laptop with IISG weather and climate toolkit for educators on the screen
The weather and climate toolkit for educators includes over 60 resources—with more being added—for K-12 teachers, parents and students.

With the prolonged pandemic continuing to affect the United States, traditional education has turned toward at-home learning and virtual classrooms to keep students safe. Now more than ever, teachers must be able to find lesson plans for their students that are adaptable to different learning environments and cover topics required by the curriculum. To meet these needs, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has created a weather and climate education toolkit where teachers can find resources on the topics of weather, climate and climate change.

Teachers—whether parents, home school tutors or licensed professionals—can find what they need by using the search function to filter by grade level, specific weather and climate subtopics or geographic locations, learning mode and more. Many of the lesson plans and activities in this curated catalog of resources can be used as-is or adapted for virtual learning and at-home teaching environments.

“It was great to be able to work closely with our IISG education team to create this toolkit,” said Veronica Fall, climate extension specialist with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and University of Illinois Extension. “These are tough times we’re living in, so we’re excited to help empower educators, both locally and nationally, with additional resources to be able to teach complex topics in a virtual setting.”

IISG developed the weather and climate education toolkit with support from the Center for Great Lakes Literacy and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.


Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

Writer: Hope Charters

 

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Real-time coastlines, real-world insights. Check out the LIVE feed of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park Beach – supporting recreationalists, researchers, and the broader public at the link in bio.This work is in partnership between Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (@secoora_org), the Great Lakes Observing System (@greatlakesobservingsystem), Indiana Dunes State Park (@indianadunessp), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (@indianadnr), and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant with support from Surfline (@surfline).Check out IISG’s website for more information on this collaborative project at the link in bio. Also featured on Seagull and Indiana Coastal Atlas.Purdue Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of Illinois ExtensionSouthern Lake Michigan Water Safety Task ForceUS National Weather Service Chicago IllinoisSave the DunesShirley Heinze Land TrustIndiana Dunes National ParkIndiana DunesFriends of Indiana Dunes, Inc.
Science Sips is a series hosted by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Sketchbook Brewing Company, and Northwestern University’s Center for Water that brings together researchers, scientists, and curious minds over good conversation and cold drinks. Each event features experts sharing their work in an accessible, informal setting. No lab coat required.At this gathering, Chicago author Dick Lanyon will take us back in time with a look at the history behind the construction of the Calumet and Chicago waterways and how these feats of engineering shape the region we live in today. Austin Happel from Shedd Aquarium will also share the latest research on fish communities in the Chicago River, including what the science is telling us right now about the health of this urban waterway.Stick around to test your Great Lakes knowledge with a round of trivia!Details at the link in bio.