Empowering SDG13 with Arduino IoT: Kickstarting a Year-Long Climate Action Project (Term 1 of 3)

How do we move students from feeling overwhelmed by climate change to feeling empowered to solve it? This post details Term 1 (Weeks 1–10) of a year-long, cross-curricular framework. Grade 8 students dive into the Empathize and Define phases of Design Thinking by leveraging Freeform to mind-map SDG 13 (Climate Action), writing the Introduction of a formal research paper, and wiring their very first physical (or virtual) climate sensors!  

Note: This is Part 1 of a 3-part series. Stay tuned for Term 2 (UI Prototyping in Keynote) and Term 3 (Swift App Development)!

Grade Level and Subject Context

• Target Grade Level: Grade 8 (Ages 13–14), adaptable for Grades 5–10.
• Subject Integration: Robotics (Hardware logic), Computer Science (Algorithmic thinking), and STREAM (Research).
• Time Commitment: Term 1 of 3 (10 weeks total, 2 hours/week per subject).

Learning Goals & Apple Technology Highlights

• SDG 13 & Design Thinking: Apply the empathy phase to investigate local climate issues (heat index, air quality) using collaborative infinite canvases in Freeform.  
• Scientific Research: Draft the Introduction (I) of an IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion) research paper using Pages, supported by academic literature gathered via Safari.  
• Physical Computing: Identify, wire, and program DHT22 (temperature/humidity) and SGP30 (air quality) sensors using an Arduino Uno R4 WiFi to display initial readings on a serial monitor.
• Inclusive Literacy Tools: Students use Safari Reader View and Spoken Content to make complex academic research accessible, and Dictation in Pages to support drafting for students with writing barriers.  

Term 1 Activity Steps: Empathize, Define, & Prototype

This 10-week block sets the foundation. We aren't building apps yet; we are understanding the problem and testing our first hardware components.  

Empathize: Brainstorming & Research (STREAM & Computer Science)

• Students open a shared Freeform board on their iPads or Macs. They use sticky notes, links, and drawn connections to map out how global climate change affects their specific community (e.g., rising urban heat indexes, pollution). Using Safari, students hunt for quantitative baseline data and existing literature.
• Accessibility Tip: Teach students to activate Safari Reader View to strip away ad clutter, and use Spoken Content so their iPad can read complex scientific abstracts aloud to them.

Prototype: Hardware Fundamentals (Robotics)

• Students learn the anatomy of the Arduino Uno R4 WiFi, the DHT22, and the SGP30 sensors. Next, students breadboard their circuits and write their first lines of C++ code to successfully print room temperature and humidity to the serial monitor.
• Failing Forward: Emphasize that blinking error lights are part of the engineering process. Students document their wiring diagrams and code iterations using the iPad camera and add them to their Freeform boards.

Define: Drafting the Narrative (STREAM)

• Students synthesize their Freeform brainstorming and Safari research to write the Introduction of their formal scientific paper in Pages. They must clearly define the problem their future IoT device will aim to monitor or solve.
• Inclusive Drafting: Encourage students who struggle with typing or organizing thoughts to use iPad's built-in Dictation to speak their initial drafts directly into Pages.

Teacher Resource Toolkit: How to Scale Term 1 Tomorrow

You do not need a massive budget to kick off the empathy and prototyping phases! Here is how you can adapt Term 1 based on your resources:  

Tier 1: Low-Tech / Foundational (No Hardware Needed)

Rely heavily on Freeform for the empathy phase. Have students build rich visual boards mapping out local climate issues using photos taken with their iPad cameras around the school. Instead of physical sensors, students use Safari to find public API weather data or historical climate records for their city, defining the problem based on existing public data.  

Tier 2: Mid-Tech / Simulation (Zero Budget & Remote-Friendly)

If you don't have physical Arduino boards, students can still learn the exact same coding and wiring skills! Have them use free, browser-based simulators like Wokwi or Tinkercad on their Mac or iPad. They can virtually wire an Arduino to a DHT22 sensor and write the code to see simulated temperature outputs.  

Tier 3: High-Tech / Full Deployment (STEM Labs)

Students use physical Arduino Uno R4 WiFis, breadboards, jumper wires, and live DHT22/SGP30 sensors. They test the hardware by placing the sensors in different micro-climates around the classroom (e.g., near a window vs. near a projector) to test data variation.  

STREAM Lesson Guide: The "Funnel" Introduction

Grade 8 students often struggle with where to start writing. Teach them the "Inverted Funnel" method: start broad (Global), narrow down (Local), and finish specific (The Project). Have them use Pages to answer these guide questions, which naturally form the three core paragraphs of their IMRAD Introduction.  

• Paragraph 1: The Global Hook (The "Why")
• Goal: Connect the project to the UN SDGs and explain why this matters to the world.  
•  What is SDG 13 (Climate Action), and why did the United Nations create it?  
• How does extreme temperature or poor air quality affect human health globally? (Use Safari to find one specific statistic).  
• Paragraph 2: The Local Context (The "Where")
• Goal: Bring the global problem down to their own city or school.  
• How do we feel the effects of heat or poor air quality right here in our community? (Reference their Freeform empathy maps).  
• Why is it difficult for everyday people to track this data right now? (e.g., weather stations are far away, data isn't hyper-local).  
• Paragraph 3: The Solution and Objective (The "What")
• Goal: Clearly state what they are building and what data it will collect.  
• What is the specific goal of our research? (e.g., "The objective of this project is to build an IoT prototype that measures...")  
• Which sensors are we using (DHT22, SGP30), and what specific variables will they track?  
• How will having this local data help our community take action?  

Robotics Activity Guide: First Steps in Hardware

When introducing the Arduino Uno R4 WiFi and sensors, use this structured sequence. Emphasize that hardware and software are two halves of the same brain.  

Step 1: Map the Anatomy

Before using breadboards, have students identify the three essential connections on their DHT22 and SGP30 sensors: VCC/Power (the "food" for the sensor, usually 3.3V or 5V), GND/Ground (the return path for the electricity), and DATA/Signal (the pathway the sensor uses to "talk" to the Arduino).   

Schematic diagram of the Prototype Circuit (Arduino R4 WiFi, DHT22, SGP30)

Step 2: Wire the Circuit

Have students connect the sensors to the Arduino while the board is unplugged from the Mac/iPad. Connect the DHT22 Data pin to a Digital Pin (e.g., Pin 2) and the SGP30 to the SDA and SCL pins.

Circuit diagram of the Prototype (Arduino R4 WiFi, DHT22, SGP30) - created via Cirkuit Designer IDE

Tip: Have them take a photo of their wiring with their iPad and trace the power flow using markup in Freeform before plugging it in. (See attached Cirkit Designer schematic).

Step 3: Understand Code Structure

Introduce C++ structure using an analogy they understand. ⁠void setup()⁠ is The Morning Routine; this code runs exactly once when the Arduino wakes up (e.g., "Turn on the serial monitor," "Wake up the sensors."). ⁠void loop()⁠ is The Daily Tasks; this code runs forever (e.g., "Check the temperature," "Print it to the screen," "Wait 2 seconds," "Repeat.").  

Step 4: Print to the Serial Monitor

Students will upload the provided SDG 13 Environmental Monitor sketch. The goal of this session is not to write the entire code from scratch, but to successfully open the Serial Monitor and see real-time temperature, humidity, and air quality metrics scrolling on their screen. Ensure students have installed the required Adafruit libraries before verifying the code.

Note: Before downloading the program to the prototype, make sure to install the needed library for DHT22 and SGP30.

Code snippet of SDG 13 Environmental Monitor sketch

See the full code here: SDG 13 Environmental Monitor sketch

Looking Ahead: From Hardware to User Experience

Getting that first reading on the Serial Monitor is always a "lightbulb" moment for students—the abstract concept of climate change suddenly becomes measurable, local, and real. With the hardware fundamentals established and their research narrative drafted, our students are officially ready to bring their data to life.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, where we will dive into Term 2! We will transition from the breadboard to the iPad, using Keynote to prototype accessible User Interfaces and configuring our Arduino to stream this live climate data to the cloud.

How do you introduce physical computing to your Grade 8 student? Have you ever tried combining formal scientific writing with hardware engineering? Let me know in the replies below—I would love to hear how you might adapt this framework for your own classroom!