This curriculum includes hands-on data collection, technology in the classroom, exploratory learning, and a field trip. Each of these components was designed to engage students, improve their knowledge of forest ecology and climate science research techniques, and make learning about these topics fun.

The entire 10-day unit, including lesson plans, supplementary teaching materials, and scientific modeling web-based tool, are available for free online at climatechangeandforests.org.

The unit is designed for middle school students who have been introduced to graphing data points, slope, and line-of-best-fit. The lessons are best taught in chronological order, although the field trip lesson can take place at any point during the unit and reinforces material throughout the curriculum. 

Climate Change and Michigan Forests was developed by faculty and student researchers at the University of Michigan's School of Environment and Sustainability in collaboration with Ann Arbor Public Schools teachers, staff, and curriculum developers.