If you’re looking for a way to move climate change from a global concept into something students can actually investigate, here’s a natural place to start.

A CURRICULUM-CONNECTED STARTING POINT

The Climate Change Curriculum Guide, developed by Jane Goodall through the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, offers age-appropriate resources that support inquiry, reflection, and environmental responsibility. It’s designed to help teachers navigate climate topics constructively and emphasizes one important idea — awareness isn’t enough. Students benefit most when learning connects to real action.

One of the guide’s recommended activities is a School Energy Review — and it maps directly to Manitoba curriculum outcomes in science, math, and sustainability education across Grades 6 and up.

WHAT A SCHOOL ENERGY REVIEW LOOKS LIKE

Generation E offers a structured School Energy Review designed specifically for Manitoba classrooms. Students take on the role of investigators, examining how energy is used in their school — lighting, heating, appliances, water systems — and using simple measurement tools to collect data, spot patterns, and build recommendations for greater efficiency.

The activity is available in two formats:

• Book a workshop — a Generation E facilitator comes to your school and leads the review with your class
• Borrow a kit — take the materials and run the investigation yourself, on your schedule

WHY IT WORKS

Rather than discussing climate change only on a global scale, students examine the systems around them. They’re not working from a textbook scenario. Instead, they’re analyzing their actual school and producing recommendations that can  be acted on. That distinction builds real agency, with skills that transfer well beyond the classroom.

READY TO EXPLORE FURTHER?

If you are exploring ways to strengthen climate learning in your classroom, the Climate Change Curriculum Guide from the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada offers a helpful starting point.

To bring one of its recommended actions to life, book a Generation E School Energy Review workshop or borrow a kit for your classroom.