Primary school resources

This video of Dr Ella Gilbert, one of our climate scientists at the University of Reading, has been developed to support climate education in primary schools.

Watch the video with your class and use the variety of lesson plans and activities below to bring the subject to life.

• Climate education lesson plan (PDF, 113KB)
• Teacher guidance (PDF, 76KB)

Insight tells us that it's important that climate change – both its causes and the challenges it presents – is understood from multiple perspectives, and that providing climate education across a breadth of subjects is key.

We've developed a range of further subject-specific lesson plans and activities with a climate focus to develop the topic in your school, or to be used as part of a Climate Education Day.

KS1

• What is the weather like compared to the rest of the world? (PDF, 81KB)
• Supporting PowerPoint (PPT, 2673KB)

KS2

• How do the climate stripes vary in different countries? (PDF, 140KB)

KS1

Plastic bottle greenhouses

With help, cut a hole on the side/top of an empty plastic bottle. Plant seeds/shoots and watch them grow. Hang them from a line in the window to make a great display.

For inspiration, visit Balcony Garden Web.

All key stages

In teams, create an 'imaginary' invention that would help tackle climate change. This could be built with reused materials (principle of Remember - Reuse - Reduce - Recycle) or Lego. 

Each team then needs to give a one-minute 'elevator pitch' to tell the rest of the class about their invention, including what it does and how it works. Why would it reduce climate change/help the environment? We would love to see photos or videos of your creations.

EYFS/KS1

• Watch this Go Jetters video and discuss what might happen to the animals

KS2

• Question: What else would you like to find out about climate change? What moral obligations do we have as humans to protect the planet?
  If you capture the ideas in the form of a class mind map (or even a recorded podcast of the discussion), we would love to hear childrens' thoughts.

Upper KS2

• Look at temperature data from cities in Britain over the last five years (PDF, 83KB)
• Calculating the mean (standard) (Word, 47KB)
• Calculating the mean (easier) (Word, 47KB)
• Spreadsheet for maths lesson - with answers (XLS, 23KB)

Encourage your pupils to share their thoughts and feelings about climate change through persuasive writing, poetry, or by hosting a debate.

• English activities (PDF, 81KB)

KS2

Create some zig zag art to demonstrate how climate change could affect our world.

• Art activity (PDF, 376KB)

• Met Office
• Office for Climate Education
• Royal Meteorological Society
• ClimaTalk
• COP26 Together for our Planet campaign
• STEM Learning