The Baby Boom and Avoiding Doom
Provided by: MIT Climate Action Through Education|Published on: January 28, 2025
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, History
Authors: Michael Kozuch
Region: United States, California
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson plan looks at the recent history of climate change and science, focusing on environmental disasters caused by pesticides and oil spills, the history of Earth Day, and the role of Exxon Mobile and corporate greed in climate uncertainty.
- Students will watch and read speeches from influential environmentalists, analyze primary sources, and create a civic action project.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Seeing the passion behind the first Earth Day and other environmental movements throughout history can inspire students to affect change.
- This lesson and the Frontline documentary in particular do an excellent job of showing potential motivation for dissent amongst scientists and the role of Big Oil in climate science.
Prerequisites
- The UpFront article for Part 1 of the Climate Change and Earth Day Worksheet is behind a paywall. Additionally, in the worksheet, students will have to request access to Dennis Hayes's Speech from the first Earth Day in 1970.
- Before the Primary Source Exercise, students may need the acronym BLM defined in this context, as they may only know it as the Black Lives Matter movement.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After watching the PBS documentary, students can research BP's role in and motives behind the carbon footprint and other rhetoric that focuses on individual actions and ignores systemic issues.
- Given the sections about the history of Earth Day, this is a great Earth Day resource for students in history classes.
- Language arts teachers can use these Writing Activities for Earth Day to make interdisciplinary connections.
- After watching Greta Thunberg's speech, students can draft their own speech for government officials and policymakers.
This resource features a historical look at the Baby Boom generation and the start of the environmental movement. This resource is exceptionally well-sourced and engages students in analyzing primary sources. From the disproportionate impacts of highway expansion to climate change, the social and environmental impacts of post-WWII growth are thoughtfully addressed. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
