?? Are Your Kids Learning About Global Warming In Science Class?

[orleans]

or anywhere in school?

i was talking to some kids the other day (9-12 years old) and one of the kids was talking about a science project he's working on regarding one of the planets.

one thing lead to another and the kids began talking about global warming, pollution, etc. the ice caps are melting. we're going to flood. only the coasts. but the water will be really high. that's why we have to stop polluting the air. people should take a bus instead of driving a car. but buses pollute too. etc, etc.

after awhile i asked them: where did you learn about this stuff?

answer: (shrug) i don't know

did you learn this in school, or do you talk about it in school?

answer: no, no, (shakes heads) no.

this surprised me. my daughter is out of high school--but i was surprised kids are not being taught about our environment & this global "crisis". it appears they are well aware of it--but it's not being discussed at school?

if your kids are in grade school or jr. high are they learning about global warming?

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. Yes

During the first week of school, my eighth grader came home with an outline of climate change points. It read like a short version of An Inconvenient Truth . I told him to let his teacher know that she could borrow my copy if she wanted to show it to the class. His response was "Don't worry, Mom. She already has one."

I live in a state with a large number of farmers and Native Americans. They see the changes that are happening for the worse.

[orleans]

3. i think that's wonderful (about your son's teacher)--you're lucky. n/t

[DCKit]

2. The Discovery Channel Network should be mandatory for children.

Four hours of science and nature shows for every hour of crap. Eight hours for each episode of any reality show or contest show.

I noticed a few months back that many of the shows on DSC, SCI and their other channels use snippets of the same footage and dialog over and over in different show titles to reinforce the message. For me it is annoying, 'cause I got it the first time around and, often, think I'm watching the same thing over again. But they present the information in different formats and contexts so anyone can "get it."

I suspect the children you were speaking to inadvertently picked up the information without realizing they were being educated.

[debbierlus]

4. Yes. I also took my 12 year old to see an Inconvient Truth

I live in Western MA.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. I would not judge what is or isn't being taught in school...

by whether or not a kid wants to talk to you about it.

Just saying.

[Quantess]

6. Good point.

Kids are funny that way. You ask them, and they say no, we never heard about that in school. Five minutes later they see something from the lesson and say "we learned about that in school".

[Snarkturian Clone]

7. I was taught it during the environmental fad of 1989-1991

The school I work in now doesn't teach it at all because they are focusing on science curriculla that will be on the standardized tests in April.

[blondeatlast]

8. Yes; my son's in fifth grade and has asked some amazing questions--and become our family

eco-monitor!

Props to the Deer Valley (Phoenix, AZ) Unified School District for teaching it well with the onus of AIMS over their heads.

[PVnRT]

9. My wife teaches it in Earth Science

Makes them watch "An Inconvenient Truth" too.