You(th) Be the Change

Teaching middle school students about climate science & solutions

Free curriculum, in-class experiences, and field trips to help school teachers and educators in community-based organizations (CBOs) teach middle school students about climate science & solutions.

NGSS Aligned Curriculum

Climate science basics to help students understand what they might be hearing from their family, peers and the news. Get the curriculum for free through the button above.

Teacher Training Workshops

Learn how to introduce climate change science in the classroom and across various subject matters. Trainings are offered 1-on-1 or in group settings.

Guest Speaker Services

Additionally, we offer supplemental in-class instruction by our Youth Education Manager.

Outdoor Education Field Trips

Through Santa Clara Open Space Authority, we currently offer a limited amount of free outdoor education field trips to urban gardens Santa Clara county. Contact us to inquire.

Our Curriculum

Introduction to Climate Change

The programming and enrichment enable students to:

  • Understand the fundamentals of climate change science and its impacts around them.
  • Consider complex human-ecological systems and tradeoffs made when designing solutions.
  • Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to interpret scientific data.
  • Demonstrate written, visual, and oral presentation skills to communicate scientific knowledge.
  • Apply techniques and tools to solve problems in their community. Form students’ green teams.

Carbon Cycle

Introduction to climate change science basics

Impacts of Climate change

Global Warming and its effects

Sea Level Rise

What is sea level rise and how does it work

Agricultural Systems and Food Choice

Introduction to agriculture and plant based meals

Environmental Justice

Equity and fairness in environmental health for humans

Solutions

What can we do? What is being done? And what can we look forward to?
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Field Trips

Acterra Field Trip Itinerary

In partnership with local nonprofits, we provide fully sponsored urban garden experiences to middle school classrooms. Field trips are 9:30am - 1pm, excluding travel time.
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9:45 - Whole Group Garden Tour
Topics that may be covered include: what do you smell, see, fell, hear, etc? (Taste comes later!), native plant communities, different local ecosystems, biodiversity.

10:00 - Activities Part One
Station 1 with Group A: Regenerative Organic Agriculture
Station 2 with Group B: Compost
Switch
10:40 - Stretch / Bathroom Break
10:50 - Activities Part Two
Station 3 with Group A: Carbon Cycle / Aquaponics
Station 4 with Group B: Lunch Prep
Switch
11:30 - Whole Group Regather
Climate Pledges Activity
12 - Lunch
12:45 - Closing
Final Questions / Pledge Share Outs
1pm - Get on the Bus
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Contact You(th) be the Change for more information on field trips, class visits and teacher trainings!
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Testimonials

See what people in the community have to say.

All the students had such an awesome time!
All the students had such an awesome time learning from the staff at Acterra. We learned so much about our surroundings and the ways that humans impact our ecosystem. Thank you, Lily, for spending the time talking to our students!
Irene Yeh
UpAcademy, San Mateo
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The California Native Garden was a great experience for my students.
They smiled, they complained, they asked questions, they ignored, they got dirty and they cleaned things all within the same field trip. For a short period of time, they lived what we learn in our classroom about bringing balance back to our planet.

Nick Mcmillan,
ACE Academy, East San Jose
11/17/2023

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I just wanted to reach out and give a huge thanks...
Seriously, it was so helpful to have your perspective and expertise. I won't cover much of that content so it's super helpful for them to learn about it, and I think you really did inspire some ideas for their projects. I hope we can continue to work together in the future!
Jody DeAraujo
Balboa Highschool, 12th grade
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    Help educate your students in Climate Change & Activism.

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