"Flowing Forward" Pre-Work

These assignments are an integral component and mark the beginning of the learning experience for Earth to Sky regional courses. The readings, videos and worksheet are used during our time together and provide foundational information upon which the science presenters build. They are also meant to be of use in development of a personal action plan. The assignments were chosen to provide all participants with a common ground for learning, communication and engagement.

The following assignments should take ~4 hours in total to complete.

Please bring any notes and work from these assignments to class.

1. Register on earthtosky.org (allow 20-30 min)

If you have not already done so, please completely fill out your Earth to Sky profile.  In your profile biography, please share two or three areas of interest and/or expertise related to climate change, public health, and/or community engagement. We suggest you also post a photo of yourself, it's nice to be able to put some faces to names. Using the map function to provide your work location will enable us to provide you with a map of all the participants locations. Completing your profile will help all of us to start getting to know one another prior to our “face time," and aid everyone in collaborative efforts in the future.

2. Meet Your Coach (allow 1 hour)

Your Earth to Sky coach will help you before, during, and after the course, bringing their experience and listening skills to help mentor you as you incorporate what you learn into your work.

During your meeting with your coach, start on your action plan, the outline of an interpretation or education product or program that you will develop using what you learn from this course.  It might be an existing program that you modify or a new one.  While meeting with your coach, brainstorm one or more ideas for the product or program you would like to work on.

3. Readings (allow approximately 1 hour)

A. Review the Social Drivers of Health

This assignment is coming soon!

B. Excerpts from The Psychology of Climate Change Communication

This booklet provides a useful guide to communication strategies; you’ll see the focus is on climate change, but the methodologies work well for science communication in general. We encourage you to read the whole guide when you have some time--it will be well worth your while. Meantime, please download the booklet and read the excerpts indicated below:

The Psychology of Climate Change Communication

Begin with "The Principles of Climate Change Communication in Brief" (pp 40-43) 

Next read

• "What is Framing" (p 6);
• "Bring the Message Close to Home: A Local Frame" (p 9-10); and
• "Words with Different Meanings (box p 27)

Here are guiding questions for you to consider as you read:

• Consider a climate topic of particular relevance to your site or institution. What is a local frame that you have used (or could use) to communicate about that topic?
• Using the strategies found on pages 40 - 43, select one and briefly describe how you might make use of it in your site or institution as you interact with your audience(s).

4. Complete the Earth Systems Science Overview Module (allow approximately 1.5 hour)

The goal for this module is to provide an overview of the Earth system, which also serves as our climate system. To understand climate change, we need to begin with the Earth and its components – land (or rock), life, water, and air- our lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

You can stop at any time and pick up where you left off. There is no quiz at the end!

Please be sure you read the introduction and complete the preparations prior to beginning the module.

Bring a hard copy of your annotated image with you to the first day of class.

6. Fill Out the Photo Release (allow approximately 5 minutes)

ETS-RC-NASA-Goddard-Release-Form-efill.pdf

Please fill out the above form and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Optional Additional Pre-Work

These will help you get even more out of the Earth to Sky course!  If you don't have time, don't stress - you don't need to do these activities to fully experience the Earth to Sky course.

A. Conduct a Subject Matter Expert Interview (allow approximately 1 hour)

Given everyone’s busy schedules, we suggest that you set up your interview as soon as you are able.

Please use the questions in this sheet as a guideline for your interview, and be prepared to share some of your insights with the class when we meet.

ETS-RC-Regional-Interview-Questions.docx

B. Read "Building Communities of Practice" by Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner (allow 30 min)

In joining Earth to Sky, you are becoming a member of a community of practice.  Communities of practice thrive when they are actively sustained and built by their members.  This reading will help you understand what a community of practice is, and how to get the most out of your experience with Earth to Sky.

Building Communities of Practice 

C. View These Videos (allow approximately 1 hour)

You may find it useful to complete the Earth Systems Science module before viewing these videos.

Earth’s Energy Budget (approximately 30 min)

Carbon – A Love Story (approximately 20 min)

Guiding questions to think about as you watch these videos

• What is new information for you?  Did you find anything surprising about the content?
• What are the key ideas in the videos are useful to you in your work?
• To what extent do you think that you can make use of this information in your work with various audiences? Are there any specific images, analogies or graphics that you might want to use in your presentations?
• Is there an aspect of the video content you need to know more about (i.e., what aspect of the research will you look into more deeply?)
• Do you have questions you would like to ask the science presenters during your upcoming course?