HAPPENINGS

The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) Education Hub is excited to announce a comprehensive partner resource to our Sea Level Rise climate topics page: “Kai eʻe – Mounting Seas: Pacific Tsunami and Climate Change Unit.” The Unit, designed for 6th-grade students, blends scientific inquiry with cultural wisdom, guiding learners to explore climate change and its impacts on our islands. Aligned with Hawaiʻi State Standards, Common Core, and Nā Honua Mauli Ola cultural pathways, and some Ocean Literacy Principles, this curriculum offers a holistic approach to understanding an essential question: “How do we know if Hawaiʻi’s sea level is rising due to global climate change and what can we do about it?”

Through six lessons, students will engage in various activities, from analyzing data collected at Mauna Loa to conducting hands-on thermal expansion experiments, interviewing local fishers and kūpuna about changes they have observed locally over time, and conducting experiments on thermal expansion. The place-based approach and focus on local context both educate and empower our keiki to become stewards of our shared environment, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address the challenges of climate change in Hawaiʻi. Visit the PI-CASC K-12 learning hub to view this lesson and additional resources related to climate science in the Pacific region.

This Unit was produced by the Pacific Tsunami Museum in partnership with The Pacific American Foundation and the Geophysics Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks.