem-solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368148 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/00368148.2026.2620816 |
