Lesson 4: Research & Evidence

Lesson 4

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Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Use their research questions to guide an investigation of a climate issue and possible solution.

Gather evidence from multiple sources and ways of knowing, including scientific information, community knowledge, lived experience, observations, and expert knowledge.

Evaluate sources and information for credibility, relevance, currency, and purpose.

Use evidence to better understand a climate issue and evaluate the feasibility of a proposed solution.

Document and appropriately cite the sources they use in their research.

How can we gather and evaluate evidence from different sources to understand a climate problem and develop a stronger solution?

Lesson Preparation: It’s recommended that you complete these steps before leading the lesson with your students:

Print or digitally assign the CIC SECONDARY STUDENT WORKBOOK.
Review the Identifying Credible Resources activity and select one or two sample sources to evaluate with the class.
Consider identifying local experts, community organizations, datasets, maps, or other resources that may help students investigate their topics.
Establish a system for students to save their research, citations, interview files, photographs, and other evidence throughout the project.

Importance of Credible Sources: A strong climate solution begins with understanding the problem it is intended to address. Research helps students move from an initial idea to a deeper understanding of their climate issue, the people and places affected by it, and the possible solutions that already exist.

Research is more than searching the internet. Students can learn from scientific studies and data, their own observations, people with lived experience, experts, and knowledge built across generations. Different sources and methods can help answer different kinds of questions.

As students conduct research, encourage them to look for relevant evidence, reputable sources, current information, and information that directly helps answer their research questions. When possible, students should compare information across multiple sources rather than relying on a single source.

Documenting Progress: Consider having students document their experience from the beginning of their project. Photos and videos from these early steps can become useful assets when students create their final CIC video. Students and teachers can add photos and videos to Canva or store them somewhere easy to access throughout the project.

Supplemental Resources:

Skype a Scientist

Present students with a question: Imagine your community is considering planting more trees to reduce the impacts of extreme heat. How could we find out whether this would be an effective solution?

Ask students to brainstorm:

Who could help us learn more?
What could we observe or measure?
Where could we find information?
How could we gather evidence?

Ask students to brainstorm who or what they could learn from and what they could do to investigate the question. Record responses on the board.

WHO could help us learn?	WHAT could help us learn?
Residents who experience extreme heat	Temperature data
People who work or spend time outdoors	Maps showing tree canopy or heat
Scientists or public health professionals	Scientific studies
Local community organizations	Historical records or photographs
Indigenous knowledge holders or tribal/community organizations	Reports about tree planting in other communities

Explain that there is rarely just one way to investigate a question. Good research begins by thinking carefully about what we need to know and what evidence could help us find out.

Explain to students: In your CIC project, research is not just searching online for facts. Different research questions may require different sources, methods, and ways of knowing. Strong research often brings several of these together to build a more complete understanding of a problem and possible solution.

A source is where the information comes from.
A method is how you gather or access that information.

We can learn from…	What source could help us learn this?	How will we find out? What methods will we use?
Science & Data	Scientific studies, datasets, models, maps, reports, government or research organizations	Read, research, analyze data, compare evidence
Our Own Observations	Measurements, photographs, field notes, surveys, audits, or data students collect themselves	Observe, measure, map, survey, collect data
People with Lived Experience	Residents, workers, students, families, farmers, or people directly affected by an issue	Interview, survey, listen, document experiences
People with Specialized Knowledge	Scientists, engineers, city staff, conservationists, educators, nonprofit staff, or other professionals	Interview, consult, research their work
Knowledge Built Across Generations	Indigenous knowledge holders, Elders, cultural or community organizations, oral histories, or appropriately shared community resources	Listen, interview, research, examine stories or records

Emphasize that these sources can provide different kinds of evidence and perspectives. One source may help students understand what is happening, while another may help them understand how people experience the issue or what solutions might work in a particular community.
The goal is not to use every type of source for every research question. The goal is to think intentionally about what you need to know and choose the sources and methods that are best suited to help you answer it.
Many questions will lead to websites, articles, reports, datasets, and other published sources. Before using that information in their CIC project, students need to decide whether the source is trustworthy, relevant, and appropriate for your question.

Before students begin their own research, discuss why it is important to evaluate the information they find.

The internet contains information from many different sources and with many different purposes. A source can be useful, but students should consider who created it, what evidence it provides, how current it is, and why it was created.

Read NRDC’s How to Spot—and Help Stop—Climate Misinformation. Here are some steps to ensure students access reputable data, tools, and resources.
Discuss the importance of using reputable research sources such as government entities (e.g. EPA, United Nations), research think tanks (e.g. the Aspen Institute, Food & Water Watch), and academic libraries and databases.
Discuss the ramifications of citing unreliable sources. Unreliable research sources could include anything that is out of date (10 years or more), sources or information collected from social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, blogs), or sources from news sites or other websites that may be privately funded and/or politically motivated.
Keep in mind that bias plays into almost any source, and so guide students toward understanding the bias and recognizing if the author admits their own bias as part of their work.
Credibility goes beyond the realm of scientists. As noted, Indigenous knowledge and approaches can be a key component of addressing climate change. Here is MacArthur Genius Award Winner, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2:12) providing some additional insight.
- Watch the video Two-Eyed Seeing: Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge | California Academy of Sciences (5:52) for a deeper understanding of TEK for Indigenous communities.

Practice identifying credible sources using the “Identifying Credible Resources” handout as an exercise in teaching students to review website content for credible sources.

Guide students through evaluating one or two example sources before asking them to evaluate sources independently.
As students evaluate a source, encourage them to consider:
- Currency: Is the information current enough for the question we are asking?
- Relevance: Does it directly help us answer our research question?
- Authority: Who created the information, and what makes them knowledgeable about the topic?
- Accuracy: What evidence supports the information? Can important claims be verified?
- Purpose: Why was the information created? Is the goal to inform, educate, persuade, sell, or advocate?

Remind students: A source can have a particular point of view and still provide useful evidence. Our job is to understand the source’s purpose and evaluate the evidence it provides.

Students can use this handout to evaluate important sources they plan to use in their CIC project.

Students work in their CIC groups or individually to complete LESSON 4: CIC RESEARCH PLAN in their CIC SECONDARY STUDENT WORKBOOK.

Ask students to use the research questions they developed in Lesson 3 to determine:
- What do we need to know?
- What do we need to know to determine whether our solution will work and how to put it into action?
- What sources could help us learn this?
- What methods can we use?

Students should add additional research questions and rows as needed.

Encourage students to think beyond internet research. Depending on their project, their research plan might include:

- Scientific research
- Local or government data
- Maps or interactive tools
- Observations or measurements
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Community knowledge
- Expert knowledge
- Indigenous or cultural knowledge

Students work in their CIC groups or individually to complete LESSON 4:CONDUCT CIC RESEARCH in their CIC SECONDARY STUDENT WORKBOOK.

Students should use their research plan to investigate:

The climate hazard or issue they are addressing
The impacts on people, animals, or the environment
Existing approaches or solutions
The feasibility of their proposed solution
- Whether their solution could work in their school or community
- What they would need to do to put their solution into action
- Who could help them
Any additional questions that emerge during their research

As students research, encourage them to:

Look for credible and relevant sources.
Look for current data and specific evidence.
Compare information across multiple credible sources when possible.
Record information in their own words and distinguish their ideas from information they learned from others.
Record source information as they go so they can cite it accurately later.
Evaluate whether each source actually helps answer their research questions.
Add new research questions when their investigation leads them in a new direction.

Document the Research Process– Encourage students to take photos and videos of their research process. They can link photographs, interview recordings, data, and other evidence to their research table so everything is easy to find when they begin creating their CIC video.

CIC projects require at least 3 appropriate citations to support your claims. See Climate Innovation Challenge Judging Rubric 2026/27 for more detailed information about project requirements.

Explore Climate Research Tools & Resources– Students can use the following credible, interactive tools and resources to begin researching their climate change topic.

General Climate Change Research
- United Nations: Climate Action — Learn about the causes and impacts of climate change and explore global climate action.
- NASA Climate Kids — Explore climate science, evidence, and explanations designed for younger audiences.
- World Wildlife Fund — Explore information about climate change, ecosystems, wildlife, and conservation.
- The Nature Conservancy — Explore climate solutions, conservation efforts, and the connections between people and ecosystems.
Renewable Energy
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Energy Kids — Explore different energy sources and learn how energy is produced and used.
- United Nations: What Is Renewable Energy? — Learn about renewable energy sources and their role in addressing climate change.
- 350.org: Five Types of Renewable Energy — Explore examples of renewable energy and how they can be used as climate solutions.
Sea Level Rise
- NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer — Use interactive maps to explore how different levels of sea level rise could affect coastal areas.
- Climate Central: Coastal Risk Finder — Explore maps and data showing how sea level rise and coastal flooding could affect communities.
Drought
- North American Drought Monitor — Explore current drought conditions and historical drought patterns across North America.
- U.S. Drought Monitor — Explore drought conditions, maps, and data for the United States.
Wildfire
- National Interagency Fire Center: Wildland Fire Maps — Explore maps and information about wildfires and fire activity in the United States.
- USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities — Explore maps and data about wildfire risk and potential impacts on communities.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data — Explore data about greenhouse gas emissions and their sources.
- Our World in Data: Greenhouse Gas Emissions — Explore interactive charts and data about greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

Interview an Expert– Consider reaching out to a local subject-matter expert who can help you better understand your topic and help you think about how to put your solution into action. An expert might be a scientist, engineer, community leader, city official, farmer, conservation professional, or someone with direct experience related to the issue you are researching.

Before contacting an expert:

Identify what you want to learn.
Prepare a few specific questions.
Explain what your project is about.
Ask questions that the expert is well positioned to answer.

Need help finding an expert? CAVU staff can help connect interested students with potential experts. Reach out to your teacher or the CAVU team at cic@cavu.org.

You can also explore Skype a Scientist as a way to connect with scientists and other experts. Students under 18 must participate with an adult. Sessions can take place through common virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet.

This step may require several class periods and/or time outside of class. Establish a system for checking in with students as they progress through their research.

CAVU requires that all sources be appropriately cited in CIC projects. This includes, but is not limited to:

Data and information
Images and screenshots
Audio and music
Graphs and charts
Quotes
Interviews

Students may use an online citation generator to create APA or MLA citations, but they should always check the citation for accuracy and completeness. Citation resources include:

Notes on Citing Sources:

Sources can be cited during the project as footnotes or included at the end of the project on a credits page.
Students conducting interviews should use an appropriate interview citation format.
When in doubt, cite it. Information that does not originate from your own ideas, observations, or data should be appropriately credited.

Ask students to write or share the following reflections based on their research (Note: This can be repeated on all the days students are conducting research in class)

Evidence: What is one important piece of evidence you found?
Impact: How does this evidence affect your solution?
Next: What do you still need to find out?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.7

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.8

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

MS-ETS1-1 – Engineering Design

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

HS-ESS3-4 — Earth and Human Activity

Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

HS-ETS1-3 — Engineering Design

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.