Teacher preparation programs need to consider how to support elementary science teachers in developing their knowledge related to environmental and climate justice. Working with children to determine steps they can take together with their community to address and mitigate local environmental justice issues can seem daunting, especially if teachers have not had opportunities to plan and adapt lessons with these goals in mind. We describe a series of lessons for preservice teachers on environmental justice, including climate justice, and climate change. We taught this unit over four weeks to two sections of our elementary science methods course. Teachers participated as students in an investigation on pollinators, explored a range of resources related to climate and environmental justice, extended the pollinators investigation to incorporate what they had learned, and took part in a wondering walk to connect with our local environment. We hope this provides ideas and inspiration for other elementary teacher educators looking to integrate and enhance environmental justice connections within their own courses.
Bautista, J., & Davis, E. A. (2025). Should we…? Embracing justice-oriented climate education in elementary science teacher preparation. Science and Children, 62(5), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/00368148.2025.2533888