Curriculum & Education Consulting

Research that
reaches
classrooms.

I translate research, programs, and local data into classroom-ready materials that educators can actually use.

I specialize in translating environmental research and local data into classroom-ready materials that help students understand and respond to real-world challenges.

Schedule a conversation

What I do

Filling a unique niche

You're already doing the work. Environmental research, programs, outreach.

Translating that into classroom-ready materials takes a specific mix of content knowledge and teaching experience. That's what I bring.

I develop standards-aligned lessons, educator guides, and interpretive materials that are clear, practical, and ready to use in real classrooms.

Materials can be used by your own educators in programs or outreach, or shared more broadly with schools and communities. When relevant, everything is aligned with CPALMS and NGSS to make adoption easy for teachers.

CPALMS-aligned NGSS-aligned Classroom-ready Minimal prep Editable Canva files Florida-focused

The gap I fill

Your organization's work is meaningful. What's often missing is the translation layer — the lesson plan, the educator guide, the interpretive sign — that makes it usable in a classroom or public setting.

Everything I develop is designed to be clear, practical, and usable without additional prep.

Services

What I can develop for you

Lesson & Activity Development

  • Lessons, activities, or short-form materials
  • Teacher guides and student handouts
  • Slide decks (if needed)
  • Standards alignment (CPALMS & NGSS)

Program & Educator Materials

  • Designed for your staff or educators to use directly
  • Supports field trips, site visits, and outreach programs
  • Structured for easy implementation

Materials for Sharing & Distribution

  • Resources you can publish, share, or send to schools
  • Extends your reach beyond in-person programs

Interpretive Signage & Educational Displays

  • Exhibit panels and signage for visitor education
  • Content based on your research, programs, or local context
  • Connects visitors to action and deeper learning
  • Clean layouts ready for your design team to refine

Lesson + Educator Support

  • Educator walkthrough session
  • Implementation guidance
  • Feedback-based revisions
  • Focused on real classroom usability

Custom Projects

  • Something else in mind? Let's talk through it
  • All materials can align with your branding
  • Delivered as editable Canva files

Projects are scoped based on your needs, timeline, and budget. Happy to talk through options at different levels.

Portfolio

Selected work

A sample of curriculum, education, and interpretive materials developed for environmental organizations and publication.

Published project

Local Waters, Global Impact

A place-based lesson centered on water quality, climate impacts, and community stewardship.

  • Students investigate real water samples and analyze data
  • Connects climate change to local environmental conditions
  • Hands-on testing, modeling, and evidence-based claims
  • Standards-aligned unit on environmental systems
View article
Published project

The Air We Breathe

A project-based learning experience connecting air quality, climate change, and environmental justice.

  • Students collect real air quality data with portable sensors
  • Analyze patterns and identify environmental disparities
  • Applies claims-evidence-reasoning (CER) framework
  • Connects data to civic action and advocacy writing
View article
Lemur conservation education sign at North Florida Wildlife Center
Installed signage

Lemurs — Madagascar's Forest Gardeners

Interpretive sign connecting lemur conservation, climate impacts, and visitor action.

North Florida Wildlife Center, Gainesville, FL

Content and initial concept by Karolyn Burns. Final design in collaboration with the CLEO Institute graphics team.

African vulture conservation education sign
Installed signage

African Vultures — Nature's Clean-Up Crew

Visitor-facing sign translating vulture conservation and climate threats into accessible public education.

North Florida Wildlife Center, Gainesville, FL

Content and initial concept by Karolyn Burns. Final design in collaboration with the CLEO Institute graphics team.

Gray fox conservation education sign
Installed signage

Gray Foxes — Adapting in a Changing World

Educational signage connecting gray fox ecology, habitat pressures, and conservation steps for visitors.

North Florida Wildlife Center, Gainesville, FL

Content and initial concept by Karolyn Burns. Final design in collaboration with the CLEO Institute graphics team.

Giant anteater conservation education sign
Installed signage

Bumi the Giant Anteater — Conservation on the Move

Sign exploring giant anteater road safety challenges and the role of habitat corridors in climate-resilient conservation.

North Florida Wildlife Center, Gainesville, FL

Content and initial concept by Karolyn Burns. Final design in collaboration with the CLEO Institute graphics team.

Additional curriculum and education projects developed in collaboration with partner organizations are available upon request.

How it works

A simple, scoped process

1

Initial conversation

Understand your work and goals

2

Defined scope

Clear timeline and deliverables

3

Development

Content + clean layout

4

Educator support

Walkthrough + implementation guidance (if included)

5

Feedback + revisions

One round of revisions included

Projects are clearly scoped and designed to be easy to implement from day one.

About

Karolyn Burns at a Florida Forest Service planting event Heron at Wakulla Springs

Karolyn Burns

Curriculum developer. Conservation biologist. Florida educator.

Karolyn Burns is a curriculum and education consultant with a background in conservation biology and climate education.

She has developed and led educational programs that translate complex environmental topics into accessible, classroom-ready materials for Florida's schools, nature centers, and public lands.

Her work includes published practitioner-focused projects that connect real-world data, community-based work, and classroom instruction — as well as installed interpretive signage bridging wildlife conservation and public education.

She works with environmental nonprofits, nature centers, and conservation organizations to turn their research and programs into materials that reach classrooms and communities in meaningful ways.

Get in touch

Let's talk about your project

Feel free to reach out or schedule a time to talk. Projects are scoped based on your needs, timeline, and budget.

Schedule a conversation KarolynCBurns@gmail.com

Happy to talk through options at different levels.