Art and Climate Action (Climate Heroes #1)

Positives

• Students consider the role of art as a form of climate activism.
• Students are exposed to a variety of artists and types of art addressing climate change.
• This lesson has significant cross-curricular possibilities, even though it focuses on art and artists.
• Students begin to think about ways they might use artwork as a means of taking climate action.

Additional Prerequisites

• This is lesson 1 of 3 in our 9th-12th grade Climate Heroes unit.
• This lesson should follow a basic introduction to climate change science, exploration of global and local impacts, and climate change solutions.
• Some prior knowledge of contemporary art practices is useful, but not required.

Differentiation

• Teachers can provide instruction multimodally.
• Teachers can modify the assignment and assessment as needed.
• Teachers can follow up with questions to ensure comprehension.
• Teachers can pair students with helpful peers.

This lesson encourages students to think about how artists and their art can be used to teach and inspire others about climate change. Many videos are included in the slideshow. Videos include one of Sarah Lewis, an art historian discussing how one person’s artwork can shift things, and a second one featuring “Earthrise,” a poem by Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. There are an additional six videos covering artists and their artwork about climate change. This lesson finishes with great reflection questions and an opportunity for class discussion. This would be a great lesson for teaching the effects of art on the public perception of climate change.

Note On Standards:

This lesson is aligned to New Jersey standards. Review the aligned standards directly in the lesson plan document and teacher slideshow.