The Case for Climate Optimism
Provided by: OER Project|Published on: July 24, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts, Health
Authors: OER Project: Climate
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this module from the OER Project: Climate, students will evaluate their feelings about the future and climate change and understand the importance of hope.
- Students will evaluate a poem, hear from scientists, and take the perspectives of different stakeholders.
- This is one of many lessons in the online Climate course by OER Project.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The poem in the opening activity is a great hook that will get students to shift their thinking to see things in more than one way.
- This module is important for students who may feel overwhelmed or powerless in the face of climate change.
Prerequisites
- To access the Teaching Guide and other materials, teachers will need to make a free account. The module itself can be accessed without creating an account.
- Students should understand climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This resource can help students process and evaluate their emotions about climate change as they move through the module.
- Teachers should tell students to toggle on the Pause at Key Ideas for the video to pause and ask questions.
- After completing the module, students can brainstorm ideas for spreading climate optimism and hope around their school and community. Students can design a climate optimism campaign, testing its results by surveying classmates and teachers before and after the campaign about their feelings for the future.
This resource presents reasons for optimism in the face of climate change. The included article is well-sourced, and the video features narration by experts working toward climate solutions. This resource is wholly focused on using a hopeful perspective to help achieve climate goals and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
