Teacher Comments

These comments have been collected from teachers who have used the module activities in their classroom, as well as from workshop participants, and PLT facilitators and coordinators. We’d love to hear your feedback on student responses to the activities, how you modified an activity, or tips you have for others using these materials.  Share your comments using the Contact Us page and we’ll post them here.

 

  • The teachers in my workshop were clearly excited about the link to research that is made by this module. The activities help make the research questions meaningful, and the videos with graduate students help convey the relevance on current scientific endeavors. PLT Facilitator, Florida
  • This was a fantastic workshop. I am more educated, equipped, and inspired to teach this topic. PLT Facilitator, South Carolina
  • I especially appreciated the lack of bias in the module. I mean forests were not always portrayed as the “savior of the climate.” A diversity of perspectives were included. Middle School Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • Student test scores were much higher this semester while using this module than last year without it. Honors Earth/Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • This activity is student friendly and a nice introduction to climate change. Environmental Science Teacher, Virginia
  • The opportunity to step out the change in carbon dioxide levels was a great visual. I used this activity as an opener for our forestry unit. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • This activity not only introduces climate change, but also reviews how scientific evidence from different sources over time leads to new discoveries and further research. This evidence can also create new governmental policy or change outdated policy. Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • The class discussions on climate science were powerful–lots of debating on the position of science vs. government vs. stakeholders. I think this activity got them thinking and evaluating current climate science research and legislation. IB Biology II Teacher, Florida
  • This was my favorite activity by far!!!! I will use this every year and can add to it. It is a great way to get all thoughts on climate change out and learn the facts associated with the history. Love, love, love this one!!! Environmental Science Teacher, South Carolina
  • I thought this activity had some of the best information on why we were doing this module. My students and I were able to start a dialogue about the important relationships between forests and climate change concerns based on the wonderful graphs and data tables provided in the slide presentation. Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • This activity was challenging, but I consider that to be appropriate in this case. My students were expected to rise to a more challenging reading level, and I think they were successful at doing so! Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • I will use this activity again as part of the review before the AP Environmental Exam. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • Students really loved this activity. Role-playing activities are one of the most engaging for my kids! AP Environmental      Science Teacher, Louisiana
  • I wasn’t sure how the role playing would go with my kids, but I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged they were with it. AP Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • The discussion we had in class was EPIC! The kids were so into the topic that they forgot their “persona” and took over for themselves and playing devil’s advocate. Earth and Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • Students were able to participate and understand the relevance of the material to their own lives. The website was easy to manipulate and they were able to complete the assignment in two class periods. Earth and Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • I had students working in groups of three to help each other through the activity. Each student had a computer, and they were able to access the websites together. It gave them the opportunity to discuss the material and help each other through the student pages. Earth and Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • The major adaptation was how we completed the posters in our classroom with few resources on hand. This was the first time I observed the students collaborating. They taped poster paper on wall in classroom and used the projector to outline the country and regions affected by the climate models. Then they used colored markers to illustrate the present conditions compared to 100 years in the future. Earth Science Teacher, Florida
  • I thought the Atlas was wonderful. It has a lot of useful info!!  Ecology Teacher, Virginia
  • I used several of the “optional videos” to help give direction to the activity. They were helpful to students. Biology Teacher, Kentucky
  • This activity was an “eye opener” for many students. Earth Science Teacher, Kentucky
  • I modified the activity progression. Instead of starting with the small groups, I included everyone together in the discussion. Separating the class into groups wouldn’t have allowed me to keep them focused on the activity. They get distracted very easily. Earth Science Teacher, Florida
  • I had the students write a blog on the topics using the open-ended questions as a guide. They had to read the blogs of two other classmates and write responses. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • For students who have difficulty with reading and comprehension, the articles were a nice length and not overwhelming. Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • I needed to work more closely with the students and we did the model together. I enlarged and cut out each of the components and laminated the cards so students could place them on a larger piece of paper and draw the arrows as we completed the model together. Ecology Teacher, Virginia
  • I had the most response and most active learning in my classroom with this two-day activity. The conversations in the groups the second day when we added the management squares to the forest systems model were engaging and lively. The discussions with climate change and forest landowner went well.  Biology Teacher, Florida
  • This activity enabled the students to collaborate and debate. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • The Background section was challenging but appropriately so for both my students and myself. The students found it to be very informative! Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • Students are so used to being fed information; this activity made them apply and work with new resources. A great tool for challenging students.  AP Biology and Biology II Teacher, Virginia
  • I found this activity the most useful—the causal loop diagrams made the relationships so clear to many students. If this had been done earlier in the school year, I would have carried this activity over to almost every topic we covered. Environmental Science Teacher, Louisiana
  • A student noted that this was their favorite activity in the course, as it helped the better understand the relationships of the different systems we studied.  AP  Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • My students did well with this. It was a great review of different climates and how trees might respond to them. AP Biology and Biology II Teacher, Virginia
  • I went over some of the graphing basics and assigned this activity as homework. We discussed it the next day. Students were able to extrapolate the data needed and to interpret their graphs. Biology Teacher, Kentucky
  • We used our laptops to develop the graphs. Prior knowledge of the software will be needed for the teacher and the students. We took a couple days just getting a handle on our spreadsheet program. Once we had that under control, we moved quickly to the questions and answered the problem. Middle School Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • I had the students graph their data on large Post-it® note graph paper to make it more interesting to them and to showcase the data better when we analyzed it as a class. Sixth Grade Science Teacher, Virginia
  • Some students didn’t like the fact that they had to stay at one station. It is important that they know that sometimes carbon will not really move around. Environmental Issues and Research Teacher, Georgia
  • My students are already familiar with the carbon cycle, so the additional discussion and group work after the activity were great to deepen their knowledge of what they already know. Biology Teacher, Kentucky
  • I had my students write a short story with their own carbon movement. They had to write the story about each step and explain what happened to them as they moved from one place to another. Environmental Issues and Research Teacher, Georgia
  • This lesson was a perfect review of the carbon cycle. As a final piece, I assigned the “All about Carbon Dioxide” videos from the recommended NPR link and had the students write a blog on their learning experiences. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • This was an excellent activity. All of my students, from the advanced to the inclusion self-contained students, could participate and enjoyed the kinesthetic movement. It worked so well that I replicated it for their studies of the other biogeochemical cycles, which were equally successful. Biology I and Biotechnical Engineering Teacher, South Carolina
  • A great debate ensued in one of the classes on the moral/ethical reasons behind wanting and not wanting to cut down forests and overall what sustainability means in light of this activity. They had a good debate/discussion. IB Biology II Teacher, Florida
  • It was great dimensional analysis practice for my AP Students. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • I would have them plan a carbon timeline at the end. Or write a letter to a politician or official to explain with the evidence they acquired what they learned about carbon emissions and why it matters. Or if they were to design something–a building, a school, a car–what would they do. Because in the end, that’s what this lesson is about–why does this matter? AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • For assessment, I also used student response to oral questions and the type of questions the students asked about trees, forests, and climate change to determine how well they were “getting” the big idea. Environmental Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • I would also incorporate this activity into the discussions and calculations of biomass. That way students can see the relativity since they have a hard time understanding the “invisible” carbon atom. AP Biology and Biology II Teacher, Virginia
  • Students really understood the mathematical equations presented in this activity. Tell teachers not be afraid of incorporating this math. If teacher are teaching biomass concepts, energy pyramid concepts mathematically, this is meaningful and useful to incorporate into that larger idea of ecology math. IB Biology II Teacher, Florida
  • The feedback from the students was that the activity was very interesting and eye opening. AP Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • This activity was the favorite for my students! They enjoyed discussing and comparing items with each other and among the larger group. Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • The Externalities Essay was a perfect writing assessment for the students, helping to blend in multiple focal points for my students with the necessary writing components they are required to regularly complete. Thanks for the writing! Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • The background allows those that might not be used to teaching about concepts such as producers, consumers, and economics to teach their students. I feel like my students gained a great deal of knowledge about the external costs of things. Students often just see a price tag and do not take into account what it took to produce the product. Seventh Grade Science Teacher, Kentucky
  • My classes have really gotten into these lessons! The skit was really good–so much that they even performed it for other classes! Middle School Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • Having students draw or make a life cycle diagram and explaining the steps is a great way to assess learning, especially when they have to explain it to the class. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Kentucky
  • We presented the play during Earth Day at Arkansas State University- Heber Springs. Environmental Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • Under the assessment strategies, it asks students to draw a life cycle diagram and describe each stage. I used this as a teaching strategy rather than an assessment tool. I also had students write a letter to the administration recommending their choice and giving details to support that choice. Middle School Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • Lots of good conversations about the notion that forestry practices when sustainable are good/better; this was where I heard the issue of sustainable forestry practices coming into play more than other activities.  AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • As an opening question for the activity I had students brainstorm pairs of products (I gave them one to get them started). I also had students choose one of the pairs and write an opinion paragraph. For the closing of the activity, students reflected on the original opinion paragraph and had to explain how thinking had or had not changed. Environmental Science Teacher, Kentucky
  • I did this activity right after The Real Cost. It was a good way to keep the same conversations going from the previous days. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Kentucky
  • The debates were so successful and the students really got into the discussions. The assessment was easy for my students and they needed no assistance from me at all. Economics Teacher, Florida
  • I added a parent component. I had the students talk to their parents about a recent purchase and discuss why they chose one item over another. It was interesting to hear the comments and it allowed the students to share what they are learning in class. Environmental Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • The kids are interested in how to make changes. Environmental Science Teacher, Arkansas
  • This activity was engaging and fun! AP Environmental Science Teacher, North Carolina
  • The previous activities on carbon are a must for this activity to be successful in the classroom. AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
  • I had to use the information in Carbon on the Move, which I presented to my class before proceeding with The Carbon Puzzle, in order to give my students a bit more background. Economics Teacher, Florida
  • I made up a study guide with questions about the background info. Biology II Teacher, Virginia
  • This presentation was very well done, and, while challenging, it was very applicable to much of the content we have discussed in class earlier in the year. Land Resources Teacher, Florida
  • The writing prompt in the assessment section was one of the best assessments and it was easy to assess student knowledge from responses. Biology Teacher, Kentucky
  • I incorporated an experimental research rubric as a part of the student reflections. This included details about addressing their personal level of engagement with the topic, why this topic is valuable to study, as well as reflecting upon their research methods. IB Biology II, Florida
  • I used mini-posters as the method for presentations. The students presented to others in their group and could also rotate around to listen to other groups. Pre AP Biology and AP Biology, Alabama
  • Students formed cohesive groups and I allowed them to research their roles more thoroughly so they will be able to answer their classmates’ questions. Some students really got into their roles and did an excellent job communicating with their audience. Biology and AP Biology, Florida
  • Students enjoyed using this activity to pull together what they had learned in this unit/study. Since it was the last week of school, they enjoyed the format we used—group skits. Many used humor to present their information. Pre-AICE Biology, Florida