The Global Climate

The Earth’s climate system is complex. It is affected by what happens in the atmosphere, the oceans, glaciers, and land. The interaction of these variables and the changes that result from both natural and human-made variables are difficult to predict. This Earth Day, April 22, marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day - in celebration of this milestone explore our Earth’s climate and learn ways that you can reduce your “carbon footprint”. Use Project Learning Tree’s “The Global Climate” to learn about the Earth’s climate system and the amount of CO2 you generate. Find out what can you do to reduce CO2 emissions at home and at school!

Young Child Extension
Ask children about what they think people need to live? What do other animals need to live? What about plants and other living things? Where do all living things get what they need to live? Show them, through going outside, playing with a globe, or looking at pictures, how the Earth provides us, and all living things, with everything that we need to live. Discuss ways you, as a class, can use less so that there is more to share for all living things. Start a classroom recycle bin, turn off lights that aren’t being used, start a scrap paper bin for art projects or have the kids come up with their own ideas!

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Albert, T. 2000. I Heard the Willow Weep. Trickle Creek Books.
Asch, F. 1994. The Earth and I. Gulliver Green.
Baker, J. 2004. Home. Greenwillow.
Beard, D.B. and H. Maione. 2009. Annie Glover Is Not a Tree Lover. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Berenstain, S. 1991. Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore). Random House Children's Books.
Brown, P. 2009. The Curious Garden. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Douglas, L.G. 2003. Let's Get Ready for Earth Day. Children's Press.
Dr. Seuss. 1971. The Lorax. Random House, Incorporated.
Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Fife, D. 1996. Empty Lot. Sagebrush Education Resources.
Gibbons, G. 1996. Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids. Little, Brown Young Readers.
Glaser, L. 1996. Compost!: Growing Gardens from Your Garbage. Millbrook Press, Inc.
Glaser, L. and E. Kleven. 2000. Our Big Home: An Earth Poem. Lerner Publishing Group
Green, J. and M. Gordon. 2005. Why Should I Protect Nature? Barron’s Educational Series.
Green, J. and M. Gordon. 2005. Why Should I Recycle? Barron’s Educational Series.
Green, J. and M. Gordon. 2005. Why Should I Save Energy? Barron’s Educational Series.
Green, J. and M. Gordon. 2005. Why Should I Save Water? Barron’s Educational Series.
Harlow, R. 2001. The Environment. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Inches, A. and V. Garofoli. 2008. I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Little Simon.
Jennings, S. 2001. Franklin Plants a Tree. Scholastic.
Lowery, L. 2003. Earth Day. Carolrhoda Books.
Martin, B. Jr. 2006. I Love Our Earth. Charlesbridge Publishing.
Marx, D.F. 2000. Earth Day. Scholastic Library Publishing.
McDonnell, J. 1994. Celebrating Earth Day. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Paolilli, P. and D. Brewer. 2001. Silver Seeds: A Book of Nature Poems. Viking.
Roca, N. 2007. Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Salvo-Ryan, D.D. 1994. City Green. HarperCollins Publishers.
Schimmel, S. 2002. Children of the Earth…Remember. T&N Children's Publishing.
Schimmel, S. 1994. Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home. T&N Children's Publishing.
Taback, S. 2000. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Penguin Group.

Grades 3-5
Arthus-Bertrand, Y., et al. 2004. Future of the Earth: An Introduction to Sustainable Development for Young Readers. HNA Books.
Ball, J. 2003. Conservation and Natural Resources. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Bang, M. 1997. Common Ground: The Water, Earth and Air We Share. Scholastic, Inc.
Berry, J.W. 2001. Every Kid's Guide to Saving the Earth. Warehousing & Fulfillment Specialists, LLC.
Binns, T.B. 2005. Clean Planet: Stopping Litter and Pollution. Heinemann Library.
Blackbirch Graphics.1997. Alternate Energy Sources. Twenty-first Century Books.
Brenner, B. 2000. Earth Is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet. Scholastic, Inc.
Collard, S.B. 2000. Acting for Nature: What Young People around the World Have Done to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
David, L. and C. Gordon. 2007. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Scholastic, Inc.
Dr. Seuss. 1971. The Lorax. Random House, Incorporated.
Elkington, J., D. Hill, J. Hailes, and J. Mekower.1990. Going Green: A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet. Viking Children's Books.
Gardner, R. 1992. Celebrating Earth Day: A Source Book of Activities and Experiments. Lerner Publishing Group.
Harlow, R. 2002. Pollution and Waste. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Holmes, A. 1993. I Can Save the Earth: A Kid's Handbook for Keeping Earth Healthy and Green. Silver Burdett Press.
Howell, L. 2004. Introduction to Weather and Climate Change. Usborne Publishing Limited.
Landau, E. 2002. Earth Day: Keeping Our Planet Clean. Enslow Elementary.
Morgan, S. 2007. Changing Climate. Sea to Sea Publications.
Morris, N. and R. Bowden. 2007. Global Warming. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Oxlade, C. 2002. Global Warming. Coughlan Publishing.
Petersen, C. 2004. Alternative Energy. Children’s Press (CT).
Raum, E. 2008. Fossil Fuels and Biofuels. Heinemann Library
Romanek, T. 2005. Switched on, Flushed Down, Tossed out: Investigating the Hidden Workings of Your Home. Annick Press, Limited.
Ross, K. 1995. Every Day Is Earth Day. Millbrook Press.
Rowland-Entwistle, T. 1991. Weather and Climate. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Schimmel, S. 2002. Children of the Earth…Remember. T&N Children's Publishing.
Schimmel, S. 1994. Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home. T&N Children's Publishing.
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Silverstein, S. 2004. The Giving Tree. HarpersCollins Children’s Books Group.
Taylor, B. 2001. How to Save the Planet. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Thornhill, J. 2007. This Is My Planet: The Kid's Guide to Global Warming. Maple Tree Press.
Van Allsburg, C. 1990. Just a Dream. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Varilla, M. 2004. Scholastic Atlas of Weather. Scholastic, Inc.

Grades 6-8
Archer, J. 1998. To Save the Earth. Penguin Group (USA).
Bang, M. 2001. Common Ground: The Water, Earth and Air We Share. Spoken Arts.
Blashfield, J.F. and W.B. Black. 1991. Global Warming. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Bowden, R. 2002. Waste, Recycling and Reuse: Our Impact on the Planet. Raintree Publishers.
Brown, P. 1998. Energy and Resources. Scholastic.
Calhoun, Y. 2007. Environment in the News. Chelsea House Publishers.
Cherry, L. 2008. How we know what we know about our Changing Climate: Scientists and kids Explore Global Warming. Dawn Publications.
Clare, P. 2009. Living Green: Saving Our Earth. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Elwin, R. & Paulse, M. 1992. The Moonlight Hide and Seek Club in the Pollution Solution. Canadian Scholars Press.
The Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Fleischman, P. 1999. Seedfolks. HarperCollins Publishers.
Foster, J. 1991. Cartons, Cans, and Orange Peels: Where Does Our Garbage Go? Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gay, K. 1993. Caretakers of the Earth. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Giono, J. 2003. Man Who Planted Trees. Random House UK Distribution.
Graham, K. 1996. Contemporary Environmentalists. Facts on File, Inc.
Graham, K. and G. Chandler. 1996. Environmental Hereos: Success Stories of People at Work for the Earth. Pruett Publishing Company.
Grant, P & Haswell, A. 2000. Air and Energy. Thameside Press.
Halpin, M. 2004. It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teens. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Jakobson, C. 1992. Think About: The Environment. Walker & Company.
Lambert, D. 1986. Pollution and Conservation. Bookwright Press.
Lourie, P. 2007. Arctic Thaw: The People of the Whale in a Changing Climate. Boyds Mills Press.
McKay, K., J. Bonnin, and D. de Rothschild. 2008. True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet. Natl Geographic Soc Childrens Boks.
Miller, C. 1986. Wastes. Franklin Watts.
Miller, C.G. and L.A. Berry. 1996. Air Alert: Rescuing the Earth's Atmosphere. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Nardo, D. 2005. Ozone. Thomson Gale.
Newton, D. 1990. Taking A Stand Against Environmental Pollution (Taking a Stand Series). Franklin Watts.
Orme, H. 2008. Living Green. Bearport Publishing Company, Inc.
Parks, P.J. 2003. Global Warming. Thomson Gale.
Passero, B. 2006. Energy Alternatives. Cengage Gale.
Peckham, A. 1991. Global Warming. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Pringle, L.P. 2001. Global Warming: The Threat of Earth's Changing Climate. Seastar Books.
Rock, M. 1992. The Automobile and the Environment. Chelsea House
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Scoones, S. 2002. Climate Change: Our Impact on the Planet. Raintree Publishers.
Silverstein, A. 2003. Global Warming. Lerner Publishing Group.
Smith, T. 2004. Earth's Changing Climate. Smart Apple Media.
Sonneborn, L. 2007. The Environmental Movement: Protecting Our Natural Resources. Facts on File.
Stein, P. 2001. Forecasting the Climate of the Future. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Tanaka, S. 2007. Climate Change. Groundwood Books.
Vogel, C.G. 2003. Human Impact. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Watson, S. 2003. Protecting Global Environments. Smart Apple Media.
Wheeler, J. 1991. Earth Moves: Get There With Energy to Spare. ABDO.
Whitman, S. 1994. This Land is Your Land: The American Conservation Movement. Lerner Publishing Group.
Wines, J. and S. Horne. 2008. You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference. Scholastic, Inc
World Almanac. 2002. Climate and the Environment. Gareth Stevens Audio.

Grades 9-12
Archer, J. 1998. To Save the Earth. Penguin Group (USA).
Bilger, B. 1992. Global Warming. Chelsea House Publishers.
Collard III, S. 2000. Acting For Nature: What Young People Around the World Are Doing to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
Doherty, B. 2002. Ideas and Actions in the Green Movement. Taylor & Francis, Inc.
Evans, K. 2007. Weird Weather: Everything You Didn't Want to Know about Climate Change but Probably Should Find Out. Groundwood Books.
Fitzpatrick, T. 1992. Signals from the Heartland. Walker & Company.
Gay, K. 1994. Pollution and the Powerless: The Movement for Environmental Justice. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Graham, K. and G. Chandler. 1996. Environmental Hereos: Success Stories of People at Work for the Earth. Pruett Publishing Company.
Halpin, M. 2004. It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teens. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Hayes, D. 2000. Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair. Island Press.
Imhoff, D. and R. Carra. 2005. Paper or Plastic?: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World. Sierra Club Books.
Leggett, J. 2001. The Carbon War: Global Warming and the End of the Oil Era. Taylor & Francis, Inc.
Middleton, J. 1989. Atlas of Environmental Issues. Facts on File, Incorporated.
Polesetsky, M. and C.P. Cozic. 1991. Energy Alternatives. Cengage Gale.
Povey, K.D. 2007. Energy Alternatives. Cengage Gale.
Riley, T. 2007. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living. Alpha Books.
Sailer, J. 1993. A Vogt for the Environment. The Book Publishing Company.
Sivertsen, L. and T. Sivertsen. 2008. Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.
Smith, A.M. 2008. 50 Plus One Tips for Going Green. Gale Cengage Learning.
Stevens, W.K. 2001. Change in the Weather: People, Weather, and the Science of Climate. Dell Publishing.
Stille, D.R. 2005. Natural Resources: Using and Protecting Earth’s Supplies. Capstone Press, Inc.
Tesar, J. 2002. Global Warming. Replica Books.
Whitman, S. 1994. This Land is Your Land: The American Conservation Movement. Lerner Publishing Group.