The Take Action column in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle suggests actions young people (K-grade 5) can take to reduce the impacts of climate change. The magazine examines the recognized essential principles of climate literacy and the climate sciences as well as the guiding principle for informed climate decisions.

In this video, an instructor defines and describes transverse waves and their properties.

Four unit plans provide opportunities for in-depth explorations of important foundational climate concepts -- weather, water as a solid, liquid and gas, and the water cycle -- that are appropriate for K-2 and 3-5 learners. These unit plans incorporate many of the lessons highlighted in other articles in this issue of the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The magazine is structured around the essential principles of the climate sciences.

In this article, teachers find two unit plans (grades K-2 and 3-5) that use resources featured in the science and literacy articles in the magazine. The unit plans are modeled after the five key steps in the learning cycle: engage, explore, explain, expand, and assess, or evaluate. The plans are aligned with the science content standards of the National Science Education Standards and the English language arts standards of the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The plans appear in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle.

Students write an explanation of how heat energy is involved in the change of state as ice changes to water and then to water vapour.

Video clips from federal and regional agencies show scientists at work with tools used to collect data about the climate and weather. This article, from the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, will help students visualize the tools and how they are used in the atmosphere, at sea, and other hard-to-access locations.

In this activity, students explain how an electromagnetic wave differs from a mechanical waves. They will also investigate the relationship between frequency and vibration rate.

This classroom activity helps students understand how the angle of the Sun affects temperatures around the globe. After experimenting with a heat lamp and thermometers at differing angles, students apply what they learned to explain temperature variations on Earth. The printable six-page handout includes a series of inquiry-based questions to get students thinking about what they already know about temperature patterns, detailed experiment directions and a worksheet that helps students use the experiment results to gain a deeper understanding of seasonal temperature changes and why Antarctica is always so cold.

In this lesson, students will participate in a variety of activities that produce varying levels of heat. They use a worksheet to record their observations and findings, then they share their findings with their classmates. Additional discussion questions are included. This lesson is part of a series of lessons dealing with energy transformations.

In this hands-on experiment, students will test the effects of static charge on different objects such as paper, yarn, sawdust and puffed rice. They record their findings on a data sheet and hold a class discussion to share results. Extension activities and web links are included.

In this lesson, students rotate to three learning stations that will give them opportunities to experiment with static electricity. An extension activity and family connection are included.