Direct Impacts of Climate Change
Provided by: OER Project|Published on: August 14, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography
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 explore the direct impacts of climate change and what 1.5 degrees of warming will look like.
- Students will explore sea level rise, complete individual research on an impact of their choosing, and examine climate change impacts in their communities.
- This is one of many lessons in the online Climate course by OER Project.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This module contains many visual aids that help students understand the main points of the lesson.
- The activity where students make connections between the climate change impacts and their community will help students gain perspective and understand the direct importance of climate action.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the greenhouse effect and that Earth's temperatures are rising.
Differentiation & Implementation
- As students read, they can record new vocabulary terms and their definitions in their notebooks. Many terms are defined throughout the readings. Students can then use the new terms in a paragraph to demonstrate their understanding of the module.
- For the direct impact research, some students may benefit from working in pairs or from meeting occasionally with other classmates researching the same impact.
- As students read about the impacts of climate change, they may experience difficult emotions. These students may benefit from taking breaks or talking about what they're feeling. Teachers can use this resource to help students process their emotions.
- After this module, teachers can discuss the UN Sustainable Development Goals with students and how these goals aim to address the impacts and causes of climate change, as well as other societal issues. Teachers can focus on Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal 13, Climate Action.
This lesson discusses some of the direct impacts climate change will have on our environment, such as rising sea levels and temperatures. Activities have students look at real-world data, maps, and graphs to see and understand what these impacts are and how they may change as the Earth warms to different temperatures. This can help students recognize the need for climate action as well as better conceptualize the full impact of climate change across the world and in their own area. The information presented is accurate, and this resource 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 →
